24 Weeks: Of Course I Have the Strange Side Effects

This week I feel like it's been all about a growing belly, and all the side effects that came with it! The week started out with our graduation visit to the Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic where we got to see our little girl again. And we learned that she is about 1.25 pounds and over a foot tall (13 to 14"). Well let me tell you I have been noticing her growing size!!! She's moving around all the time and every night I lay in bed watching my tummy move before I TRY to sleep. Yeah, sleeping isn't really happening as well lately. I can't get comfy and rolling over is increasingly more awkward. Add 2 cuddling cats to the mix, and it's all just a big game of Tetris in our bed! Looking at our Week 24 photo, I guess it's clear that we really do have a little baby growing inside of me. I am currently coming to terms with the fact that my pre-pregnancy clothes are just not really going to be part of my wardrobe for a while now!

Every day I check my pregnancy apps, and interestingly enough one of them talked about what I feel is my strangest pregnancy symptom that I have mentioned before. Apparently only 20% of us pregnant women have this happen, so naturally it would happen to me. The sneezing. It started very early on, probably when I was still pregnant with twins I think. We joked at work about would I just be sneezing non-stop by the time I give birth? Well.... my app shared info on this, saying that 20% stat and that yes, for those of us that have this, it does increase the closer you get to the due date. And another thing I'm noticing is they started off normal, dainty sneezes. Now they are getting even stronger. One of my sneezes even hurt a couple days ago!

Early in the week my mom asked me to look at her back, where I saw a pretty sizable rash that didn't look like poison oak to me. Man Friend and I told her to go to the doctor. She procrastinated, and 5 days later finally went, and got a diagnosis of Shingles. This led to me immediately calling my OBGYN to find out if I can be around her or not. After all we had theater tickets to 42nd Street in Portland coming up! Happily I was given the all-clear to go, and told the baby and I would be fine. Yay! I'm glad we went, the show was fabulous! Once the music started, my little girl started dancing along with them I think. She napped during the show a couple of times, but for the most part when she hears music she's always moving. I glad music has been our thing! I bought myself a nice keyboard since I no longer have a piano. I'm starting her musical education early!! She'll be getting piano lessons from her Grandma and now can practice at home. She also knows Savage Garden very well, and I was very concerned at her reaction to Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. She's not going to be a Celine fan is she????

Halloween happened the day I hit 24 weeks (the same day we did 42nd Street), and sadly I didn't do any Halloween events ... Man Friend was working and I was trying to get mom and I home from Portland during the absolute worst driving conditions I've ever experienced. To dilly dally on the way home, hoping traffic would lighten and weather would clear a bit, we stopped in Salem to shop and dine. We hit Babies 'R' Us and got my fancy pants breast pump so I can keep my girl fed! I was also happy to find some Finding Nemo sheets, blanket and room decor to help finish off her crib bedding. I was NOT going to spent $199 on some fancy bed in a bag. No way! I got some clearance sheets and was very happy with that! Next we hit Olive Garden for dinner and it was quite yummy! But it came with side effects as well. I noticed it in the morning after breakfast as well, but didn't know what it was since this was an all new first time feeling for me in my life. Indigestion! Great. That was very strange, and only amplified another symptom I've had forever ... burping. Yeah, I know, pregnancy is soooo damn sexy!! Sorry boys, I'm taken! There I am, navigating scary road conditions while experiencing indigestion and a kicking girl. At least the kicks always make me happy, so that was kind of a nice way to balance it. On the way TO Portland she was kicking so much I even jumped in my seat a few times. Funny little girl!

This is all out of order, I don't care. It's my blog. I work with party poopers, and ended up basically not putting my costume accessories on and wearing a sweater over my costume so I would look work appropriate. But I DID have myself an impromptu costume. I wore it for years at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and was able to recreate it here at home ... Kali Rapids Expedition Guide! After work I added my authentic hat and Man Friend's shoes, and we went outside for a photo shoot. So much fun recreating all the things we used to do on the turntable back in the day... just now with a big belly stretching out my t-shirt! Also Friday night I got to socialize with friends for the first time since being publicly pregnant! It was so nice to be out of the house and being a normal person. I need to do it again!!

I guess that's about it. Really, it was nice and quiet, with the highlight being the ultrasound on Monday and getting to see my little pumpkin again. Oh, and daily naps have resumed -- probably because of my not being able to sleep well at night. Eh, it's all worth it!