Hello friends and family. It has been a very long month since I posted anything, and since I felt like myself. I've been slightly under the weather. For a month.
After I recovered from my bug bites -- which were oh-so-fun, in and of
themselves -- I got a sore throat, which developed into a cough, which -- over
a weekend, naturally -- left me feeling like I couldn't breathe. So, off to the docs I went, C in tow, to
discover that I had some sort of pneumonia/bronchitis and a sinus infection and
my little C had bronchitis and an ear infection. Then, a couple of days later, C got the tummy
bug from her father, which I mercifully escaped. We've taken more antibiotics and other
medications than I care to think about.
Took me a good 3 weeks to get over that bout of sickness, and it's only
this week that I'm really feeling back to normal. I know you're more susceptible to illness
when you're pregnant but geez!! Hoping this
is the last of it for a while.... {knocks wood}
Speaking of pregnancy, this one is FLYING by. I had heard that about second pregnancies and,
guess what? It's true. Sometimes I feel
as though I'm not paying this pregnancy as much attention (or focusing on it as
fully) as I did when I was expecting C.
That might have something to do with moving half way across the world,
trying to make this house feel like home, and all while having an almost 4
year-old with boundless energy who is definitely keeping me on my toes! Nevertheless, this baby is certainly making
its presence known - I think it's already a tango aficionado, by the feel of
things. Sleep is getting more
uncomfortable, and I think I have only a couple more weeks of being able to
buckle my shoes. Braxton Hicks contractions
are in full swing - forgot how much fun those are! But I'm thankful every day for this little
peanut (actually, my book says it's as big as a butternut squash now) in my
belly.
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| For those who have asked - this is me last week at 28 weeks. Feeling rather large these days - larger much quicker than the first time around! |
I'm currently 7 months (29 weeks) pregnant and due on New
Years Day -- how's that for timing?! -- and I think that the time between now
and then is going to fly. We have
decided to keep the gender a surprise, as we did when we were expecting C. For us, it's the best surprise: that moment
after all that hard work, when you find out what you've been carrying for all
those months! We flip-flop back and
forth between thinking it's a boy and thinking it's a girl. We have a list of names for both genders; we
have one clear favorite for a boy and a top 3 for girl. Picking a name is no easy task! We're also not telling anyone what our picks
are - we're all about the big surprises over here! It drives our families -- well, certain
members of my family for sure (ahem...R) -- crazy at times, but hopefully they don't
really mind too much!
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C seems to be very excited about the baby. She says ‘hi’ to
the baby and sings to it and rubs my belly. She is also convinced that it's a
girl; no question that it might be a boy, which reminds me of what my then-4-year-old
brother said when we were awaiting the arrival of our littlest brother: "I
want it to be a boy or a car."
Thankfully for my mother, it was a boy.
Well, we shall see soon enough if C is right! She's going to be a wonderful big sister. She
adores babies and I know she'll take good care of this one, too.
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| This also happened this week: "Look at my lipstick, just like yours". Thank goodness for washable marker! |
Another challenge: I haven't been pregnant in extreme heat
before. We're not even in the Mauritian summer yet and already during the
middle of the day I feel like I'm melting!
Anyone got any tips on how to stay cool, other than the obvious
"stay inside”? Thankfully my sweet,
dear Mama-friend in Virginia shared her summertime maternity clothes with me and that has
been a lifesaver, given that almost everything I wore when expecting C was for
brisk Irish weather. Between that and a couple of trips to Gap Maternity, I'm doing okay.
I haven't had any crazy cravings, and I didn't really last
time either. I eat more apples than I
can keep track of, and - if I'm being totally honest - the fact that they have
Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate here is NOT. GOOD. AT. ALL. :Sigh:
Somehow I have managed not to gain much weight so far this time
around. When I was expecting C, I gained
about 45lbs (can't believe I just admitted that). I did lose almost 30lbs in
the first week after I had her, so I know that most of it was water
weight. I don't know whether it's eating
gluten-free that's helping me this time, but I've gained maybe 15lbs so far and
I cannot understand how (see chocolate reference above, not to mention the
copious amounts of Indian food we consume in this house). My feeling is that if I'm eating well,
healthily, with the occasional treat (or two), then it's all good. Right?!
On a more serious note, the month of October is Infant &
Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month (the day of remembrance was on October 15th). If you are one of many, many Loss Mothers (or
Loss Fathers), my heart is with you.
This terrible loss touches more people than you can imagine. Really, it
does, but perhaps because that grief is so consuming and so personal, it's not
something that is really talked about.
Losing someone you haven't met, yet love so much, is a real, heart-wrenching
grief. It's certainly something to think
about (and think twice before asking someone when they're going to hurry up and
have kids), particularly this month. I
never take this pregnancy for granted and always try to remember that, while
I'm complaining about my sore back or getting up 3 times a night or any of the
other 'joys' that come with pregnancy, I am so blessed and lucky to be able to
have these complaints to begin with. Remembering all those little angels who never had a chance to meet their parents, who love them and miss them every day.
