Cravings

People often ask me if I have pregnancy cravings.  While I do enjoy some foods more than others these days (peaches and oranges are popular), it's not foods that I crave so much as activities I miss.  The more pregnant I've gotten, the more prominent the cravings for the following have become:

Laying on my back-- I can't do it right now for more than 5 seconds before I get very uncomfortable.  I'm like a turtle who's trapped on it's back and can't flip over.  I hate it.

Relaxing baths-- I take baths now but it's not the same.  I can't lie completely back (refer to above), the water can't be too hot (um, I like it hot hot), I barely fit in the tub (no joke) and they're more therapeutic than calming (ouchie hip therapy).  Then there's the issue of carefully getting down into a sitting position and upon completion of the bath hoisting myself up and out.  To say it's a struggle is an understatement.

Beer-- I haven't been this sober since I was a teenager (what can I say, I was an early bloomer and grew up in the suburbs where drinking was an obvious and easy past time).  The first 4 months of pregnancy I had no taste for alcohol which was great.  Lately, however, I could really go for a tall, chilled brewsky.  I've taken a sip from Mr. Jarcy's and--holy moly--it's like nectar for the gods.  I've also had this vision of me breastfeeding while relaxing with a glass of red wine and I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.    

Flying--this one is especially weird because I am not a good flyer.  I used to fly often so perhaps it's just weird to not be traveling at all.  And as stressful as flying seems in the future, I'm already working on Mr. Jarcy to think a summer trip is a fabulous idea.    

Cartwheels--Yep, I'd really like to do a cartwheel again.  Other activities that fall under this category are handstands, backbends and leaps.  Basically anything I did as a gymnast a billion years ago I miss.  (And if you really want to see something hysterical, ask me to demonstrate jogging...Mr. Jarcy and my sister will vouch for how silly I look.) 

Drinking something other than Gatorade--enough said.   

  

Night Owl

I have new hobbies for the middle of the night.  I used to sleep but those days seem to be gone for a little while.  Here's what I do instead--

• Wake up with my hip cramped up.
  
• Get cramped hip massaged by Mr. Jarcy (he's so good to me).
  
• Lie awake and worry that the baby will come and I won't have his room ready (or any other room in the house, for that matter).
  
• Drink Gatorade.
  
• Eat.  A lot.
  
• Fidget with the thermostat--I'm usually hotter than blazes between the hours of midnight and 8AM.
  
• Troll around the Internet.
  
• Eat more.  A lot.
  
• More Gatorade.
  
• Avoid writing in my journal.
  

Now that I've covered the above, I think I'll play my little Tetris game and take down the Christmas tree.  Then around 6AM I'll go back to bed.  Tomorrow I will repeat.  

Workout

I always thought babies in utero were asleep until they were born.  I knew that they kicked and moved around but I still didn't think they were awake-- I thought they were hibernating or something.    

Well I was wrong.

It's obvious that at times my little Fetus Boy is awake and ready for action.  I went to an improv show a few months back, sat behind the piano player and Baby Jarcy wiggled around the whole time.  Then a few weeks back a transformer blew up in the alley across the street in the middle of the night and Baby Jarcy woke up startled by it even before I did.  He can sleep through lots of noise and then wake up in total silence.  He especially likes to wake up in the middle of the night when I am asleep.  I will be soundly asleep (not an easy feat these days) and all of a sudden start dreaming about movement.  Then a few minutes later I'll wake up realizing that He is moving all around and prompted the dream events.  Oh yeah, and he LOVES to move around when I'm sitting in the car.  How does he know it's the car?  I have no idea but my fetus is very smart and he seems to know.  My coat cannot be buttoned up--he doesn't like it--and he kicks all over the place until I open up my outer layer.  Then he kicks some more.  

He just kicked me right now.  Heehee.  And his little hands are way down in my pelvis and they like to move all around.  A totally surreal feeling at times, lemme tell ya.  It's bittersweet--I'm ready to reclaim my body but I'm also going to miss my Belly Boy terribly when he's out on his own.     

Well, It Never Gets Boring

Hello!  Happy Friday all...ooh, it's 11:11 so make a wish!

Every week or so some new pregnancy ailment/challenge/quirk presents itself.  Past ailments have included the inability to drink plain water (that was during the first 4 months), super painful hip sockets and, of course, the ever present and popular too low blood pressure.  

This week's issue has been nose congestion and bleeding.  I had read in the expectant mother's guide book that this might happen, however, it didn't seem to affect me.  No two pregnant woman are the same.  In fact, not every pregnancy is the same.  Each pregnancy is like a snowflake--different, unique.  So I thought I had avoided this congestion/stuffiness thing just like I have dodged heartburn (thank you Goddess above!).  Nope, no nose problems for me-- that is, until now.  Out of nowhere I've been afflicted with stuffiness that I can't blow out.  When I do blow it out--which seems to be mostly in the middle of the night when one should be sleeping--it is bloody.  

Gross, I know but I can't help but share.  It's all very fascinating to me (and by fascinating I mean fascinating yet extremely annoying and trying).  So I will continue to use my neti pot (that's also kinda gross and I'll spare the details), run my humidifier...and wake up every 90 minutes to blow my nose.  And I guess I'll be thankful I didn't have to deal with this until well into the 8th month.  My only hope is that it does leave my body at some point with Baby Jarcy.  

And now it is time to put a hot water bottle on those ouchie hips...(hilarious).  

Get Higher Baby

Merry Christmas!  

If you don't celebrate Christmas then I say to you Happy Wednesday!  (It's Wednesday right?  I get easily confused these days.)  Mr. Jarcy and I are headed to the burbs to celebrate with our families over the next few days.  I have a feeling that the running theme with gifts from both families will revolve around Fetus (soon to be Baby) Jarcy.  

While the next two days will be out of the ordinary--you know with the whole bingeing and gift giving deal--there is one daily task that I will not be delineating from...

drinking copious amounts of Gatorade.  

Have I mentioned this before?  Oh, I'm sure I have and some day I'll add links to past posts (refer back to above reference to confusion).  Anyway, I have to drink a lot of Gatorade so that I can keep my blood pressure up.  It helps retain all the salt our bodies usually excrete when we drink just water.  Most people benefit from this as they don't need their blood pressure highered.  In fact, I'm not even sure "highered" is a word.  But lowered is a word and I know this because blogger doesn't correct me for that word like it does for "highered."  (Mr. Jarcy says the correct wording would be "raised" but to keep up with my bit.)  And since I need the pressure highered--or at least retained above 80/50-- I eat stuff that has salt, drink very little to absolutely no water and consume no less than 8 Gatorades a day.  In fact, I drink anywhere between 1 and 3 Gatorades during the night when most people just sleep and occasionally pee.  Weird huh?  Yep, I think so too.   

But it works and for that I am ever so grateful!  To not feel the need to pass out is incredible and I'll never take it for granted again.  (I know that's weird too.)  So what if I have to carry an 8-pack of Gatorade with me when I leave the home!  If it works, I gotta just do it.  

And with that, my 8-pack and I are on our way out the door.  Happy Holidays all you lovelies!  

Stirred

It has been snowing outside for hours now.  There is already snow and ice covering the streets and sidewalks.  Chicago made the brilliant decision to not plow side streets so my car is buried.  I'm too pregnant to leave the house without a chaperon in these conditions.  Feel sorry for me, please.  

So I'm kinda stir crazy.  As a result:

• I just put my hair in pig tails. 
  
• I put on a ton of make-up.  Play time I guess. 
  
• I've sorted the laundry a few times (you have to walk outside to get to the machines and that's where I'm stuck).
  
• All the bills are paid--even ones that haven't shown up in the mail that I looked up online.
  
• I can't go buy my remaining Christmas gifts.  I feel guilty.
  
• I wish I had cash to hail a cab to these stores so I could stop feeling guilty.
  
• I would still have to navigate the snow covered outdoors and I'm feeling nervous about that.
  
• I feel guilty about the gifts not purchased but not enough to jeopardize the trip outside.
  
• I'm ready for Mr. Jarcy to come home.
  
• I hope Mr. Jarcy isn't too frightened by my appearance when he arrives.
  
• I'm thinking of naming my baby Freddy after Freddy Mercury. 
  
• I'm blasting Guns N' Roses song "My Michelle" which is not very warm or fuzzy.

I think that about covers it for now.  

All Systems Go

So I'm still pregnant.  And that in theory is a good thing--we're well into month 8 but still need a little growing to do.  In reality, it is an unpleasant thing.  Where that growing will take place I am not sure because I am huge.  I'm wearing shirts and sweaters that belong to Mr. Jarcy and Mr. Jarcy's brother because my cutie preggie clothes don't fit.  The Jarcy men are all over 6 feet tall and average 190 lbs.  

I'm really not far from 190 lbs myself.  Well, it's not right around the corner but I am much closer to it than I ever thought I would be.  I'm only 5'2" so I thought how much can I possibly gain?  A lot apparently.  Huh...interesting.

Since I am into month 8, my body seems to be in delivery prep.  I feel like an airplane with pilots checking all systems for take off.  Lights work?  Check.  Tire pressure appropriate?  Check.  Gas in the tank?  Check.  

Flight crew, we are ready for departure.