Fruit/Veg/Edibles: Tropical Coconut and Hawaiian Pineapple. And that, folks, is as close to a pina colada as I’m getting these days.
Weekly weight gain: -2 lbs. I’m gonna go ahead and posit that last month was an anomaly… Either that or I just ate a LOT of pasta. One or the other. Considering I felt particularly blimpy at my last appointment, and particularly slender (bahaha) at this one…I’m not surprised I dropped a few… I’ve been doing a lot more walking, a little more eating healthy, and it was just a better-feeling kind of day. Like the sun was out and I felt pretty… because that has everything to do with weight-gain.
Overall weight gain: 15 lbs… Loving this number. Not that I have a specific goal in mind, but my specific goal is to keep the poundage to a maximum of 40. The idea that I could (almost) triple my current weight gain and be close to that goal is promising. However, my recent aversions, see below, are not.
Aversions: Swelling… NOOOOOOOO…. Not yet, it’s been warm for like a week… come on man! I looked down after working this week and didn’t recognize my own legs. I haven’t graduated to cankles just yet, but my calfs are something to talk about and I don’t like. Reason numero uno for disliking 12-hour shifts has been identified.
I can be found eating: True to my word, more salads, at least every (work)day for lunch. Lots more fruits — I’ve been living in berry heaven. Bluebies, strawbies, raspbies…covered in yogurt and perhaps a littttttle cool whip when nobody’s watching. Also, apples and nutella, because when have I ever had a post that didn’t mention nutella. And because the weather has been spectacular this week… a decent number of grill-delights…grilled chicken, cheeseburgs and roasted veggies.
Movement/bumps/thumps/lumps/shmumps: As pina colada baby grows larger and so does my stomach, but at a slower pace than the last month… I can certainly feel the difference in the amount of room the baby’s got in there. S/he downsized from a 3 bed 2 bath where you can’t really reach the walls unless you are thrashing around, to a cramped city apartment where you are definitely touching the walls at all times. Maybe not the greatest comparison, but I feel a lot more movement whenever the baby just wants to wiggle or reposition.
Oh and this is really important… the actual kicks, are now strong enough to startle me. Maybe I just have really ticklish sides, because that’s always been the go-to for anyone trying to tickle me. Real simple, come up behind me, grab my side and walk away and you’ll see me squirm and mildly freak out. Baby seems to have caught on. So if, by chance, I happen to jump and squeal suddenly, it’s because pineapple baby decided to give me an obnoxious loving and adorable jab surprise.
Maternity style: I’m really up on the latest fashion trends, so without further ado, I am now sporting the hottest of the hot in leg-wear… compression stockings. Mmmm hmmm… gotta fight the cow calves somehow. They make me feel really great about myself while I wear them too, so sexy, stylish and drop-dead gorgeous. Practical AND cute… what more could I ask for.
All sarcasm aside, I have been managing to rock the bump in cuter ways. It’s pretty much all maternity all the time now… No more mixing and matching with non-preg clothes… Even the ones that were working before have been tucked away until further bump-less notice. Its just real bad when you don’t even know the bottom of your bump is hanging out… better not to chance that (ever again).
Can we just talk about the Gap Maternity section for a minute. Sure, there are a few racks that are still normal full-gap prices, that I obviously veer away from because I’m cheap frugal sensible. But the sale racks are pretty much full of things that you can get for (I’m not kidding) $4.00. I like any place where I can get Gap quality for dollar store pricing and the sale section of Gap Maternity, while hit or miss, is really satisfying my inner Maxxinista. Speaking of…
Dear TJ Maxx and Marshall’s… I’ve got a bone to pick with you both. I am seriously disheartened by your lack of maternity sections. You are missing out on some mega-moolah from prego maxxinista’s everywhere, or maybe just this one, that have an extroardinary need for new clothes, an unbelievable dedication to bargain-shopping, and an emotional attachment to your stores. Sadface — find me some maternity merchandise would ya…. you’re losing me to the GAP. Who ever thought that would happen? Neither of us. Get your act together.
How do I feel?: Besides betrayed by my two best store-friends… I feel like I need help now. I have an amazing husband who is willing to tie my shoes and lift my too-tight scrub tops over my head, and now has even agreed to assist in applying compression stockings to my man-sized legs before work. Saint Ryan is headed for Sainthood. I also asked my preceptor to pick up my pen for me… for the win. There’s still quite a long road (2 months) ahead of being a preg-nurse and my patients are really just going to have to deal with having dropped and abandoned medical refuse scattered around their rooms. Things like unused gloves and discarded pill packaging and gauze wrappers….all things that I’ve designated as completely unnecessary to retrieve due to extreme discomfort and an inability to bend. Good thing the rooms are cleaned/swept frequently. Sorry for the mess, patients… truly.
Status of the bump: Bumpy… And wavy sometimes. Those are fun times, when I can just sit mesmorized, watching my stomach move on its own. And then get weirded out that I’m watching my stomach move on its own. And then remember that my child is moving and get all sentimental for a few minutes until I realize that pregnancy is the WEIRDEST, but coolest, but WEIRDEST… It’s a roller-coaster ride this baby-growing business. I’m loving every minute.
The Happies:
New Deck — I’ve got some amazingly generous, talented and especially handy men on the Wayside workforce who have tackled many a renovation project at the Hess Station. (Men: Ryan, Ralph & Donald Hess and my very dearest Donald Houle). This weekend they teamed up to give our deck a serious facelift and by that I mean our deck is pretty much brand new and gorgeous and exceeds any and all of the expectations I didn’t even have for our backyard (especially pre-baby).
No good pics of the old deck exist (RIP) but here’s some progress pics for comparison. 
The men (aka my father in law single-handedly at 730am on a Saturday) ripped up the old boards and the workforce collectively resurfaced and added the new rails. Look at THIS!!!!
Please ignore the puppybutt and focus instead on the solar light / post caps that were the icing on the cake. It looks so gorgeous. A million thank yous to my fave men.
Cabaret — Is there anything better than reminiscing, reliving, and reveling in your past with your best friend who was right by your side making those memories. Answer: Nope. I am a nostalgia fiend, this is commonly known. I absolutely adore my high school, also commonly known. And the two of those go together like PB & Nutella on a bagel. I returned to BVA with Kaitlin last week to enjoy the 30th anniversary of the show/experience that forged our friendship in the first place. Not to mention it was the perfect excuse to drive to RI for a little Kait date on a school night.
The Sads:
Still blank…
