Miracle Tool or Torture Device? You Decide

Since I've been too cheap to buy maternity clothes, and am still not filling out some of the ones I borrowed that'll be better in a couple months when I am beach ball esque, I am finding myself STILL dressing in bigger sized regular clothes, aided by my Bella Band.

Which has been great, saving me tons of money, and letting my regular clothes still (more or less) fit me.

But which lately has also come to feel like some type of sausage wrap, and guess who's the sausage.

Right now I am just THINKING about getting dressed and my stomach hurts. It certainly does keep your pants up. But it also pushed your innards - and probably, baby - into your back and/or rib cage.

It's clearly meant for that little poochy preggo tummy you have at first - the one that might be too much pizza and beer that weekend, OR might be a 3 month fetus. Not a 5 month 1 lber like I have cooking now, finally.

Most Mortifying Aspect of Second Trimester So Far

Lots of gas, and it just seems to sneak out sometimes. Like, you know, when I'm talking to a work colleague. Twice.

Grrr

Rememer when I posted recently that my docs laughably want me to stick to 25 lb weight gain?

I've been doing my best, and Mike has too in terms of trying to be supportive. But also, thankfully, he's not riding me. And is the first one to encourage me to enjoy being pregnant, and have treats when I need treats.

So this morning, when complete lack of dog food in the house sent him scurrying to Schnuck's at 6 a.m. ... he was smart enough to come back, treats in hand: creme-filled doughnuts for him. Croissant, AND giant cherry turnover for me.

WW Points be damned, I attacked that croissant in about 20 seconds flat. Intending to save the turnover for tomorrow ... but when croissant was so surprisingly gone, well, so fast ... I indulged and started nibbling away at my second treat.

Then the Boy or the Dogs or Something else distracted me, so I walked about and left it on the counter For maybe, I don't know, one minute.

Can you dog owners see where I'm going with this? Huh, huh, can you?

I came back to find an empty plate and our dog Bogey fervently licking his chops, and the remaining glazed cherry crumbs off the floor.

I guess this is the Cosmos' way of telling me to take care of me and baby, and not to pig out?

I wish the cosmos would shove it.

Most Interesting Aspect of Second Trimester So Far

Three words: constant sex dreams. I'll spare you the rest.

Pregnant? Tired? Crabby? Count Your Blessings

Something useful this week from Babycenter.com:

• The penis of a rhinoceros is 2 feet long.
• The penis of a mosquito is a hundredth of an inch long.
• The praying mantis bites her mate's head off while he impregnates her.
• Elephants are pregnant for two years.
• Many animals give birth to a dozen or more babies at a time.
• Your baby won't be born with hooves.

Today, I am feeling like an elephant ... and elephants everywhere are ready for stampede 20-week-pregnant-and-halfway-done-already me for that remark.

Score TWO!

Thursday night brought not just a fun book club discussion at my house (read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wallis, it's great), but a truckload more maternity clothes from my friend Karen.

I have already sported one snappy black and white flower print dress to work and received many compliments. And it's all free!

Which means I see another superfluous baby purchase in my future ...
Thanks, ladies-I-know-with-good-maternity-clothes network!

Now I just have to keep them all straight. Lisa and Karen, can't your mommies sew labels on the tags for me?

SCORE!

This weekend I went through a gigantic pile of maternity clothes from my friend Lisa. Getting them is a double bonus because (a) she has good taste and (b) I didn't have to buy them. Or pretend I bought them on sale to my husband.

And it ensures when I inevitably freak out from feeling huge, and buy something way overpriced one day this summer in a vain attempt to dress like an attractive female human ... I can feel less guilty. Cuz I got piles of clothes fo' FREE.

God love the mommy network.

P.S.

What I "forgot" to post from Tuesday's joyous doctor appointment is that we'll be watching this pregnancy verrrryyyy closely for signs of pre-eclampsia. My labs never showed it, but my doctor's marked my file as though I was with Matthew. Between the swelling, the pressure, the low fluid and his small size (6 lb 5 oz) they feel something wasn't working right with my placenta.

So this time the Rx will be:
Take my b.p. daily at home and log it
Monthly ultrasounds to check baby's growth and my fluid
Keep my weight down - aiming for 25 lb weight gaiHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No really (wiping eyes) I think they were serious.

Wish they would have mentioned that BEFORE I bought the Mrs. Smith's Deep Dish Cherry Crumb Topping pie last Sunday. (Cara, I think you have an affinity for the cherry crumb desserts? Girl, I'm gonna have to put one in your mailbox.)

Nothing to worry about - our baby girl looked perfect. And pre-eclampsia while common in first time moms (1 in 10) is far less so in second timers. And I've lost weight, AND they're gonna monitor me closely. "Put me in a safety net" was the comforting term actually. But it was still a little sobering to hear phrases like "hopefully we can avoid bedrest" or "if we'd have to put you on bedrest..."

AH! You cannot use these words to (a) someone who barely got away from work for today's appointments and between now and birth has multiple website phases to launch and project plans to accomplish, or (b) TO ANY MOM OF ANY KID because funny, toddlers just don't seem to have that healthy respect for mommies who can't get up to get them milkies on demand.

We're fine, it's fine. I am just remotivated to watch diet, try to get outside once it's nice and exerBWAHAHAHAHAHA! sorry, WHEW!

The point is, I am motivated to take maybe a bit better care of myself than maybe I was earlier in this pregnancy. When maybe I was being a bit of a lax, second-timer mom. (I KNOW this must be normal.) When maybe I was sneaking in the second and even third cup of coffee (now it's one). And was seeing most meals as an opportunity to defy the logic of calories in, baby needs 300, where do the other 1500 from my Red Robin burger and milkshake GO? game. And I had noticed my water had dropped from my superstar 8 glasses a day on WW, to maybe 3-4.

So now I'm committed to manage my weight gain really closely, and that way if genetics foils me again and I DO get pre-eclamptic or something like it, I don't have to feel guilty. Or not too guilty (let's not talk about that cherry pie).

This Post Is Not About the Baby's Gender

It's about Matthew's new shirt and my pretty flowers. See?Matthew wanted you to take in every detail of his new shirt, courteousy of Zoey's Attic.Needless to say - we're all thrilled about, well, Matthew's new shirt, and my pretty flowers. THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Like the new template? I don't know, the color scheme just came to me tonight...