I can't believe I'm seven months pregnant. Where has the time gone?
We successfully registered for what was far more difficult than wedding registries. Every baby is different so even armed with great advice from friends, we stood there in wonder at the 40 different brands and combos of bottles alone. Sigh. But I am pretty happy overall with what we've got on there.
We've made progress with the nursery too! Besides painting, Jason and I managed to get the border up. It looks so completely adorable and is a perfect room for a baby and eventually a little boy. Puppies galore, and his very own puppy Mawby. We love our work. Pictures to come when we're done! :)
My back is really, really bad. I had a total of seven ribs out initially that were manipulated back into place followed by massage to try to get the muscles to release that had been overcompensating for the outed ribs. PT three times a week is still not enough. I have a mostly deflated beach ball that makes the car and my desk slightly more tolerable. By evening I am flat on my back with a heating pad just to get some relief. Each week at least several ribs have to be put back and my PT assures me this will continue until the baby is born. What she isn't saying (and what I realize) is that it will continuously get WORSE because of putting on more and more weight! As I've said all along, better me than him.
Last night was our first night of birthing class. In a room full of all kinds of pregnant women, I had the longest to go but I felt huge. Jason said my perception of myself is really distorted because I'm not big at all. Sidebar: today at a seminar the women were in awe that I'm seven months because "You're SO TINY!" so maybe my perception is off and he is right. The class though is full of characters that will make it interesting/annoying for the next three weeks. Last night was intense though complete with birthing videos and the stages of labor. Even watching all of it, I am determined to have a good experience, a short delivery, and no epidural. We'll see how I feel in another month or so.
Finally, people seem to frequently ask if I love being pregnant. The honest answer is no. I actually hate being pregnant. I've been totally miserable the entire time; I couldn't eat anything through week 15 and actually lost weight, then my ankles and feet turned into "freakish elephant feet" as Jason called them, requiring compression stockings, now my back is a huge problem, all the while not sleeping well ever since November, having to go the bathroom constantly, absentmindedness like I've never known and clumsiness that results in mystery bruises and lumps. BUT what I do love is that we've been given this miracle gift of life from God, that we will be parents soon, that we have a healthy baby boy so far, and I get to feel him wiggling all over every day.
That's the part I love. God is great!!
