Update and Recap

Well, Thursday the 17th was my due date, but no baby as of yet (Sunday the 20th). I, for one, fully expected to go over, so I am not surprised. However, I WAS hoping to have her by Monday or Tuesday (you know, after a nice, relaxing 3-day weekend), but at this point I am not too hopeful. Apparently there are some things that are just beyond my control :)

If she continues to be as accommodating as she has been this entire pregnancy, her delivery will not interfere with the 2 mid-terms Michael needs to take on Wednesday.

I am still waiting to hit that pregnancy wall that everyone says will come. It's like other women have a hard time believing that some of us ENJOY being pregnant. Everyone (save a select few, to whom I am grateful) told me that the last month is just awful, or that the last week is really miserable, and that by the end even the prospect of labor and delivery seems preferable to another minute of pregnancy.

I, however, respectfully disagree. As of now (40 weeks and 3 days), I still feel fantastic, am sleeping reasonably well, do NOT waddle when I walk, can get fully dressed by myself, do not need assistance getting up, and still have really great energy levels. {My doctor told me that I was the epitome of the perfect pregnancy, and I give full credit to the little one occupying my womb. Her growth has been spot on, her positioning has been incredible, and she has been very considerate of her mother thus far. She will even move when I ask her to if I haven't felt her in a while and start to get worried. Really! She's incredible.}

I fully acknowledge that I have had an amazing pregnancy and feel SOOO lucky to have not had to deal with severe morning sickness or freaky things like cholestasis (my SIL Megan had it with BOTH her pregnancies, and I am absolutely positive it would have driven me INSANE. I had to deal with a couple dozen mosquito bites this last week and it was torture. I cannot IMAGINE how much more awful cholestais would be!!!).

Really, the few minor things that I had to deal with were temporary and just made me appreciate a healthy body once they went away. Let's reminisce, shall we?

• Sciatic nerve issues: At best, it made walking painful, and at worst made it impossible. NOT a good thing when you have "an episode" in the middle of a crosswalk downtown and are barely able to reach the safety of the other side. I considered buying a cane for a while, but then *poof* it was gone after a few months. I still have occasional twinges, but they are more than manageable.
  
• Morning sickness: I never actually threw up, and it was just a general yucky feeling first thing in the morning, again between 11 am-2 pm at work, and then in the evenings. Not too terrible, and fortunately, I had work as a distraction. Again, it disappeared probably by 4-5 months, and I quickly forgot that I had even experienced any sort of nausea.
• Carpal tunnel: This flared up by about 3 months and was gone completely probably by 6-7 months. Each "episode" would only last a day or two, and only once a week or every other week. It was pretty miserable when it lasted (in addition to the typical numbness/tingling in the hand and forearm, I had this horrible dead-arm feeling going all the way up my arm and through my shoulder), but it was relatively infrequent.
• Swollen legs and ankles: This didn't start until maybe 6-7 months, but it is still going strong. It was more of a cosmetic issue than anything painful (and psychologically speaking, no one should have to see their ankles swollen up bigger than their feet--ew). Wearing super-sexy compression hose helps tremendously. An unfortunate side effect has been that I discovered this morning what I fear to be varicose veins at the top of my right leg, wear the compression hose band was. Bummer. I knew it was a possibility, of course, but I had hoped to make it through at least my first pregnancy without them. Oh well!
• Heartburn: Some nights were pretty horrible, but between Tums and prayer, we've kept it under control (seriously--every night that Michael and I remember to ask that I not have heartburn in our family prayers, I DON'T. It's miraculous).
  

As an important side note, I must say that I have huge testimony of prayer and priesthood blessings after this pregnancy. I have not been shy or hesitant to ask Michael to give me a blessing when things would be awful for whatever reason, and I am sure that things would not have been as good as they were without divine intervention. I am so grateful to have the priesthood in our home, and I know that I will be even more grateful once we have a child to take care of. It is such a comfort, and I am so thankful to have first had a father and to now have a husband who serve in their homes faithfully and selflessly.

The wonderful things about pregnancy MORE than make up for the petty inconveniences along the way (again, I acknowledge that so many women have much more difficult pregnancies and I am in no way, shape, or form trying down-play what can be a very difficult, miserable time for many women).

While I DO look forward to being able to

• more comfortably bend down and pick things up without experiencing contractions
  
• wear my old clothes
• wear heels!
  
• pick things up without fear of injury
• sleep on my back or tummy
• run/ride a bike/dance
• weigh less than my husband (after an impressive 45 lbs. of weight gain, I now way more than Michael EVER has)
• pick up my dogs
• reach the bottom of the washing machine/back of the dryer without my belly getting in the way
• use spray paint and furniture stain
  

I know that pregnancy--with all it's ups and downs--will all too soon be a fading memory. I would not trade any of the pain, inconvenience, or discomfort of pregnancy for being able to feel my baby move inside of me. I can't believe how connected I feel to her already, and how much I love her. I really do feel bad that men never get to experience what women do. I think it is such an incredible gift, and I will enjoy it while it lasts!

***Michael notes that now women will tell me I had a good pregnancy because it was my first, and to "just wait for the next one." Of course.***