So, I'm about 9 weeks away from giving birth. The time really has flown by. I've been thinking recently about all the interesting things about being pregnant, and thought I'd jot them down. There is no particular order, and the thoughts are quite random.
1. Pregnant women get looked at. A lot. But not in the eyes - right at the belly. Both men and women do it, but especially women. I'll be walking down the aisles of Target or wherever, and I see people just staring at my belly. It doesn't bother me at all... it's just an observation. It makes me wonder if I've done it to pregnant women all these years without even realizing it.
2. My odd cravings have included Oreos and chomping on ice. Before getting pregnant, I probably hadn't had an Oreo in almost 10 years. Suddenly, I want them every day. But ONLY if they're dunked in milk for a minimum of 10 seconds, where they get nice and soggy. And I DON'T like the Double Stuff Oreos... they take about 40 seconds to get soggy - way too long. But, sadly, I am trying to now resist this craving, because at my last doctor's appointment on Monday, the scales said I've gained 30 lbs. Yikes! That's all I was hoping to gain the entire pregnancy! So... no more Oreos. I'll just stick to chomping ice. Yes, I know it's bad for my teeth. I can't explain why it's so appealing, but there's something very satisfying about it.
3. Body pillows ROCK (thanks Becky Ashley!). I have one that can snake around in any position, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without it. It keeps me (relatively) comfortable, and I think it's my saving grace for sleeping. The only thing that stinks is trying to change positions in the middle of the night, which happens rather often, since I start to get sore if I'm in one position too long. Thank goodness Jeremy is not a light sleeper... he'd probably get sick of me flopping around like a fish all through the night.
4. My customers have had varying reactions to me being pregnant. I don't really mention it to them on the phone, so if they come in my office, they're generally surprised to see me. But here's the interesting observation: ALL women comment and ask me questions, but only SOME men. In particular, men with young kids - 3 years old or younger - will ask me about being pregnant, and will kind of act like women (how far along, boy or girl, how are you feeling, etc.). But - men with either older kids, or men with no kids at all, completely ignore my pregnancy. And they don't look at my belly either. It's like I'm not even pregnant. Interesting.
5. My body is now going through more odd things than ever. For instance, I constantly look like I have two sprained ankles. They just stay swollen. I notice that I waddle when I walk - I just can't help it. My chest is bigger than ever (sorry if that's TMI, guys) and it's freaky to look down and catch a glimpse of them (I keep thinking, whose are these??). Also, I can no longer see my feet if I'm standing straight up. Painting my toenails is practically an impossibility now. I have major huge veins all over my belly and chest. Jeremy, my personal nurse, says this is a very good thing because of blood flow. And I've had several nosebleeds, my most recent one last weekend (rather common, apparently, again because of the increased blood flow). Crazy stuff.
1. Pregnant women get looked at. A lot. But not in the eyes - right at the belly. Both men and women do it, but especially women. I'll be walking down the aisles of Target or wherever, and I see people just staring at my belly. It doesn't bother me at all... it's just an observation. It makes me wonder if I've done it to pregnant women all these years without even realizing it.
2. My odd cravings have included Oreos and chomping on ice. Before getting pregnant, I probably hadn't had an Oreo in almost 10 years. Suddenly, I want them every day. But ONLY if they're dunked in milk for a minimum of 10 seconds, where they get nice and soggy. And I DON'T like the Double Stuff Oreos... they take about 40 seconds to get soggy - way too long. But, sadly, I am trying to now resist this craving, because at my last doctor's appointment on Monday, the scales said I've gained 30 lbs. Yikes! That's all I was hoping to gain the entire pregnancy! So... no more Oreos. I'll just stick to chomping ice. Yes, I know it's bad for my teeth. I can't explain why it's so appealing, but there's something very satisfying about it.
3. Body pillows ROCK (thanks Becky Ashley!). I have one that can snake around in any position, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without it. It keeps me (relatively) comfortable, and I think it's my saving grace for sleeping. The only thing that stinks is trying to change positions in the middle of the night, which happens rather often, since I start to get sore if I'm in one position too long. Thank goodness Jeremy is not a light sleeper... he'd probably get sick of me flopping around like a fish all through the night.
4. My customers have had varying reactions to me being pregnant. I don't really mention it to them on the phone, so if they come in my office, they're generally surprised to see me. But here's the interesting observation: ALL women comment and ask me questions, but only SOME men. In particular, men with young kids - 3 years old or younger - will ask me about being pregnant, and will kind of act like women (how far along, boy or girl, how are you feeling, etc.). But - men with either older kids, or men with no kids at all, completely ignore my pregnancy. And they don't look at my belly either. It's like I'm not even pregnant. Interesting.
5. My body is now going through more odd things than ever. For instance, I constantly look like I have two sprained ankles. They just stay swollen. I notice that I waddle when I walk - I just can't help it. My chest is bigger than ever (sorry if that's TMI, guys) and it's freaky to look down and catch a glimpse of them (I keep thinking, whose are these??). Also, I can no longer see my feet if I'm standing straight up. Painting my toenails is practically an impossibility now. I have major huge veins all over my belly and chest. Jeremy, my personal nurse, says this is a very good thing because of blood flow. And I've had several nosebleeds, my most recent one last weekend (rather common, apparently, again because of the increased blood flow). Crazy stuff.
There are plenty more observations, but I'll pace myself and add more later.
6 comments:
I had an ice craving too! I have never really craved too much in my life, but when I was pregnant, i had to have ice all the time. I would pull over at the fast food restaurants and just order a large cup of ice. They never charged me for it, but i would have gladly given them $5 if they wanted it because i craved it so badly!
Hey, Joey, I love your blog. Years ago they used to say that munching ice was a sign of iron deficiency, but never knew if it was true or now.at any rate i gave up ice then.glad to hear you are doing so great. we need to decide what to put on Westin's birth sampler too.be talking soon. Vicki Adkison
I heart body pillows as well!! I even named mine because we had such a close relationship...his name is Pablo by the way. Watch out for Jeremy though he may realize how great body pillows are and steal it. Justin did, frequently :)
So glad to help, Joey. I still miss "the snoogle," but Nathan is soooo glad it is gone!
Can't wait to meet Baby Westin!
You are too cute. I like your random thoughts. You're quite observant--very "Joey" of you.
what about the annoying husband syndrome? Isn't Jeremy driving you a little nutso yet? That was my issue with the last part of pregnancy. Jat became a little irritating! Once the baby arrived he was much more tolerable...I blame hormones. always.
Julie
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