24 & 25 Weeks

So, she is the size of an ear of corn at 24 weeks and a rutabaga at 25 weeks. 

My only question is how come this time around last time I could pack in food like a competitive eater and this time I can't? It isn't any fun. I will say that by lunch time I'm so hungry that I gorge myself to the point of discomfort, which is about an average sized helping for a girl like me. At dinnertime, I'm not hungry. The thought of eating gives me indigestion. 

The other preggie issue is dum dum dum... swelling. It has begun. I squatted at the refrigerator and my legs felt slightly tight behind the knees. This may be a grotesquely exaggerated observation on my behalf. Swelling is my pregnancy fear and nemesis. Bill Clinton would not be able to rip his eyes away from the beautiful cankles I was sporting the last time I was pregnant. It wasn't pleasant having the skin my lower extremities stretch and fill with fluid similar to what is inside of those stress ball things. I have no idea what would prevent this ailment and if I do find a cure I am positive that I will write a book, sell it on QVC, and sell it on infomercials at 4am. 

I am pretty sure that my child is as hairy as an Ewok. The heartburn/acid reflux/lava eruptions at night is horrible. I heard once from a friend who had bad acid reflux issues... coincidentally not during her pregnancy as she showed no symptoms whatsoever and could make a fortune as a surrogate... that milk helps. For a person who is desperate, but lactose intolerant, this did indeed squelch the burn. I did hypothesize that this was a possible swelling culprit. I went through a couple gallons a week and would chug it in the middle of the night. Maybe this time it won't be so severe. Fingers will be crossed.

Another pregnancy anomaly is my ability to do the Volcun hand salute with my toes. No, not on purpose and I was never a Star Trek fan. For some reason, this is a normal symptom of pregnancy - foot cramps. I could be on the fuzzy almost asleep state right before you drift off into sleepy town and BOOM - WTF ARE MY TOES DOING AND WHY WON'T THEY STOP - and I jump out of the bed to apply pressure or bend my toes back into normal shape. It really isn't just the toes it is the muscle on top of my foot and when I stretch in the morning a nice charley horse is the bodily response. 

Really, this is a blessed time and I'm so happy to be a part of this process. I remember thinking the whole time last time that it was such a cool experience - and there is no sarcasm involved in me saying that. There are some woman who would love to be in my shoes, so I should stop my belly aching, but it does provide good humor at my expense. It amazes me how much I forgot all these pregnancy side effects... or possibly after giving birth the lack of sleep helps to erase it from memory. 

Only 15 more weeks!

Memorial Day Weekend

How was our Memorial Day you may ask? Hmm... Memorable, because I took pictures and then I vowed to blog about it since I've been slack with my blog duties. 

Brian was working, so we didn't go to the lake. It also rained most of the weekend. What is a little boy to do? Strip down naked and play in the puddle. I tried to stop the nakedness, but there was a meltdown that was about to happen if I didn't let him rip off his pull ups. So, how do I get the upper hand? Take pictures that could potentially end up in his high school year book. I love you son!

This photo was taken after I decided to go at Shelby with her shedding saw blade thingee and Boden decided to pull a tomato off the plant on my porch and take a big ol' bite. I came back to find him with a tomato in hand, unwashed, and smile on his face. 

"What is in your mouth?"

"A tomato. See! I got it all by myself."

"Son, you have to wash the tomato first. Spit that out and let me wash it for you." Ugh, turn your head and you little boy eats a tomato that was dusted with 7 Dust. Thank God it had been raining.

Did you notice that he is also scratching his butt? 

Spider leads to vacuuming and furniture moving

Brian has been out of town since Tuesday, so my being the barefoot and pregnant atypical housewife skills have dwindled to coming home from work, putting on my pj's and a wife beater, and dinner that involves the least amount of cooking and cleaning. 

This morning I had a little more fire in the belly... no acid reflux joke here. It all started when I decided to finally fold and put away Boden's laundry that I started last week. I was sitting in the middle of the floor folding while Boden was sticking body parts in his newly discovered Mr. Potato Head, which he named Moody. I had just finished putting the socks away and completed my task when I saw something drop from my thigh. It was only a glimpse, but I thought it was black and then it crawled out from under the shadows and presented itself to me. To which I replied with a scream. 

Boden cries out, "It's an ant!"  

"NO! IT'S A SPIDER AND IT CAN BITE YOU!" 

I grabbed a wipes box and smushed it and ran for the vacuum while Boden climbed up into his chair out of the crime scene. The vacuum is slowly not becoming my friend, because I hate that it is like pushing around an elephant and my uterus responds with Braxton Hicks contractions. I had to get the vacuuming done anyway, because Shelby is loosing her hair like she is undergoing chemotherapy. 

I vacuumed the spider carcass up and proceeded to vacuum the rest of the house. I got the the living room and stopped. It is so dark in there. We have these french door window and that's it. There is a big leather chair and a half that is blocking the bottom half of two of the windows. Hmm...

Against all pregnancy rules and vacuum momentum, I started to move the chair to my bedroom. Sliding it down the hallway was easy. It was the getting it through the bedroom door where I got the chair stuck, which resulted in me taking the door of the hinges. Damn narrow doorways!

The chair is in the room, there is more light in the living room, the vacuuming is almost done (I had to stop to eat), and the door is propped up against the wall next to the chair. I'm sure Brian will get home and hate it there.

I'm not sure if this is just my personality or nesting, because now there is so much more furniture that just seems to be crowding in this house that I'm debating putting on Craig's List. It is either that or we will just have to move.