Barefoot and Pregnant

For nearly 31 weeks (or 7 months) pregnant, I have to admit I’m feeling pretty good.  This pregnancy has been similar to my first: some nausea & vomiting in the first trimester – but nothing debilitating, fatigue that often makes my bedtime match up with Mariah’s, and my arch nemesis: heartburn.  This time around is also very different though since I have a toddler to keep me busy, so there isn’t much time to sit back and reflect on the pregnancy itself.  I still get excited to feel the new baby kick or daydream about holding her.  But I find the pregnancy is flying by so fast this time, that I can barely keep track of the weeks.  With Mariah, I prided myself in staying active throughout pregnancy – doing prenatal yoga and aquafit until the last few weeks.  I was starting to feel bad about my lack of exercise this time, when I realized that lifting a twenty pound baby several times a day definitely counts for something.  The other difference in this pregnancy is that I’ve become a lot more lax and comfortable about what I choose to put into my body.  With Mariah, I didn’t eat one coldcut sandwich, let alone raw sushi.  But this time I’m going with the research that says pregnant women can pretty much continue to eat anything, as long as it’s from a reputable place.  Last time I tortured myself with handfuls of tums that would temporarily reduce my constant heartburn.  Whereas this time I’m on a prescription dosage of antacids that have nearly eliminated the problem. 

My ever-expanding belly is finally starting to create some aches and pains.  I can barely lift my legs high enough to put on pants each morning, and I sometimes wish there were a mechanical crane near my bed that could help me roll at night.  But overall, these complaints seem pretty mild compared with the average preggo.  I only need to use the bathroom about once a night and other than that, I sleep pretty soundly.  I don’t seem to get any swelling in my ankles or legs.  So for the most part, I feel like a ‘normal’ person, who just happens to pant when she goes up a flight of stairs. 

Mariah appears naively clueless about the concept of pregnancy – understandable for her age.  She will occasionally kiss my belly on command, but usually slaps it afterward in an early display of sibling rivalry.  I had always imagined reading stories to my first child and trying to prepare them for a new sibling, but since she’s so young, there’s not much we can do except keep our fingers crossed that she doesn’t consider her new sister to be a threat.  Lucky for me, the new baby is due at the start of Ivan’s summer holidays so we’ll have plenty of transition time together as a family.  My guess is that Mariah will show some pretty fierce jealousy in the beginning, but that she’ll eventually be excited when she learns the new baby can become her playmate…or guinea pig.  (I say this from experience, since my older sister somehow convinced me to bite into a wax candle when I was 3, when we weren’t sure if it was candy).

Before I end this entry, I should update you on Mariah’s latest antics and adventures.  She is becoming quite the comedian, who loves making people laugh, including herself.  Her best new ‘trick’ is her angry face in which she can instantly turn her smile into a grumpy frown, eyebrows furrowed and all – just long enough to crack you up before she starts smirking herself.  When asked ‘what does mama say?’, she responds ‘uh-uh-uh’ while waving her little finger in the air.  We took a recent trip to Toronto where she basked in the attention of family, and fell in love with a ‘doggy’ – which she learned to scream in a high pitch as she chased, pulled tail, and poked eyes.  If I weren’t allergic, I would consider getting one just to keep her entertained.  With the weather improving, Mariah is living up to Ivan’s expectation of being and outdoors girl.  She has her own colorful set of garden tools that she uses to ‘help’ him do whatever it is he does in the backyard.  Mariah will gladly drop anything she’s doing to put on her shoes and head to the park.  And one of her new favorite hobbies is coloring with sidewalk chalk.  In fact, she may be a little Picasso since she can also sit and color for ages at the miniature purple desk her daddy built for her.  I just hope my next blog does not include a confession about crayons on the walls!

Patiently awaiting the ultrasound to find out her sibling's gender