31 weeks. I’ve been so busy with Hurricane Irma that I didn’t get a chance to enjoy this week in pregnancy. No bump picture and too many occasions where my round shape in the mirror surprised me.
Paddy prepares the house for Hurricane Irma and Ella inspects his handy work.
Weight: Guessing 28? My next appointment is next Friday and honestly the belly has gotten too big for me to sneak a peek at the scale; and they don’t share what the scale says.
Sex: Now it is the boy feelings I cannot shake, but my instinct is back to saying this sea monkey is another girl. At this point I don’t know which would be my first choice; I love the idea of all of Ella’s precious, pink newborn and little baby clothes but it would also be nice to experience being a boy mama and welcome a much longed for boy into my side of the family.
Craving: Sour gummy worms and chips, neither of which I have had the opportunity to enjoy this week.
Aversions: Healthy food.
Symptoms: Constantly needing to pee, heart-burn, leg cramps, hot flashes… all par for the course at this point.
Gestational Diabetes: I am blaming Irma for throwing everything off. We didn’t bother restocking our kitchen past water, non-perishables, apples and potatoes; so lots of carbs and generally stuff that gestation diabetics are advised to “go light” on. Throw in the stress of 3 days without electricity and the general chaos of being cooped up with a toddler and a dog for hours and trying to keep life rolling through it all, testing fell by the wayside. And I may have run out of test strips because I left a drum at my parents. Plus, it is incredibly hard to get a good amount of blood for testing while rationing water. After we eat the meats that began to thaw in our freezer, I will have to get back on the ball and attempt to figure this gestational diabetes thing out.
Mood: I was oddly chill about the impending hurricane in the days leading up to it. Hurricanes are so unpredictable and it didn’t feel worth the worry until Saturday when it became unavoidable that Irma would be blowing through. Anxiety was high during the storm, as it always is, wondering if we made the right choice by staying. Then relief and thankfulness for family letting us shelter in their AC overnight and at how little impact the storm had on our community. I also felt frustrated, once more, for not being able to more to help; with preparations, with clean up, with general post storm maintenance.
Sleep: Haven’t been sleeping so well, but I have also been sleeping on a pull out couch with a toddler that seems to have the end goal of rolling head first off of the bed in the middle of the night.
Missing: Normality, this time just normal no storm, everyday life.
Exercise: Lots of toddler lifting, 27 lbs to be exact.
Clothing: Pajamas and tank tops to stay comfy and cool.
Nesting: I bought paint for Ella’s big girl room and Paddy rearranged stuff in it so floor is visible, but it really cannot stay that way and be used as a room for Ella. I also finished framing the two three-paneled shark prints and pulled out some old frames from my college days and began updating them from pictures of high school boyfriends to pictures of our family. Now I am feeling the need to pain the hallway and living room so I have somewhere pretty to hang them up.
Baby’s Position: Staying put at head down. Thank goodness.
Toddler: Ella was thrilled to discover the room behind the closed door, that she seems to know is destined to become hers. She has been pure energy all week.
Highlight of the Week: Oddly, brunch at Perkins on Saturday. Paddy had just shuttered the windows, and all we had left to do was wait for the storm and celebrate his birthday. It was a nice little moment as a family of 3 before a stressful period of uncertainty. And while it was far from what he deserves for his birthday, it was the best we could do with the hurricane breathing down our necks.
Looking Forward to: Fall, the cool air ushered in post-Irma was wonderful and too short lived. Hoping my sister is still up for a SeaWorld trip before I am put on travel restrictions.
Thankful for: loving and generous family. From texts and messages of love and concern pre-hurricane and the offers of a place to shelter after losing power has been overwhelming. My grandmother-in-law and sister-in-law have brought me close to tears multiple times with their kindness; as I stay in their home with Ella, without Paddy because he refuses to leave the dog alone in the heat. My husband; he spent the morning of his birthday working to prepare the house to keep our little family safe.
How did everyone else hold up through Hurricane Irma? I hope all of my readers are safe and can also return to normal very soon, if they haven’t already.
Check out my Bumpdate page to follow along as this sea monkey grows!
