9 Months and All Is Well...

Here is my last belly picture. Nine months and counting. It's been a long haul but there are now officially three weeks left until the due date. I am suffering a little bit from lack of sleep (can't get comfortable at night) but last night, my friend Jolie came over and administered a MUCH needed and HEAVILY discounted hour and a half massage complete w/ essential oils specially formulated for 'mother/baby bonding', plinky new age music, and dim lighting. When she finished, I realized that I had never truly had a massage before and pretty stupid for having paid over 100 dollars for some of them. She worked out my hips and legs, my lower back (by loosening my shoulder and applying strange but highly effective pressure to my arm socket) and last but not least, my feet (which, after shopping for two hours yesterday at Wal Mart, were near death). When I was finished, I felt like a new person and a little bit like I'd had a few beers. I slept very well last night.

The massage made me realize that it's really a good idea to invest in some sessions during pregnancy, not only for yourself but for the good of the baby. Come to think of it, I also think a pedicure would be a great idea since painting my own toenails at this point is next to impossible. So those are some things I learned this time around. Other very useful stuff I have learned from this pregnancy, so far:

1. If you have other kids, over-do the relaxing part and assume that the family can take care of themselves sometimes. If you aren't a 'napper' (and I'm not), at least take a few hours during the daylight hours to sit and do nothing. Otherwise, by the time it's your usual hour for preparing dinner or getting ready for meetings, you are quite worthless.

2. If you are going to be driving long distances (more than thirty minutes) remember that you may get unusually tired due to the pregnancy and be very careful. I almost fell asleep a couple of times on what I used to think were 'quick trips' to Lebanon or Gallatin and scared myself pretty badly.

3. Morning Sickness can actually be worse the 2nd or 3rd time around and DOES NOT necessarily mean the child is a different sex than your other children...heh heh.

4. Eating Raisin Bran for breakfast every morning is a great way to stay regular (and when you're pregnant, that's a big deal). And Tums still worked the best for heartburn...I am SO sick of those things!

5. Drinking the occasional beer or a couple of caffeinated drinks a day is NOT proven to be dangerous to the developing baby and shouldnt be judged by 'all knowing' strangers.

6. The single greatest purchase I made this time around was the 'Bella band' that I mentioned on an earlier blog entry. ( http://www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html )
Not only was I able to extend my pre-pregnancy wardrobe and continue to wear my non-maternity jeans until I was 8 months along, but I still use it to keep up those stubborn 'under-belly' maternity pants that old navy and Gap are famous for (and do NOT like to stay put), and am confident that it will be even more useful after I have the baby. I can wear it w/ my pre-pregnancy clothes again (while I'm losing the baby fat) and since it's a basic black, it will just look like an added layer while it holds in that inevitable jelly belly and gives me a smoother waist. Now did that sound like an add or what?

That's all for now. The countdown to 'birth-day' begins and I'm anxious, of course. I'll keep everyone up to date and post an entry about the experience as soon as the dreaded day has passed. Readers BEWARE...