My abs have given up.

Ouch. My body is definitely starting to strain outward to find extra space. I've got a constant burn just below my ribs. It feels hot and tingly, like I have a pulled muscle. The entire area below my belly button just plain aches. My pelvic floor feels like I accidentally did the splits. And my pelvis is getting loose, so my hips are sore, too. It takes me at least twice as long to walk anywhere, which really slows me down around the office.

Moving in general has become more of a challenge in the past week. I counted last night, and it takes me 8-10 separate motions to roll from my right side to my left (or the other direction) not counting the rearrangement of various pillows and supports. Even getting in and out of the car is a challenge. And I'm only at 33 weeks!

Being pregnant is lots of fun, and I'm totally enjoying the experience, but it sure isn't comfortable. Thankfully, I have my amazing partner to support me. She encourages me to do what I can, keeps me from doing what I don't need to do, and supports me when I get physically and mentally exhausted from trying to do too much. She really is amazing. I feel bad sometimes when I let it show that I've become upset or irritated by some little thing, like dishes on the counter or whatever, when I know that she's doing so much for me and for us already.

I try to tell her often just how much I appreciate everything, but I can't imagine how hard it must be for her to stay positive when hormones and fatigue get the better of me, and there's nothing she can do to help but bring me treats and encourage me to sleep. Still, what she does do means the world to me. She knows what I need before I do. She knows exactly where I need to be massaged, she knows when I need to eat something, she knows when to prompt me to sleep. She's absolutely the best.

So Much Love!

This picture was taken a few years ago, when Mombi worked at a daycare in Denver. She had some crazy dreads at the time, so for "silly hair day" on Valentine's day, she tucked them under this black wig and a shocking pink bandana. She bucked the system and their "no hats" policy daily with her crazy bandanas. (I think she had every style they sold at the local craft store!) The kids absolutely loved her. This is one of my favorite pictures of her, because it shows her phenomenal smile and goofy sense of humor.


I try to express daily to Mombi just how much I love and adore her. I talk about her so much at work that when she stops by the lobby of my office building to meet me for something, people entering/exiting recognize her from the photo on my desk (not this one), address her by name, and ask how she's doing. She's my best friend and the greatest romance I've ever had. She has an amazing sense of humor and comic timing. (We laugh together a lot!) I love the way her mind puts things together in unexpected ways. She's constantly doing sweet things for me. She has a great smile, gorgeous eyes, and naturally perfect eyebrows. She's a great storyteller. She's amazing with kids. Heck, she's amazing with adults.

I could go on for much much longer, but I'm sure that we'll all have an overdose of "love blogs" today. So I'll just say that (as my little sister puts it) I get all warm and squishy inside when I think about the fact that next year it will be all three of us together for Valentine's Day.

I love you, Mombi!!!

Randomness

It's been a while since I had a totally random and disjointed post, so I suppose I'm due for one.

My belly is starting to get sore. It just plain aches. Even when Griffin isn't kickboxing, it just feels like it's heavier than it was, even though it doesn't seem to be getting much bigger lately. My back is keeping my belly company in its discomfort. When I got to the second trimester and started feeling so much better, I focussed on how it was supposed to be the most comfortable trimester, but I overlooked the fact that that meant the third trimester would probably be significantly less comfortable. I'm grunting and groaning even more than previously. Mombi actually brought out a walking stick to help me pry myself off the couch whenever I need to get up.

OK, enough with the complaining for a while. There's so much fun stuff going on, and I'd much rather think about that! People are starting to ask where we're registered and when I plan to stop working. People grin at me (us) wherever we go. I've probably found every reflective vertical surface around my office, and I can't help scoping out my belly in each of them as I pass by. Friends are offering their old baby gear, and it's actually close enough to time that we can accept.

Best of all, it's only 3 months from now that I'll be able to see Mombi holding Griffin. Have I ever told you how amazing she is with kids? Ever since I can remember, I've been awed and teary-eyed whenever I've had the chance to see her interact with kids. She just has a way with them. They gravitate to her. She is going to be such an amazing mom! Not only is she lots of fun, but she manages to include learning in all the games she makes up when playing with them. It's going to be incredible watching them together. Heck, it's already fun! When she plays with him and talks to him in my belly, I can't help but giggle and grin. Griffin likes it, too!

27 Weeks Down! One Trimester to Go!

Wow, here we are already. Looking pregnant, feeling pregnant... Griffin moves around so often that he already seems like a fully grown baby that's just hanging out and staying cozy. Although, of course, I suppose he can't be that cozy if he keeps trying to expand his living room out in each direction.

There hasn't been much to report on lately. I've been feeling a little bit of woozy in the mornings again, but I've discovered that the cranberry apple tea at work that used to be so ridiculously tart is now perfect with just the tiniest bit of sugar, and it seems to put the woozies to rest by 9 each morning. I'm finally wearing full belly maternity jeans, and they feel SOOOO good! Unfortunately I only have one pair that fits, but luckily I have a LOT of different shirts to wear with them.

Mombi remains incredible. I've been having a big sob fest once every week or two, usually when I run out of energy too early in the day and come home grumpy from work. She rubs my back and holds me and lets me get snot all over her, and eventually we are laughing together again. I ask you: If that isn't the definition of a great marriage, what is?

We're still fiddling around a bit with our registry on Target (Shame on BabyCenter for taking theirs away right when I wanted it!) although I think the important stuff is all on there now. We still need more diapers, of course, and the basic feeding and maintenance stuff, but the big one for us is this:

We love that the bassinet comes out and sits on its own stand (which can be either stationary or rocking). It's perfect for moving around the house with us, and we're not planning to have a separate changing table other than the one that is part of this play yard. And, of course, it's darned cute!

Poem for My Wife, in the Style of Ogden Nash, Composed at 6:00 AM Sunday Morning, on a Full Belly of Hash Browns and Fried Eggs

Oh my love, my lovely wife
Purveyor of things warm, toasty, and nutritious
You fill my belly with the finest stuff of life
For the health not just of me, but of us.

Nothing could be finer than waking from sleep to find
A beautiful woman coming near bearing food and smiles
As I try to adjust my eyes to the light, and my mind
to the fact that I really am so lucky as to have a wife
who knows that I will be wanting hot food at between
2:30 and 4:00AM each morning for the next several months,
and is willing to bring it to me on a tray that by that
time she will have carried miles.

When I am full you find instead that I want water
Or a bottle of sports drink with electrolytes (or at least I oughter.)
Or maybe a huge pile of blankets to burrow in on the couch
While unwinding after work as I try not to whine and grouch.

Thank you for everything a million times over.
Without you I'd be a total mess half the time
and my mornings would not be happy ones with you and
perfectly cooked whatever, but instead I'd be alone
with some pathetic microwaved food and Russell Stover.



(Ogden Nash)

Here's a Post

I'm feeling pretty blah this evening, so I'm afraid you won't be getting my usual high-energy banter. The good news is that I have energy during the days again, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to last until evening, and lately I find that I get home just in time to turn to mush. It must be because the supplemental hormones are fading out of my system. It's like having a mini post-partum depression.

On the up side, Mombi takes good care of me. She puts me to bed when I get home, then wakes me up a couple hours later with food and Breyers coffee flavor ice cream. She reminds me that tears help my body shed toxins, and doesn't push me to "be happy" when I don't want to be. She's the best. As a reward, I've granted her total creative freedom on Skippy's room. It only seems fair, since I totally took over decorating the rest of the place when we moved in here in May!

Tomorrow I get the results of today's 7:15 am blood draw, and I'll know if I am released from care with the fertility specialist. If I am, I get to call and set up my first appointment with the doctor I believe will be my OB. It's a bit bittersweet, since I've become so attached to the folks at my RE's office, but I know we'll keep in touch. I'm not planning to take anyone off my "people to brag to about Skippy" list for quite a while.