for the kids

I don't really know if I've left the impression throughout my pregnancy that I love it or I hate.  I like to think I'm like most women, who, if they are really honest with themselves are somewhere in the middle, and it's just that you only hear from the ooshy gooshy ones who love it.  In any case, lest these kiddos read this one day in the future (Mom, I can't believe you blogged, that is so 2000s!), I think it's important to keep a list of all the things I have been through for them these past 8 months.  You never know when it'll come in handy, and from what I've been told, God provides pregnancy amnesia to convince women to have more children.

• Extreme exhaustion - I think I fell asleep standing up at work once...  The exhaustion also ruined our social life since I was sleeping about 11 hours at night the first trimester.  The hubs kinda loved it, though, no lie.  The other side of this is during the third trimester, I'm exhausted again, but this time it's due in part because I only sleep about an hour at a time and never more than 2.5 hours.  Perhaps it's preparation for feeding the kiddos, but it sure feel like I'm starting the race a marathon behind...
• Worry - Yeah, this started early.  Sure, that's partly my fault for being a worrier (do people still say "worry wart"?), but I was getting better until I suddenly had 5,398,392 new things to worry about.  Like, whether or not these kiddos would be healthy and who we could con into coming to care for them for a week so we can continue taking marvelous trips...
• Dietary restrictions & modifications - No sushi.  No alcohol.  And when the gestational diabetes issue crept up, No ice cream (except when I sneak into the kitchen and help myself to a spoonful...), No cereal, carbs and sugars only with proteins, only eating at certain times, making sure to eat at certain times, etc., etc.  For all of you out there who live in some kind of fantasyland that a pregnant woman gets to eat for two (or three!) in my case, eating while pregnant is not that kind of joy.
• Carpal tunnels - some of the other things I'd heard of, but carpal tunnels from pregnancy was a shocker.  It started late in pregnancy and is worst at night, but it's steadily worsening, so it'll be a battle whether I do something about it (can you?) or have the babies first...
• Reflux - I have nothing to say about this.  It's just gross.  And awful.  And has contributed to the destruction of the enjoyment of food.
• Constipation - You would rather I have nothing to say about this.  Everything was going along swimmingly until I had to eat more protein to counterbalance the carbs/sugars for GD, then my mostly vegetarian body struggled to keep up with the more difficult to digest meats and animal products. 
• Round ligament pain - This is the pain from the stretching or pulling on the ligaments around my uterus (I think).  Suffice to say, I think it's been worse from carrying two and is getting worse as they are growing, growing, growing!
• Gas/Indigestion - More to ruin eating.  Funny thing is that now that I have a watermelon as a belly, I have a really hard time distinguishing among anything that's going on.  Contraction, gas, baby kick, full bladder?  Who knows?...  It's all just discomfort at this point.
• General discomfort - Which deserves its own heading.  Everything from trying to pick something off the ground, get into bed, get comfortable in bed, roll over (it's REALLY HARD now!!!!) sit, stand.  I think the only place I was comfortable from the 2nd trimester on was in the pool and since I've been on bed rest for much of my late pregnancy, that hasn't been an option.  My mother sweetly said, when I got up and walked by her (on my every 15-20 minute trip to the loo), "I'm glad that's not me!"  Thanks, Mom!  :-)  She's always trying to make me feel like a strong woman...  I have to admit, even sitting on the toilet seat (and we got some pretty spiffy new ones when we remodeled) is MUCH more uncomfortable with the extra weight.  Take a watermelon with you next time and put it in your lap.  It feels REALLY different and not in a good way.
• Headaches & vision floaters - OK, so these may or may not be pregnancy related, but since these crazy hormones seem to cause everything else and if they're at all related to fatigue...
• Nausea - I thought I had escaped this really common one, and then it hit me today.  Probably my punishment for starting this list.

I may have forgotten one (or five) already and reserve the right to come back and supplement the list.  But, kids, all's I gotta say is that you better be really stinkin cute!