Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Funny... I Guess I'm Pregnant!

I haven't been able to sleep well lately, in fact, my entire night's worth of sleep is just one dream after another. From what I understand of dreaming, it only happens in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage which should usually begin after 4 hours of deep sleep but somehow it feels like I'm getting much less sleep. I feel like I'm watching a movie all night long, weird ones, that don't make any sense, and then I wake up and ask Andy, am I still dreaming? I am hopeful, every night, that my pattern of dreaming will cease to be, but thus far, I have been unsuccessful.

When I went to the doctor's a few weeks ago for my gestational diabetes test (which I passed - thank goodness - despite the significant amount of girl scout cookies and chocolate I have been eating everyday because it's free at work at the executive assistant's desk in front of my office!), she asked me how everything was. I told her "Just great!" then paused, and followed up with, "Well actually, is there any reason why I would be dreaming a lot? I mean... a LOT LOT!" (guess I could have chosen smarter vernacular like an adjective to describe lot - maybe extremely so, an extraordinary lot, but LOT LOT felt more emphatic). She told me this was normal with being pregnant - the baby may be moving a lot while I sleep, the hormones (it's somehow ALWAYS the stinking hormones!) and that just means I'm not getting a lot of good sleep. "Oh," I replied. Dejected, I just smiled and responded with, "Guess it's still more sleep than when the baby comes, right?" to which she just chuckled and nodded and in my mind, all I could think was, Doh! ... and how delicious an iced pink doughnut with rainbow sprinkles would be right then and there.

It feels funny to be noticeably pregnant now. Before, I was just a little larger - probably carrying a bit more weight in my stomach - whereas these days, my protruding naval and basketball of a baby boy is the reason for random strangers congratulating me, asking me if it's a boy or girl, and telling me it's the BEST thing that could EVERRRR happen to me, even if it's really hard. Everyone who's ever been a parent tells me with so much joy and twinkle in their eye about how that love you feel is so great, you won't know what hit you. I can't wait for that feeling - I already feel so much love for the lil one inside my stomach - although I cannot lie, for the first 3-4 months, I often asked Andy - do you love our son yet, because I don't! I don't love this thing in my stomach causing me nausea, fatigue, and making me hate ice cream (which I usually ADORE). I remember how everyone describes the love Heavenly Father has for us as being even GREATER than the love a parent has for their child. I have no idea what that feels like but I am so eager to find out.

It's also funny to go to the gym as a pregnant and showing lady. I suppose if I think hard about it, in all my years as a gym goer, I have only seen one pregnant lady and every time I saw her, I would look at her workout and think, wow. Apparently, I have become that lady. I didn't think it was a big deal, I still don't - but when I show up at the gym, I'm in a sweatshirt and upon removing my sweatshirt, eyes undoubtedly turn to my son. He's pretty popular these days - although they're probably thinking his mom is nutso! I don't mind it so much - the doctor said I could continue working out if I had done so before and I don't do anything insane - I just elliptical for about 30 minutes each visit!

The funniest - and coincidentally saddest part about being pregnant these days - is the colder California weather that is making it harder for me to sport my pregnant dresses to work. I do have two pairs of pregnant tights but they're not very comfortable as they seem to fall easily and require a lot of adjusting throughout the day. But like my co-worker who hadn't seen me in months said yesterday upon seeing me, it's real! It's all happening - I'm not the lil kid walking around with a circular pillow pretending to be pregnant anymore - I actually am! And no matter that funny pregnant thing happens to me - good or bad.... I should try to be of better cheer.

I do try to be of good cheer, maintain a positive attitude and look to the silver lining of things when I catch myself. At least the awful ligament pulling growing pains that kept me up hours upon each night (and Andy for maybe five or ten every time I woke him up telling him something weird was going on and that maybe we needed to go to the hospital!) are now gone. At least the few muscle cramps I got are gone (I think I've got a trick, instead of stretching your legs with a pointed foot, if you flex it - the calve is stretched and less likely to cramp), and at least my swelling is not yet in the face (or so I think...). Too bad the migraines have returned every morning, but at least they seem to improve by noon everyday.

Cheerio! Here's to being pregnant! Look at how big I am getting!!

5 comments:

LunaMoonbeam said...

Oh...the dreams!!! When I was pregnant with Ming Wai, I dreamed about magic...I dreamed I -was- Harry Potter (boy, wand and all.) When I was pregnant with Siu Jeun, I dreamed...well, I dreamed that people were blowing up...dying...exploding...trying to kill me...or killing themselves before they could explode. I've found that the kind of dreams I had...were very indicative of how my kids would be!! Everything is still magic and fairies for Ming Wai, while Siu Jeun makes everything around him into something violent. Not so much violent as just...well, if it's not a make-shift bat and ball, it's something exploding. I hear a lot of "pow!" during my days.

What are you dreaming about???

Gena Hopper said...

Haha! So glad you are ahead of me. You've answered so many of my questions. I miss being able to do a good stretch from the tips of my hands down through the torso to the my legs and feet. I get leg cramps when I stretch in the mornings in bed.

frugalmom said...

Look how sweet that little belly looks:-)
Ugh...I so remember those leg cramps....yuck.

Tara said...

Hi Daisy, I am Andy's cousin- Dustin's wife, Tara :) I saw your blog link on another cousin's blog. I really enjoy reading your blog and like what you have to say! By the way, I also hate ice cream when I am pregnant. :)

SupaFlowaPowa said...

@Aunt LoLo - sure hope not cuz I'm dreaming about mostly work issues!
@Gena - you HAVE to flex your feet when you stretch your legs - even if it's just extending it, not flexing it may result in a BIG OL calve cramp!
@Frugalmom - hahaa you didn't have our flex trick!@
@Tara - hehe I'm so glad I'm not alone, it must run in the married side of the family - everyone thought it was weird but it's so gross .. I am over it now but it was a long time absolutely abhorring it!