26 weeks

i'm at the can't-eat-enough-give-me-that-if-you-aren't-eating-it stage. it's lovely. i love food. food that i never loved has become friendly with me. although oddly enough, pretzels gave me indigestion yesterday and so have left a bad taste in my mouth. gross. apples...yum. soy protein drinks - must have in the AM. pasta - do whatever to it - you're mine.

as i thought i would, i am enjoying pregnancy a lot, though trying at times. i forget sometimes that i need to slow down when i walk which causes cramps that stop me in my tracks. i feel like i'm 50 pounds heavier when i get out of bed (when i've only gained 20), my butt has been over processed cottage cheese since day one, i get brown spots on my face when out in the sun too long, i fart uncontrollably, i snap when you look at me wrong, the heels of my feet hurt if i stand in place a bit, my boobs are bigger than two over-sized watermelons, limbs fall asleep when i get comfy in bed, my back is in spasm more often than not, and i itch like mad on my belly and my chest every other day! hey - this is great! seriously, with all of that going on....just to feel the baby kick and move around makes it ALL worth it! it just blows my mind how much your body changes to accommodate growing another human being. it's amazing that it's possible at all. so, i'm NOT complaining. i'm just stating...so you may laugh at will. this material will be humorous for me to read after the fact. and to think, i'm going to get bigger... :-)

the laminate flooring is laid in the nursery and master bedroom. it looks awesome! i'm so excited to see the rooms unraveling! baby will love her room! i love our room, just love it. i'm so excited to see the kitchen get started. again, my superman is super wonderful! thank you, thank you! sorry i cannot help out more.

beauty grows within

Ok, the laminate flooring and the tile for the kitchen/tv room are on their way. Ted has indicated that the gas lines need replacing as does the water heater.

If there is one thing i have learned from watching home remodeling shows, it's this, you will invariably run into all kinds of hurdles when you set out to complete project A. Project A becomes sub-part a, b, c, d, e and sometimes even f. challenging...i still don't know how he does it. How do you keep your wits about you, my dear?

Little girl has been thumping away today. it amazes me when i read that my moods affect her. if she is feeling my day today, i apologize....you shouldn't have to feel stress this early in your life! i wonder if she feels my frustration when i am driving. I wonder if she feels my emotions when i just want to up and cry for no reason at all. i wonder how we will be able to console one another once she is born....because no matter what happens right now, i am able to run my hand over my belly and lightly remind her i love her and somehow, everything to me is OK.

I picture her in my rear view mirror when i'm in the car. I imagine her crying in the middle of the night. I see another infant smile and wonder what her smile looks like. I hear a child laughing and hope our girl is the happiest in the world. Becoming a mom is going to be an incredible experience. I am only experiencing part of that now and it lights up my world. I sit and wonder if she is comfortable, all squished up inside of me. I sit back and probe trying to get her to play with me. I talk to her when i think she is napping. I sing and remind her that i know no lullabys. I ask her what music she prefers to listen to. I try to imagine what she sees, feels and tastes. all of it, yes all of it.....is the most precious thing on earth. our baby, our daughter, our precious little girl.

hey, where'd it go?

I've watched as my belly has grown bigger and bigger, waiting for the day when i would start to lose site of "things" below my belt.... well, it's official....6 mths is what it took to lose site of my privies!

It's really funny to watch your body change so drastically within such a short amount of time. I mean...your belly grows so big and all you may feel are some back pains and a ton of itching. i can no longer cross my legs and have instead, chosen to sit with them spread with a slight arch to my back to support the weight up front. wait til i get bigger. holy cow. where do i put it? i have four months to go here people...the toilet is going to become quite the obstacle. do they make seat wideners for pregnant butts? :-)

i tested the waters and threw out some maternity leave options to my employer today. It all must be discussed with the head honcho, so i am curious as to what will come back to me. I chose to try to leave for 8 wks and then work from home the last 4. i thought about part time from home but am afraid of losing benes. so what does a mommy do...keep her baby home with her while working from home? that's what i foresee. i'm sure, as with everything else, this will be a learning experience. how do you juggle breastfeeding, entertaining, answering the phone and drafting pleadings? the way i see it - who cares - it's only 4 wks. pray for me please....please let them work with me on this one.

let's see - food cravings? none. i crave nothing. i see you eating it...i want it. that's about all. my mind is going...i have trouble completing sentences and remembering where things are or go. My tolerance for annoying people has become a bare minimum - i find it excruciatingly difficult to hold back words. unfortunately, innocent bystanders are feeling the grunt of the pain. i have been keeping up with doing yoga and trying...when i have the strength...to not eat JUNK FOOD. i made excuses all weekend long because it was a holiday...but now....i have to watch it. i will balloon if i'm not watching...

i love my belly and enjoy talking about our baby whenever possible. i am so excited that the nursery is almost done...just flooring to install and it's ready to go! it will look so pretty when it's done. We have, again, ted to thank for that, as well as my dad who pitched in by painting the woodwork. yeh!!!

here's a picture of me this week... i think the baby plateaued for a week or so but i can sure tell she is cramped. her kicks are stronger and wider spread. she is catching up to where she should be on the growth chart.

i am so excited to Fall to start! we have been graced with cool weather lately and it feels fantastic to be COLD when you sleep! fresh air, open windows...summer is almost over.

oh yeah, i got my hair cut...a ton of it cut. i figured at the rate it is growing right now...why not?!