Oh the joys...

Notice how I said joys? It's because I'm not trying to complain, I just want to share all of my wonderful pregnancy symptoms with you.

Getting Dressed
It's no longer easy to put socks, shoes, undies, or pants on. I find myself trying to stand but can't bend, then I try to sit but can't reach...it's not a pretty sight! And to make things worse I'm going through more than one pair of panties a day these days, I'm sure you can guess why. Can't even sneeze without having to cross my legs just in case! Hate to say it but it's time to break out the panty liners, haha sorry TMI. I feel like an old lady! It's cold out and my feet probably should have socks on them but I just don't have the energy to put them on - besides, my sneakers don't fit anymore anyway. I mean, for goodness sake, it took this chick almost 3 minutes to tell us how to put on shoes!

Charlie Horses
Which apparently is spelled Charley, but I never knew that until googling. I like Charlie better though. Anyway, I've had about 3 of these since the third trimester started. They usually occur in the middle of the night or in the morning when I'm stretching. Holy cow (or horse) these cramps are so painful. I can't help but yell when I get them. Mark thinks someone is murdering me, haha. I can barely reach to rub it and hope that the muscle isn't sore afterwards. Last time it stayed sore for days and it even became difficult to walk because of it!

Shaving
It's a workout these days and you'd think since it was winter I could get away with going weeks without shaving but my skin is so dry and itchy that it feels terrible if I don't shave often. Plus, I'm not so sure Mark appreciates an ape for a wife. It's impossible to do standing in the shower (belly gets in the way) so I have to sit on the edge of the tub (painful even with a towel under booty). I haven't gotten to the point where I want/need him to shave me yet but I've heard it's common and some of my friends had their baby daddy shave for them. I'd be scared he'd cut me though!

Balance
So I'll just be standing there and randomly almost fall over. I almost knocked over my mom's brand new flat screen TV on Thanksgiving, it was so close! And when I'm walking I don't think there's such thing as a straight line, I am so clumsy and keep bumping into random things even though I know they're there! I probably underestimate the size of this belly...it sure gets in the way of everything lately!

Stiff Fingers
It started a couple weeks ago (probably right around 30 weeks, beginning of December). I would wake up in the middle of the night to pee and notice that the joints in my fingers felt super stiff. It would hurt to bend them and it was even difficult to grab toilet paper or pull up my pants. I got terrified since arthritis runs on both sides of the family but when I googled I found that it's common and could just be because of swelling/water retention or it could be carpal tunnel - I'm going to mention it to the doctor during my next appointment. Hopefully it doesn't stick around after the baby is here like some ladies posted in that forum. I was pleased to see that everyone else's pain was also worse at night and when they first woke up. I thought it was weird that mine gradually got better throughout the day but I see that it's normal so that makes me feel better. Maybe I just type too much and need to go on bed rest and not work again til the spring.

Swollen Legs
You all know that my ankles and feet have been swollen off and on since about week 21. My hands/fingers swell a little, but only enough to where my rings don't fit comfortably but I could still force them on if I wanted to, I think. I never would have expected my legs/calves/shins to be swollen though. I feel like they're tree trunks, it's terrible...not to mention SUPER ugly!

Back and Hip Pain
So they tell us not to sleep on our backs because there's an artery that can be blocked or something if you lay flat. So I got the snoogle and have been sleeping on my sides, yes both because I have to alternate since my hips start hurting once I've been laying too long. Basically, every time I get up to pee I switch sides. I can always tell which side I was on because that hip and ear (I think I need a softer pillow) is hurting. If both hips hurt and I'm just not comfortable on my side, I'll lay on my back but not flat, I will pile up the pillows and hope to get comfy that way. It's the fun stuff that comes along with pregnancy and I know these pains are normal/common but sheesh I just wanna sleep comfortably, is that too much to ask!?

3am Cravings
It only started a few weeks ago. It's super hot in our bedroom (heat rises and we're all the way on the third floor) so I wake up thirsty and hot and all I want is ice cold water. Sometimes when I try to fall back asleep it doesn't happen...so then I lay there and my stomach starts growling. In my defense, baby is taking all my nutrients AND it's been like hours since dinner. So then I decide to go see what's in the fridge or pantry. I usually gulp a huge glass of milk, nothing better than milk at 3am, ahh! And if I want a snack I'll get a granola bar or something like that, just to take the hunger pains away.

Weight Gain
So far I have gained 27 pounds (I am now 32w5d). The doctor says everything is on track and measuring normal. He can't tell how big the baby is yet but he measures the outside of my belly and says it looks great. I asked him about my weight gain because he has a record on my chart and he said nothing to worry about so I guess that's normal. I'm just hoping it doesn't double in the next 8 weeks and then I'm 50 pounds heavier than I was in May...yikes, that just sounds ugly! Oh and in addition to my feet growing a full shoe size, my nose now looks bigger/wider. Apparently it's common, no me gusta!

Tailbone Pain
I think I told you already that I had to break down and ended up buying the donut pillow thing. It helped a little at first but today is really bad and it isn't doing its job! I feel like I fell on the ice and broke my tailbone. Some women actually do break their tailbones during labor, please don't let me be one of them! This pain is no joke!

Again, these are NOT complaints. I'm happy that my baby boy is healthy and I only have a few more weeks of this pregnancy stuff. I would take these pains any day if it meant having a healthy baby. So blessed we have come this far and can't wait to meet our little miracle!