29 Weeks

Hello, Third Trimester. We've been waiting for you.

This is the home stretch, now. Last week in the twenties. Last trimester before we meet our baby, before I become a non-pregnant version of myself again. First and second trimesters are done, and I'll never have those "firsts" again. This pregnancy has gone so slow for me, so I'm a little bit surprised that the third trimester is here. It certainly didn't sneak up on me, but I did start to doubt if time was actually moving.

This baby moves ALL THE TIME. All the time. At my last appointment, my doctor said they want ten kicks a day. "HA!" I said. I got ten kicks just while we were in the waiting room. And another ten since we've been in the exam room. That's just a warm-up to the warm-up to her warm-up exercise.

10 kicks. Pfft. Honestly.

So, we're investing in running shoes for when she starts walking.

Some awesome news is that I passed my glucose test. YAY! I was sure I was going to fail that, being hypoglycemic and all, but now I'm questioning everything I've ever known. This changes my whole outlook on life!

Some not-so-awesome news is that I am officially uncomfortable living in this new body of mine. Heartburn is a killer. I can't breathe if I lay on my back or if I eat anything. My feet, ankles, and calves are basically permanently swollen. Almost none of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit me anymore, and I nearly had a heart attack when I put on a non-maternity tank top that looks just like one of my maternity tank tops as you can imagine because I AM NOT THAT HUGE YET. WHY IS THIS TOO SMALL?! Upon realizing my mistake, the feeling of relief lasted only a second, because then I realized something else: Normal clothes don't fit me. This is life now.

My problem is that I'm the opposite of a hypochondriac. I didn't want to assume I'd have a bunch of symptoms just because I'm pregnant. It seems good and all, not to anticipate complaints, but I took it way too far. Every symptom I've had - you know, normal, common pregnancy symptoms - has taken me by surprise. Allergies? Swollen feet? Out of breath? Trouble sleeping? Heartburn? Leg cramps? Constant exhaustion? You mean all of these are real and they're happening to me? I get to be a member of the pregnancy party?

My belly button is starting to do its own thing. Hope it doesn't get too crazy.

When my doctor told me about how much weight I should gain by the end of this thing, I thought, Okay, seems right and normal and not a big deal at all. Then I reached a weight that totally and completely took me by surprise, as if I had never actually done the math and thought about the numbers. And we still have a whole trimester left! My doctor laughed when I asked, in a very animated way, how big of a problem it was that I had gained enough weight for nearly the rest of the pregnancy.

Turns out, I'm totally ridiculous and she's not worried at all. Hey, she's the doctor. And I don't have a scale at home, so, I'll just keep eating everything all the time.

I can assure you that this baby isn't complaining about that.