Bump Watch - 24 Weeks

Week 24 was an interesting week. For starters, the acid reflux - which had been, for the most part, controlled by the miracle that is Zantac - kicked things up a notch. The directions for Zantac say that you should take it every 12 hours... but my body was demanding a dose every 9-10 hours. Which made waking up in the morning super fun. Take my word for it... waking up from the feeling of vomit in the back of your throat does NOT make for a great day.

Luckily, at our 24 week check-up, my doc - who I shall call Dr. MyNewBestFriend - listened to my complaints about the acid reflux and wrote me a prescription for something stronger. Oh, and did I mention that it's PRESCRIPTION? Which means that I can get like 50 of them for $8. Cha-Ching!

This week, Tweet started testing out the legs a little bit... which resulted in some seriously sweet and lovable kicks. My secret pleasure out of this whole pregnancy (besides the "I will have dessert anytime and anywhere I want because I'm pregnant" card that I carry around in my purse) are these movements that I feel from time to time. Trust me that nothing makes me feel more bonded to my baby girl than these soft (and sometimes NOT. SO. SOFT) movements. If we could just train her to stay away from my liver, things would be even better!!

A couple of times Benny was able to share in this joy when he happened to have his hand on the belly and she gave a good kick... like she was telling him: "Hey Papa! I'm here! And the nursery looks GREAT!"

I'm savoring these moments because it's just something that only Benny and I get to know about and feel. But I know that there will come a time... possibly in the very near future... that she'll be moving around so much that even the stranger ahead of me in the line at the grocery store will get to feel her move... and that just can't compare to the secret that I'm carrying around in my heart and my belly right now.

We had some excitement in the house this week when the LaPan's and their pups moved in for a few days. It was so great to hang out with them on their "vacation". Benny took them - er... destroyed them? ran them into the ground? made them cry? - on a massive hike up to Malan's Peak on July 3rd. I've never been up there, but Benny's promised that once Tweet's born and the weather warms up, he's taking us both up. After I saw the Lapan's, Supa, Emily and the dogs stumble back to the house that day, though... I may be having second thoughts.

The next day, we all hiked Waterfall Canyon. Er... they hiked and I had their dog Abby pull me up. It was beautiful and I'm glad that I did it. And if I had a camera that didn't get stage fright every time a good pic was to be had, I could have really taken some awesome pics.

And, as expected, my round ligament (or as Shane likes to call it: my rubber band) was barking that night. But it was totally worth it.

That night, we went down to SLC to hang out with the Supa's and listened to the fireworks all over the city. But don't feel bad for us... I mean, the 4th of July is only one of thousands of celebrations that Utah has in the summer months where it's citizen's get to either enjoy a good showing of things getting blown up, or cut out the middle man and simply blow stuff up on their own. Trust me... we've got until Aug. 3rd until this madness stops.

In fact, the next night, our neighbors invited us over to watch their kids set off Costco fireworks in the middle of the street, so Tweet got to experience her first fireworks show in an intimate setting surrounded by friends and family. Very cool.

Tweet also got to experience her mother's skillful gardening hand that day, and may I just say: Jaynee 2, Crabgrass 0? Oh, and may I also apologize to the thorny bushes that I may have gone overboard on trimming? What can I say? This is why Benny doesn't let me do his hair. The good news is, like his hair, the bushes will (probably... eventually) grow back. Until then, may I again remind you: Jaynee 2, Crabgrass 0!!!

I started yoga this week and have to admit that it's pretty cool. First, I'm in the class by myself. It's like I have my own personal yogini... all for $10. Secondly, when I got in the Cobbler's position and looked down I was BLOWN AWAY with how big the belly is. I cannot believe it will get bigger. And yes, yes... I know all of you out there are getting ready to comment: "Oh, girl... YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WORSE IT CAN GET." But, please... just let me have this moment in my fantasy world of "It won't get bigger than this, it can't get bigger than this. I need a doughnut."

The yoga class was great, and I intend to keep going until my baby girl greets the world with a healthy scream.

Until then...

Symptoms
- I am running a teeny, TINY bit hot. Luckily, Benny got right on the swamp cooler at the first sign of me complaining about it and now we keep our house cold enough to hang meat. Poor Benny.... he's so cold all the time right now. I've nicknamed him Ice Cube after he jumped in bed the other night and I had to cuddle up next to him because I'm pretty sure he had just come from the North Pole and was just the right temp for me. He also hates getting out of bed in the morning, because apparently it's really cold. Offensively so. I'm not sure I believe this but that's why God invented sweatshirts, right?

- Still with the constant peeing? Yep.

- If I'm even a minute late taking my Zantac, I want to die.

Complaints
- My feet are just plain huge right now. And dry. No amount of lotion will fix this. The hands are still swollen as well... but I've managed to get my ring back on. I felt naked without it.

- Learning how to maneuver with this new body is HARD. Every day seems to bring a new experience on how my body continues to grow outside my security zone.

- Workout clothes that fit a month ago are NO BUENO now. When we hiked up to Waterfall, I wore the exact same outfit as when we hiked it on Memorial Day. The pics that I saw of myself were distressing. I'm THAT pregnant woman... the one who keeps trying to fit into her pre-pregnancy workout clothes. Time for an update to the workout apparel. GREAT. More. Money.

Cravings
- There is seriously not enough watermelon in the world to satisfy me.

- Prescription-strength Zantac.

Smells I Can't Stand
- Still with the corn? Yep. And the peanuts? Yep. And the vinegar? You betcha.

Bonus Features
- Benny was able to get out of work on Wednesday for our 24-week appointment. We got to hear the heartbeat again and the doc says that Tweet is growing perfectly.

- Tweet gave a big hard kick the other day... big enough to make Benny's hand jump!

- Yoga helped tremendously and I'm continually surprised that I'm not having more back pain than I have. Given my history with siatica and hip movement, I've been expecting this to be a problem. Cross your fingers because it hasn't yet! Woo-hoo!

- My hair is so shiny and full right now... and it's not falling out!!

Week 24