So, apparently 5th graders are a little slower on the uptake than the older middle school crowd (perhaps with good reason they're kept separated in the basement of the building...), but last week one of the kids observantly pointed out that my tummy was big like I was having a baby, not just getting fat. I was glad for the clarification.Indeed, the belly grows and I keep drinking more water and slathering on more belly butter hoping that the memories will of this will last without leaving a road map of stretch marks. Friend is busy kicking and punching daily, perfecting a mixed martial arts routine fit for The Octagon, and I keep moving more slowly... hefting around this much more weight is tiresome.
I'm starting to get used to sleeping on my side, and I think that I might have found the right combination of Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear-sized pillows to get me through the night. I have a Snoogle (don't ask -- it's a curvy tube of pillow that is about as bad/sad as it sounds), a smooshy bed pillow, and a formerly decorative throw pillow that all work together to make bedtime better. It's still far from perfect, but it's a big improvement over thinking I'd have to sleep in the recliner.
The half-a-pound-a-week growth that baby should be doing these days is getting obvious from the outside -- things have reached their limits vertically (I like to tell myself this even if it's not true), and the man is pushing outward. My pelvis is spreading and that's about as comfortable as it sounds, and I've read that my ribs might be next, so I'm hopeful that he decides moving outward for the next 9 or 10 weeks is best for all involved.
