The End is Near, RIGHT?!

I seem to have come to an unwelcome full-circle in this journey of bearing my first child. I started with Sick-All-The-Time, where I could do nothing more than whimper and long for moments of peace when I could perform daily activities like the human I once was. But, Sick-All-The-Time was relentless and lingered for the entire first trimester, and then there was a reprieve. My reprieve lasted the entire second trimester. And, what a welcome reprieve it was! I was back, human and all. I had energy, I did things that didn’t involve any prior planning of my path to the nearest toilet. But, you see, that good stage was all a facade and I am now toting a 31 week huge belly and feeling totally out-of-whack.

But, I believe heavily in the power of mind-over-body, so I am not going to write, or even think, about how crappy the past couple of days have been. Nope, I am going to sing a new tune and write about all the good stuff happening. For example, I am really excited about how strong I can feel my baby kick; I am so happy to have “baby stuff” to touch and organize; I am in awe of the size of my belly, and I am even more in awe of how my belly does not feel super uncomfortable.

So, yes, she is a kicker and a mover and a shaker. She is one strong baby who has perfected low blows to my right. Some kicks and/or punches are so strong I gasp and then laugh. She tickles my ribs sometimes and it feels worse than when my PopPop would tickle me until I cried for my grandmother to make him stop. Oftentimes she is laying right on top of some internal organ. When this happens, I stop immediately and beg for her to make a deal with me. I usually place on the table that I promise to feed her every day if she moves, and being the logical baby she is, she usually decides to take my deal and wiggles to a new spot. If not, I lay on my back and put my feet upright on the wall and gently jiggle her. (I used to jump up-and-down, but that, apparently, is not recommended.) Once she moves, I remind her that I will remember her stubbornness and will get even with her one day. (And, don’t worry, I promise to feed her daily despite how seriously I take bets).   

My baby bump, man and I toured the east coast recently and were showered with baby shower gifts. It was a very well-executed surprise and the gifts are so fun and much-appreciated. I never thought the sight of tiny shoes would have such an impact on me, but I just love looking at all the tiny stuff we now have. Some of the stuff still seems foreign to me (like, well, diapers) but the clothes, shoes, and toys are all wonderful. We have been having fun thinking about how we will organize space for Zoe Lu. We even have a deadline of November 10 to have the room ready for our new arrival.

And now, my belly size: HUGE! I am not exaggerating like I normal do either. Over the past month, I have seriously taken on the form of a very pregnant women. See for yourself:

To my disbelief, it is not so weird to have such a big belly (well, as long as full-length mirrors are few-and-far between because it really is weird when I see my full body’s reflection). I was sure that it must be totally uncomfortable to carry such weight and would seriously stare at women’s pregnant bellies with a mixture of admiration, loathing, and respect. Much like the way I stare at professional athletes in the midst of performing their sport. Maybe I don’t feel much strain because the process is so long and slow. Maybe it is just because I stupidly think that the bigness is here, and will really continue to grow into uncomfortableness over the next month. Well, either way, it is not such a big deal. Don’t get me wrong: There are a lot of strange movements that I find myself doing now. It is especially funny when I forget and sit down on the floor or on the beach and then have to stand up unaided. Now that is funny to see!

So, yes, there are lots of fun things to report. All of which really do help me feel better. And, I have a new attack for Sick-All-The-Time tomorrow. Hopefully, I will return with a joyful report lacking nausea, extreme tiredness, headaches, and any other crappy feelings. Here’s to tomorrow: Cheers!