25 Weeks

People have been very kind to ask me how I'm feeling. I feel pretty good, thanks! I'm still mourning my morning cup of joe, but it makes having coffee at other times extra effective. I feel pretty normal in general, not super tired but not super full of energy.

Except sometimes at night. I didn't realize this until Elizabeth mentioned it, but it's not uncommon for pregnant ladies to experience restless legs. I get in bed and wait to fall asleep, listen to Steve's deep breathing, pop another Tums, lie on my left side, lie on my right side, all the while unable to shake the feeling that I need to get up and do jumping jacks. Sometimes I'll be almost asleep and my legs will kick involuntarily. Then I'll do some toe-touches or walk up and down the stairs a couple of times and be fine. And I get winded just walking up a flight of stairs now!

Speaking of Tums, I think the heartburn is getting worse. When I remember to take it, Pepcid works well for me but it takes a while to kick in, so I still take Tums. They have extra calcium anyway.

I have Mom Brain. My vocabulary is shot. It's like me trying to speak French; I can craft grammatically correct sentences but I can't think of the words to fill them. And I can't remember if I did things or not, or who told me what, or who I told which stories to. (Yes, I realize THAT was gramatically incorrect).

My belly is starting to itch. No stretch marks yet, though. My belly button is no longer an innie. Although my uterus is the size of a soccer ball, I still think I can squeeze through the same spots, like between my grocery cart and the candy bars in the checkout line.

My cankles are making more frequent appearances, even first thing in the morning. What will I wear when it gets too cold for flip-flops? And recently during a lovely dinner out with Steve I remembered that my fingers are also swelling and decided right then (before I forgot) to make sure I could still get my wedding band off. It was probably not the best time to try it, but it did come off after some effort and panic. I've spent the better part of this year not wearing my engagement ring (another story for another day - prong fixing led to a redesign, still in the works) but it feels strange not wearing my wedding band either. My right-hand rings now fit on my left hand, so at least I'm wearing something.