The Home Stretch

So I got an email the other day saying that I'm now officially in my Third Trimester!! Yay! I've made it. Sometimes it seems so very long and sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that the little stick suddenly showed up with two lines instead of one. As long as I've been pregnant, the goal has seemed to be to get to the Third Trimester. Supposedly that's the best, but for all of you who would like to know the TRUTH... here's what the Third Trimester means to me so far....

1. No sleep. I've not been able to sleep well (with the exception of a few days here in there) for the last three or four weeks. Either my back hurts or my neck hurts or my legs cramp or my arms fall asleep. No lie.
2. Pimples. I never broke out, even when I was a teenager and in college. Just the occasional pimple here and there around my period. That's it. Now, I have woken up on two occasions with 10 or more pimples that have suddenly appeared on my face. It looks like a miniature paint ball gun had a field day with me.
3. Cankles. Jeff didn't understand this term until last Saturday. I was on my feet all day, (it was one of my more "motivated" days) and by the end of the day my feet started tingling. So I sat down and took my shoes off and there they were. Cankles. That's when you can't tell where your calf ends and your ankle begins. Luckily, the next morning they were back to normal and there have only been minor incidents since then.
4. Gas. This one may be a little TMI for some of you, but I promised the bitter truth from the beginning... and it simply cannot be controlled. A few weeks ago I was sitting on a wooden bar stool (yes, it was wooden- no upholstery in site) at a friends house and it just slipped out and there was absolutely no hiding what happened. Of course it also happened to be at a silent moment when the guys were taking a break from the Wii. So just be warned... that it happens, and it's okay. Deal with it. Move on. Enough said.
5. Helplessness. I can't tie my shoes or take my boots off. I can't pick things up when I drop them. I have a hard time shaving my legs and I definitely can't paint my toenails. On Friday I dropped some floor samples at my office and I can't bend over and pick them up, but I can actually get down on all fours to pick them up. My friend looked over and thought I had fallen down. Just learn to ask for help... which is not an art that I've mastered yet!!

So with all of that said, there are also some wonderful things about reaching the Golden Third Trimester. I feel little Brady move all of the time. He even can tickle me now if he rolls over in just the right spot. I also can feel that he's growing to be a strong little boy inside of me. I can see the end in site and everything seems to be coming together. You start showing more in the Third Trimester so now everyone actually knows that you're pregnant instead of just having a lot of treats over the Holidays. The best thing about the Third Trimester is being able to start your official countdown and knowing that I'm finally going to come face to face with our beautiful baby boy. I know that sound sappy, but it's true. When I think about that moment, I must say all of the "bad" things seem meaningless in comparison. I would gladly go through all of that (and I've had it easy compared to a lot of women) just to meet our sweet Brady face to face.... I hope that wasn't too mushy of a note to end on!!

Go Cowboys.