Can No Longer Hover 'Round

Everyday I am more in awe of the fact that I am going to really be a mother. Sitting at my desk right now, I really feel so ordinary. Then I feel a swish of movement above my hips in my belly and I remember, I am making a human. It still blows me away. Sometimes I will tap my stomach and feel a slight tap back. It's so crazy to me. There are even instances where Brady will haul off and kick my hand hard. If that's even his foot. It's so mind boggling.

At this moment, I really feel like just me. I barely notice my belly. I have to touch it sometimes to remember it's there. Other days, my back aches, or I get a Braxton Hicks contraction, and I remember, yup, it's gonna happen. I'm going to have a baby.

Last year, in July, I found out I was pregnant. It's now a quarter of the way through 2009 and I'm still pregnant. I guess when it feels like I've been pregnant forever, the 2008 and 2009 dates make it seem no less.

I am starting to grow out of my maternity clothes. I remember looking at those outfits in Motherhood and Target and thinking, "wow, I will never get that big". Now, my basketball looks a little bit over inflated and bigger shirts are snug and clingy. I only have one pair of jeans that are comfy (the others seem to dig right into my belly). My work pants all still fit, which is great, but I want to be able to lounge in comfort!! So I bought a pair of cargo pants yesterday from Motherhood. I had a leftover gift certificate, so I used it. I glanced at capris with sadness that I probably won't wear a pair again until after Brady is born. Luckily, a friend reassured me she got her ankles back within a day or so after giving birth. I'm trying to keep these puppies hidden as long as I can. It's inhumane to subject strangers to looking at them!

Just a little over four weeks to go and this "practice" event will be a reality. I will have a baby. It's so surreal to me. My "license to eat" should be revoked soon.. But it's so hard. I'm hungry all the time! Then I get heartburn. Must be punishment for indulging in so many McFlurries!

We went to Taco Bell this past weekend for lunch. Taco Bell is my favorite place. Take me there over any five star restaurant and I would be satisfied. Luckily the TBell we went to was not in my town, or I would have had to rethink that thought. We were about two hours north of home, to take a river tour with Kyle's brother Jakey, and Cuz. We stopped at TBell for some lunch. Granted, I wasn't wearing a very form-fitting shirt... but the cashier asked me when I was due. I told her, "in five weeks". She said, "WOW!! YOU'RE BIG!!". You should have seen her face! It was like she was in utter shock and exclaimed like I told her I was growing 8 babies like the infamous Octomom. So, I did what any self-respecting pregger would do, I thanked her. Then I stammered and tried to calm myself before I turned into a beet. Kyle wanted me to tell her that in five weeks I will be skinny again, she will still have a mustache. But I was not "on my feet" at that moment. So we proceeded to find a booth to eat our lunch. Feeling quite chubby, I slid, er, rather, tried to slide, myself in a booth. I crammed my belly into that booth and started to wonder how the heck anyone bigger than average can eat there! Apparently we found the only misshapen booth in the place. It must've been made for little people.. Kyle moved across the way and I followed and felt relieved to find breathing room. Yup, just another example of how wonderful it is to be 35 weeks pregnant and growing.

Another fun fact about the end of pregnancy; well, besides the blueberry-sized hemorrhoids that hang out, of course, is the lack of ability to hover. I can hover no more. I try so hard to hover over a public toilet and fall down. It's not pretty. I'm top-heavy now and wobbly. I've discovered that when I went to pick up something I dropped in the parking garage the other day. I leaned over like any normal person would do and found myself teetering off my hands to push myself back up before I completely spilled out onto the ground. My mission was always to touch as little landscape in a public restroom as possible. Now, I just check to be sure it is clean before I plop down on the seat. I have no choice. Besides, aren't there studies that prove public toilets are cleaner than desk keyboards? That's my defense, and I'm sticking to it!