Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 28/29

The crib is in! We have to go pick it up and assemble it. This week is a scramble to remove my sewing table from the nursery and get it painted. We still need somewhere to put my sewing table, which means the desk from the office gets the boot. The desk from the office goes to the basement, which needs an area cleaned out.....you get the picture. Lots of rearranging this week.

The shower invitations went out last week, and I'm happily watching items tick off the registry. Some of the larger items - the car seat, high chair - are showing up at the house. I've been storing them in the nursery, so that's another thing we have to move before painting can happen.

I feel fortunate in a number of ways.

1. I have people willing to throw me a shower. That's pretty huge if you think about it. Showers, parties, shindigs can be hassles. Especially when you're the host.

2. I have people racing to buy stuff for me off the registry. Me, baby, whatever. That's pretty crazy too, especially since it's also approaching Christmas.

3.  I have a hubby who moves furniture, paints, and picks up extra chores around the house as I become more and more massive.

4. I've been healthy so far. Yeah, I'm big. I have all the aches and pains of putting on 20lbs in the past 2-3 months. My calves hurt, my back hurts, I can't walk a mile without taking a break, and there's a constant pain in my rib where baby is leaning on a nerve (according to the doctor). But I don't have diabetes or other major concerns, and I feel fortunate for that.

On a side note, evolution did not do women any favors with a 9 month pregnancy term. Turns out, that's really short. The first trimester, maybe you gain 5lbs. Then you start putting on 1-2lbs a week in the second trimester. Think about that. That's a lot of weight. In the third trimester, you have another spurt and gain even more weight. Total recommended weight gain is 25-35lbs, but everyone knows someone that gained 40 or 50.

40lbs over 5-6 months is a crazy amount of weight to put on your frame. It's not even balanced weight either. It's all hanging off the front of your torso. It's not enough time for your legs to get stronger to support the weight. It's not enough time for your back to adjust. Or your joints for that matter. Walking the dog for an hour means I take two breaks and need a nap afterward. How is that survival of the fittest? Seems like pregnant women would've gotten eaten by predators because they are too slow and too heavy to escape. You are reliant on a community to protect you and get you extra food, and that's just a dumb way to evolve.