Updates! Get Yer Updates!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I spent about a half a bazillion hours finishing up all of my coursework for the Spring semester and then I drove with Kristian and a bunch of friends down to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby (more on that in another post). And then I had the ass-groove in my favorite chair to take care of and some crappy TV to catch up on. I’ve basically spent the last week or so recovering from the last five months or so.

And. It. Has. Been. Glorious.

(Ahem).

So, here are some quick updates about topics that I’ve blathered on and on about here.

First of all, it is now an undeniable fact to everyone I cross paths with that there is a baby in this here belly:

25 weeks pregnant and vaguely puffy.

I forgot to take a belly picture while we were on vacation, so the difference between weeks 23 and 25 is extra noticeable. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of the change is in the puffy factor of my face, which appears to have increased ten-fold. If you want to see my belly pop out over the course of two months, check out my flickr set here.

I’m also at the point where I can no longer force my bladder to allow me to sleep through the night with the sheer force of my own will-power. Mother Nature really plays a cruel trick on mothers-to-be with that one. It’s not like practicing sleep deprivation makes you any better at it. If I could, I would hibernate between now and the end of August, just to build up enough of a sleep bank to get myself through our baby’s first year.

In better news, I’m on week two of physical therapy and the results have been surprisingly effective. I’m not doing much beyond some very basic stretches and exercises, but I no longer get to the end of the day and wonder why little, invisible men felt the need to beat my ligaments with two-by-fours. I even (gasp!) went to prenatal yoga this past weekend and was able to do about 90-95% of the poses. I left class feeling so relaxed and stretched out, you could have told me I’d just had an hour long massage and I might have believed you.

(The things people say about memory less and pregnancy? I could confirm those things for you if I could just remember what we were talking about).

I won’t be running or lifting super heavy weights anytime soon, but I’m back to taking longer walks and carrying things that aren’t too heavy. I’m planning on joining our local YMCA and maybe going to water aerobics. Or at least doggy paddling my way through some laps. The point is, I’m feeling much more active these days. And it has improved my general mood immensely.

You know what else has improved my mood? Finishing up the class that I read about 30 books for. I love my coursework and I really did enjoy this class, but it was a crap ton of work. I am so relieved to not have it hanging over my head. I took a guilt-free nap on Sunday and woke up without that vague feeling of dread that used to accompany the knowledge that I should have spent my time studying.  Pregnant ladies and naps are like peas and carrots. I had no idea what I’ve been missing out on.

(PS, it would be a bit gauche to talk about grades here… but let’s just say I did better than a B+, even if I didn’t get an A. I have never been more proud of that particular letter grade in my life).

I would update you on the state of our third floor, but it’s still full of holes and that just depresses me. And we don’t talk about the nursery, except to say, “It’s ok, babies can sleep pretty much anywhere.” Hopefully, after this weekend, I will have better news on that front.

I have some good stories to tell you about the Derby and a Polka Party that we went to last weekend, but I’ll save those for later.

How have you all been?