I haven't been great about taking weekly pictures. I think that Pinterest set me up for disappointment and a severe overestimate of my motivation to be clever this pregnancy. The last one I took was just over a week ago when I was 28 weeks pregnant.
My midwife keeps asking me where I'm hiding the little miss. I'm glad that someone thinks I'm still tiny--but darn it, I sure don't feel tiny! It's pretty crazy looking back at how I looked in May and comparing it to now. God has sure created our bodies to do incredible things! I'm pretty sure that by the end of this adventure, I'll be even more impressed with the capabilities of the human body and the miracle of pregnancy and birth!
So why did I choose the title 28 weeks later? Well, I'm not a scary movie person, but I do watch the occasional lame zombie flick. Some days, I feel like a zombie walking around sleepy and incoherent. My husband is very tolerant. He is also quite wonderful about getting me ice cream at 11pm when I must have a bite!
Pregnancy is incredible. The entire process, I have been blessed to feel pretty great, have functional amounts of energy and limited to no pain. I never had morning sickness (except for a handful of times something just didn't sit right with me). I've never had any medical complications worth mentioning.
I realize I'm in a lucky minority.
However, pregnancy is also harder than anything I ever imagined. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being pregnant (I will totally do this again someday), but there is something to be said for all the rapid changes that occur when you get pregnant--especially when that wasn't something you were anticipating for a while.
In recent weeks, it has been challenging for me at times to accept just how things are changing. I am not used to gaining weight, as I have always been fairly thin. I am not used to needing to sleep all the time, as I have always been a go go go type of person who only slows down when she is sick. I am not used to the emotional roller coaster and frustration of not being able to describe everything that is going on inside of my head.
I am learning a lot of patience through this process. My husband is earning the Medal of Honor.
I saw this picture and it made me laugh because, as much as they really want to be helpful, as K has said, "we won't ever really 'get' it".
Thankfully, my husband has never offered me a beer on my bad days. Normally it's a backrub, an offer of a cheesy movie or ice cream bribery.
I'm quite happy to take him up on all three.
Truthfully, though, even my complaints are minor. On the days when I struggle, I remind myself of the great prize we will attain at the end of this chapter: our beautiful little girl. And she is worth every stretch, every pound, every nap and every tear.
This is our little girl at 26 1/2 weeks. She is already stubborn like her mommy and daddy (did we expect anything different?) and didn't want to get her picture taken. She still loves to have her hands in her mouth and she loves to be buried in her "placenta pillow" as the ultrasound technician called it. I love that she is already a snuggler!
As we get closer and closer to her arrival (my sister pointed out that she could be here as soon as 8 weeks from now!), my panic button of "nothing is done!" is in full swing. I have to remind myself that it will all get done eventually, and early on, she won't know the difference if her curtains are hung perfectly or not.
I still did order her nursery bedding this morning. I'm waiting to order the matching hamper and lamp for another month or so. K and I are also ordering the crib and dresser soon, and I can't wait to get it set up and settled in her little room!
I had the first of four (yes, four--I am absolutely overwhelmed with blessings) baby showers yesterday. We had so much fun celebrating Miss E and her impending arrival. Instead of games, the wonderful hostesses had all of us make hairbows for her! I thought it was brilliant and considering she will be born head to toe with hair (look at her parents, we're essentially going to birth a very cute monkey), we need all the hair accessories we can get!
I don't have a lot of pictures back yet, but I will be sure to upload them once I receive them.
Here is my twin sister and I at the shower. I received so many compliments on that dress! It's from Everly Grey Maternity and I'm basically in love with all of their clothes. I am looking forward to fitting into my old clothes again. Stretchy pants are wonderful, but lose their luster after 6 months straight!
All in all, I am blessed. I am overwhelmed with incredible family and friends. I have a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter.
So if it means I have to be an occasional zombie for another 2 1/2 months, I'll take it. Every last bit is worth it!
