Seven Months Pregnant

So, I'm thankful for big hips. Never thought I'd say that. Baby Boy likes to lie sideways and stretch out from one hip to the other which isn't uncomfortable at all. If he didn't have THAT sideways room, he'd have no room at all, and I'd be in excruciating pain constantly. The only part that IS uncomfortable isn't dependent on where he is lying; I'm just in constant pain right below my ribcage on my right side. There is a burning sensation of the skin (stretching, I know) but it is constantly painful INSIDE, and when I try to sit forward or bend down, it feels like my ribs jab into my intestines that are squished up there. It feels like the edge of my ribs are jagged and are cutting into them. Needless to say, it hurts really bad all of the time. Besides the pain (sharp in front and throbbing in back up my right side...oh, and the aching of my lower back), it is finally fun being pregnant. Can't see all sides of my toenails to clip them so that's a challenge. Hard to pull on socks normally. Really hard to tie shoes (the tie ends up toward the inside of my foot). Finally getting hard to sit myself up using my abs from a somewhat lying position; now have to roll to one side and then push myself up that way. Crawling on my hands and knees actually feels kind of good--takes the pressure off my back and ribcage for a few seconds. Ya know, if having more than one child were dependent on pregnancy alone, I'd only have one child. But, for the sake of our child, I do NOT want an only child, so will go through this at least once again some day, if just for that factor alone...

Below right in the picture is our cat, Tootsie. 5 years old now. He's marked his territory INSIDE the house 3 or 4 times now because he knows a baby is coming. He'll lie on my stomach a lot and sleep cuddled up next to my tummy. He's jealous, I think, but I'm not risking the destruction of anything else in our home, nor the baby's safety once he's born, so I posted Tootsie on KSL Classifieds and got a call. We'll see if I found him a good home tonight... I hope so. Love him to death, but it goes to show I'm more of a dog person. I could never get rid of the dogs...unless one agressively bit my child or anyone else for no reason. Hopefully that never happens.

Devil Dog - Vega

In play, Justin curls his lips and nibbles at Vega. In turn, she curls HER lips and then licks his nose. It's really funny to watch them play. I couldn't resist getting a close-up.

6 months (24 wks) Picture

Yup. Growing a belly! And just looking at this picture makes me a little sick; my butt is sagging...

What a month...

So, I've decided that not only is pregnancy not nice to me, but also that the added stress of life really takes a toll on me.

Condo Update:
Quick summary of the past hectic month: upstairs neighbor flooded our condo, lived in a hotel for half a month with our two huskies, I took a week-long trip to Montana for a Union conference (leaving everything to Justin for a week--sorry), Justin moved our bed into our living room so we could be back in our own place so we wouldn't have to take turns sleeping on the couch (thanks, honey!), taking dogs to "doggie daycare" five days a week so the contractors can work on our place during the days, coming home at the end of each day to a new layer of dust or paint EVERYWHERE in our place as well as strong fumes, Justin cramming for tests every other day, me working every weekday, Justin working every weekend night, Justin going to school every weekday, having to pick out carpet and tile and paint, having to come up with $$ to pay for some of the extras we want (since they're remodeling the entire bedroom/bathroom from scratch anyway), found out the sex of our baby, submitting information to insurance company, etc. I'm sure I've left tons out, but that's been our month. Whew, huh?!

Pregnancy Update:
I was sick every single day for the first 4 months, then I had one--ONE--week where I wasn't sick and felt the baby move for the first time, and then I've been in a lot of rib pain on my right side since then. My ribcage has expanded 2.5 inches, trying to make room for my intestines, liver, etc to fit up in there. I have a low pain tolerance as is, so this pain has brought me to tears many times, making my acid reflux worse, thus resulting in throwing up once again. Needless to say, pregnancy has not been fun for me. I've been trying to stay positive about everything, but it's really hard. Still have to find a daycare to take the kid at 8 weeks old, too. Hmm... Lots to do. Nothing's done, although I HAVE started crochetting a cute blue and white baby afghan. No one else in our family does that anymore, it seems, so that crafty blanket-making stuff is left to me, which is completely fine. I find it comforting, and it forces me to sit down and relax somewhat. This is a good thing, because when I relax on the couch or in bed with a heating pad around my ribs, I can feel the little guy move around inside. Doesn't feel like butterflies like many people say. Feels more like thick bubbling gravy--how the bubbles move and stuff. I've usually felt him on the left side of my tummy, but within the last few days, I've felt him really low below my belly button. Pretty neat, too, because I finally felt movement from the OUTSIDE. Justin will be studying all night for another test, so he won't even be home to be able to try to feel anything until tomorrow evening. I'm so excited for that and hope he can feel something. He's going to be a good daddy.