The Longest Day of the Year

The summer solstice. The longest day of the year (although that can be debatable depending on leap year status... but that's not important at the moment) can be made even longer when you're 37 weeks pregnant.

I haven't written a blog post in a while. I've wanted to, but work can be taxing when you're pregnant and intermittent internet doesn't help that. Here's a basic summary of the last month and a half or so: we moved, we will be moving again within the next few days, we got our Maine IDs, and I'm currently working. That's it. Not very exciting. I have plenty of pregnancy stuff though!

First of all, it's amazing how different trimesters in pregnancy are. I've had a very good pregnancy, as you all know by now, but the first trimester is significantly different than the second trimester and so on. When I entered my final trimester, I expected to feel heavier because, well, I'm more pregnant. So I expected discomfort. Not quite like this. Here is a comprehensive list of third trimester pregnancy symptoms:

Leg cramps. I've had these for a while but they have gotten way worse over the last month especially at night. They are specifically in my calf muscles and particularly when I go to stretch my legs. They are incredibly painful and I hate them.

Inexplicable fatigue. I mean, I guess you can explain it as a pregnancy symptom but I more or less mean you feel tired for no reason even if you haven't done anything at all that day. This is not fun at all because you want to do things and not feel lazy, but your body is working overtime without you having to do much of anything. My body is auto-making a child.

Sharp pelvic pains. I've read about these: it happens because the baby's head sits on your pelvic bone so when you move around, the baby's head is pushing on that bone. It's uncomfortable to say the very least.

Backache. Your lower back is suffering from an intense amount of forward pressure because of how far out your stomach now is. This is a multi-faceted issue because this impedes walking, moving, standing, bending, and even sitting. Your tailbone has more weight on it than it used to as well.

Lack of motivation. Oh sure, I know that things need to be done. Like laundry, cleaning the house/cabin, giving the fish fresh water... but do I feel like it? No. I put off doing things until I can't take it anymore, which is usually only a day or two past the time I should do it. Another part of this issue is losing the desire to do something. I love to read. I'd like to read, but when I start reading I don't feel like doing it anymore. I noticed this with my card tricks too. However, this is followed by another symptom...

Bursts of energy. Today was one of those days I felt like doing stuff. I had already washed all the baby clothes but I worked in the morning, I cleaned the whole cabin, glued a puzzle together, took a shower... it was a productive day to say the least. Like the previous symptom, this has another part to it, intensification of the desire to do things. Lately this has meant puzzles. I've been on a jigsaw puzzle frenzy. Similarly to the baking which I no longer do because I don't have the means to. Crafting is another one, I've been feeling the urge to make something, but I'm not sure what yet.

Cravings? This is a tough one for me because as the seasons change my taste buds change a bit too. Normally in the summer I crave fruit. I've eaten a lot of peaches, nectarines, grapes, and strawberries the last few weeks. The reason I'm putting it down as a symptom is because it's definitely stronger this year than most years. I have been, on and off, craving chocolate. The dark kind. But I know this is related to the other thing I can't get enough of and that's ice. I chastised my mother for years about chewing ice. Bad for the teeth. For some reason though I have to chew it. Lucky for me I found an ice machine on the resort that makes soft ice so I'm in ice heaven. Why is ice chewing related to craving chocolate? Well there is a correlation to iron deficiency there. I probably am slightly anemic, which is common during pregnancy anyway. I'm not worried though, my doctors say the baby and I look great.

Heartburn. Ooo I don't like this one. They say ("they" being the "old wives" telling their "tales") that heartburn during pregnancy means the child will be born with hair. I actually tend to believe this one, because, to be honest, I knew I was having a boy when I put more hot sauce than usual on things... another "old wives tale." I go through spurts of heartburn though. I'll have it for a day or two, then I'm okay for a few days. It's uncomfortable and not fun, but compared to some other women's symptoms I feel great.

Stretch marks. To be fair, I've gotten off pretty easy with this one. I only started noticing some stretch marks about two weeks ago and there's only a few on my sides and I think on the lower part of my stomach. Why do I say "I think?" Because I can't really see the underside of my stomach right now!

Cramping. Ugh. This happens on and off for me and I'm assuming it has to do with the slowing of the digestive system due to the pregnancy.

Inability to sleep through the night. Oh sure, I'm exhausted. I want to sleep for three days straight and not get up for anything. I'm lucky though if I can make it three hours without having to use the bathroom. And then there's trying to get comfortable again with a giant twitchy stomach. By the time you figure that out and fall asleep again you have to get up and use the bathroom and start all over. Naps are good at this point in the pregnancy.

Swelling. I've gotten off pretty easy with this one too. My hands are definitely swollen, just enough where I had to take off my rings. My feet are okay, but the rest of me feels a little bloated too, like my arms, legs, etc. While not fun or attractive, this isn't painful so I can cope.

Moodiness. The last of my third trimester symptoms, this one is not only common and can last throughout the pregnancy, but it can almost be debilitating. Something I've noticed, about myself at least, is that while I definitely feel more annoyed or angry at certain things, it is never without a reason. So while in a certain situation I might brush it off pre-pregnancy, now I have to at least voice my opinion in some way. This has actually had its benefits because I would constantly ignore issues and at least now I'm facing them. Dealing with them though... it's still a work in progress.

Something that I've been curious about in the last couple days is symptoms women experience before they go into labor. The "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book doesn't cover this at all and Googling it doesn't amount to much. I know nesting is a common thing but I feel almost as if women must feel like it will be happening "soon." Sure the book talks about physical symptoms, but I mean mentally and emotionally what women go through. I'd love to find out... and I'm sure I will live it.

I also want to talk about some of my favorite baby items that I've acquired. Now, I love all of my chosen baby items but there are a few that stand out and I think are worth mentioning (complete with Amazon links and pictures).

The Hudson Baby company is a great company that makes a variety of organic infant apparel. I have bought some of their items but the bodysuit below is possibly my favorite and I think the outfit the baby will come home from the hospital in.

Babysoy is another company I'm fond of. They use soy based fibers and they are also eco-friendly. Not to mention their clothing line is ADORABLE. My friend Justin bought the kimono below.

I've seen a lot of bathing support systems for babies and they all seem pretty ridiculous. I wanted something simple, easy to clean, and easy to move around. The Angelcare bath support is awesome.

Swaddling your baby is a common practice, so why can't it be cute and fun? They make a lot of swaddling items in a variety of colors and styles but when I saw this organic muslin swaddle blanket from aden + anais I had to have it.

Last summer I babysat for a very young baby and I learned that amber is a great natural teething tool. It lead me to looking up all sorts of things and finally settling on this really neat teething necklace that the mother wears. It's also a great tool for nursing. It's by The Art of Cure and it will come in handy.

You know what's seriously pointless? Buying baby food. I see the case for yogurt and certain kinds of food that isn't easily prepared but for mashed carrots? Peas? If you have a blender, a pot, a burner, and maybe this masher by Nuk you can save so much money plus guarantee you know what you're serving your child.

My favorite item so far is this sling from Sakura Bloom. I really dislike those front loader baby carriers and to be honest I'm not much of a stroller person (though we will have one as per my fiance's request). I love this basic sling design though. Simple, easy to use, and a concept that has been around practically since the dawn of time. I love it!

Every baby needs a stacker. Most babies have those ring stackers with the post in the center. I don't like those because they really only have one possible way to stack nicely. Not so with this stacker from Green Toys. Made out of recycled materials, this post-less stacker can be stacked in numerous ways without falling over. It's awesome!

I'm a big stuffed animal person, as evident by my collection of squishables. I'm also a big cat person, as evident by my owning of three cats. And I'm a big organic/eco-friendly person, as evident by pretty much everything I do and own. How do we get all three together while still being awesome and safe for a baby? This adorable Under the Nile flat kitty lovie! How on earth can it get any cuter?

I also have two honorable mentions. One is a Moses basket by Badger which will come in handy for when the baby is very little. A cute, easily transported sleeping space that can be converted into a toy basket or other useful storage space later. The other I haven't actually purchased yet but it's a baby soap by Dr. Bronner's. I'm very excited about it because it's organic and from a really great company.

This was a baby-filled blog post for sure. I hope to be able to post again within the next week, definitely after we move again. Enjoy your first day of summer!

Time is Not a Fixed Construct

Hello everyone,

Denial is a funny thing. Denial can be defined as, according to Dictionary.com (and I'm paraphrasing), a refusal to acknowledge something. Now here's the thing with that definition: it doesn't mean you're ignorant. It means you know something but refuse to accept that information as fact. Or in another example, you know it but you push it out of your mind as much as possible due to it being too painful, difficult, or another emotion that can be hard for you to deal with, such as fear.

I have been told I'm in denial plenty of times about a variety of subjects. But with the pregnancy, it's different. Pregnancy has always scared me beyond belief. I know I'm pregnant, whether I feel pregnant or not, but I'm nervous about it so I try not to dwell upon it but it's hard. With an obvious fact, and becoming more obvious every day, people will say something like: "when are you due?" Now this question doesn't bother me even slightly. People are curious. What bothers me is what they say after I tell them July 7th: "wow, that's soon!" Aside from the random heart attack provided to me by strangers, it bothers me because if I'm to the point in my pregnancy where I'm showing this much, clearly I'm due pretty soon. I know there's lots of questions that bother pregnant women but questions don't bother me. Ask me anything. It leaves the answer up to me. It's the follow-up comments that can grate on my nerves.

What does this have to do with denial? Well, as much as I'd love to pretend that this is a very long science-fiction movie ending with a child exiting my body, it's reality and when something is that apparent, well, it's hard to forget about it. It's like a cast. If you broke your arm doing something stupid, say you were drunk or something, and all you want to do is forget about it, good luck. People are naturally curious and will ask you what happened to your arm, therefore causing you to relive that event every time someone decides to ask you about it. Even if you respond by telling them you'd rather not talk about it, you still know what happened.

The other problem is when you're over thirty weeks pregnant, and even before you hit that point, your body will start to betray you. Now I know that there are women who from week 1 to week 40 feel completely awful and I feel terrible about that. The vast majority, however, are somewhere in the middle. I've been very fortunate in having a mostly easy pregnancy. No matter how easy or how difficult your pregnancy is, your body is going to start to give out on you. I had to take off my engagement ring yesterday because my fingers have started to swell, enough where even though I've had my ring off for over 12 hours there's still a line on my finger from the ring. My back will suddenly and for no particular reason provide sharp pains for me that will leave me unable to move for a minute or two. If I walk for too long, I'll start developing that pregnancy waddle because I get slightly achy. My fingers can't hold on to things as well as they used to, causing me to be slightly clumsy. My digestive system, already slow and slightly painful, has somehow become slower causing me additional discomfort. And my fingernails... since when do they grow so fast?

I am having a bit of fun with being pregnant, though. People look at you with a different mindset, especially the people who know you. It can be nice to hear compliments, even though I have a tendency to believe nothing positive being said about me. I have gotten over that awkward "maybe she's just fat now" phase of the pregnancy and now I just look pregnant. What's also fun is because I still so often don't feel pregnant, I walk and move mostly like I did before I got pregnant which does create the occasional funny look from people. I like talking about my child and about how great my fiance is. If I wasn't so nervous about the physical portion of being pregnant this would be a whole lot more fun for me. Childbirth does still make me nervous.

I can't believe how close I am to being in my eighth month of pregnancy. Where has the time gone? With less than ten weeks remaining I'm growing to be more nervous everyday. I'm going to be a mother? What? Aren't I still a teenager and in high school or something? Isn't this 2005? My fiance has this theory that I'm already a mother because I'm responsible for the care of the child due to him being in my stomach, but my fiance isn't a father yet because he's not physically doing anything to care for the child. Just he waits until Father's Day in June!

I did have my baby shower last Saturday and it was very nice. I got a lot of very cute baby items and the vast majority are organic or eco-friendly. I'll probably provide some images and/or links to some of my favorite items.  Still on the "to purchase" list is a stroller, a carseat, and a sling. Those are my top three items right now and I do have gift cards and other gift money for them. I have other things I need of course, but those are the big purchases.

I did make those four bundt cakes which I will provide a picture of, plus my friend Justin bought me a micro Squishable which is now hanging on my car's rearview mirror, that I also have a picture of. For my future baking, I'm taking it one day at a time. I plan on making lace cookies, which will be fun I hope, and I've been considering making chocolate cherry cordials... but I'm not sure. I'll have to see.

Four bundt cakes with chicks at the top (chicks was the theme), two gluten/dairy free chocolate almond butter tarts for my sister and grandmother, and some strawberries as a garnish for the cakes.

Meet George. You can't see it, but there's a clip on him which I used to hang him up in my car. He's the most adorable thing!

That's it! I will provide another blog post next week. Enjoy the weekend!