36 Unbelievable Weeks

It's almost impossible to believe that we're at 36 weeks today with no complications, one minor complaint (the itchy rash, which has cleared up), and the first contractions just a few nights ago. (None since, by the way.)

I thought I had surely reached my capacity for expansion, but I am still growing. Today I am 49 inches around and I have gained a total of 40 lbs. The babies should all be right around 6 lbs. now, though their growth could well be slowing down as it's pretty crowded in there.

Ever since my mom came she's said I look just like I always have from the back, but from the front I look like I swallowed an exercise ball. Hmmm... Could I possibly be that big? She also says the pictures just don't do it justice. So, this week, just for fun, we took a few pictures for comparison. You be the judge.

36 weeks and still growing!

Basketball? Maybe months ago.

Amelia's large rubber ball? Closer!

Exercise ball? Yikes!

35 Weeks and Still Standing -- When I Have to

Today marks 35 weeks for us. It's amazing to think how far we've come! It's getting tougher by the day now, so it's also comforting to look at what a short time we have to go.

I've been struggling with an itchy belly, but found some good lotion and something with a little calamine in it that really helped. But now I've started to get hives on my hands and arms, around one knee, and most cruel of all -- on my feet and between my toes.

My doctor recommended cortisone cream and oral Benadryl. Neither is helping tons, and now the rash is spreading up my arms and to the back of my neck. It is probably PUPPS, which is an itchy skin condition that can happen late in pregnancy, especially in a multiple pregnancy, likely because of hormones. But my hives aren't exactly following the expected pattern for PUPPS.

I gave in this morning and did not go to church, but stayed home to rest instead. I read the daily devotional and thanked God for these babies, and for the fact that I'm not riding toward Bethlehem on the back of a donkey about to give birth any day. Just goes to show it could always be worse.

I'm actually still able to do a fair amount, between applications of anti-itch lotion. I can still drive, though my belly's about to start rubbing against the steering wheel, and I can do errands that don't involve much walking, like picking up Chinese takeout or getting my prescription at the pharmacy. But, these babies are really starting to sap my energy now, so even that amount of activity is quickly coming to an end.

Here's my 35-week glamour shot:

My "waist" now measures 48 inches around. Which make me just 14 inches taller than I am around. My mom keeps saying that the pictures really don't do it justice, but you'll have to take what you can get. Her analysis is that I look just like I always have from the back, but from the front I look like I swallowed an exercise ball.

So Glad to Be Boring

I went to the doctor's office for my weekly appointment yesterday, and I think my doctor is starting to feel a little left out of this pregnancy. The first thing he said (with a laugh) when he came into the room was, "You never even call me!" I asked if he wanted me to call him now and then so he'd feel more useful.

It's not entirely true that I never call. But, I've only had to call three times. Once early on when I had horrible low abdominal pain, which was my C-section scar tearing, rather than stretching as the babies went through their first big growth spurt. The second was around 20 weeks when I had an awful stomachache, which turned out to be viral, as Jeff wound up with the same symptoms. And the last time was at about 30 weeks when I overdid it a bit, wasn't staying hydrated and had a few contractions.

So, my news from the doctor continues to be boring, and boring is good! I did gain 3 lbs. in the last six days (thanks Mom!), making up for the last three weeks where I either lost or didn't gain at all. So my total weight gain is now 39 lbs. I am measuring 46 1/2 inches around, and everything else looks good. We're really hoping to see the babies weigh in at 5 lbs. each during next week's ultrasound.

At this point, they are unlikely to even give me steroid shots to boost the babies' lung development. Most doctors don't bother past 32 weeks, and certainly not once I hit 34 weeks. We're starting to be hopeful that the babies won't need much time in the NICU at all, though they will go there right after delivery for a thorough check.

Let's keep all those prayers for big, healthy babies coming. We can't thank you enough for all your support that has brought us this far!

Albert Einstein, Help Me!

I never was very good at physics, and these days being this pregnant is turning nearly every task into a whopper of a physics problem. Here are some of my daily quandaries.

Q: How do you hold a toddler on your lap and read her a book when you've got almost no lap left?

A: The solution involves a lot of pillows and some serious arm stretches. And requires a fairly patient toddler. You can guess which of these is hardest to come by.

Q: How do you pick up what you dropped?

A: Ah, yes. Well for starters, gravity is no longer my friend. Generally I squat, because Lord knows I can't bend over that far -- and at 5' 2" it's not that far, either! However, I have yet to figure out where to stand in relation to the object so it doesn't wind up either hidden under my belly so I can't see it to pick it up anyway, or just far enough away from me that even a serious arm stretch won't put it within reach. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the fact that my brain simply can't comprehend my size.

Q: How do you reach anything in the kitchen cupboards or even the kitchen faucet?

A: If it's higher than the second shelf, I can't. I could only reach higher than that by standing on tiptoe pre-pregnancy, and now I can't get close enough to the cabinet (unless we cut half-moons into our counter tops) for tiptoes to make a difference. Even to reach the lower shelves, I have to stand sideways. Same goes for the kitchen faucet.

Q: (And here's the biggie!) How in the world do you shave your legs?

A: The sheer physics of a large belly that virtually eliminates the possibility of bending combined with short arms and an inability to lift my legs within reach, plus the fact that I'm nearsighted so I pretty much shave by Braille, running my hand over my legs as I go -- it's enough to give Einstein himself a headache!

But, I think I have a solution to this problem, and it's a million dollar idea (patent pending). You saw it here first! Why doesn't Gillette or Schick or some manufacturer make a long-handled women's razor? Handy if you're way pregnant, if you're a Baby Boomer who just can't bend like you used to, if you have arthritis, back problems, long legs and short arms, or are just too lazy to bend way over.

There's money to be made on this idea people!

I'm working on a prototype that involves PVC pipe and duct tape. Not much to look at, but paint that bugger hot pink and people will buy them by the millions.

Holy Growth Spurt!

I'm living in this body and even I can't believe this.

On Friday night, Jeff said, "I think you've grown."

I've been growing more up than out lately, so my "waist" has been hanging out at 41 inches. But Jeff's got a pretty good eye, so I measured.

I was 42 inches around.

Today, I thought, "Man, I look bigger. Is that possible?"

So I measured.

Yep, that's a 44 on that tape measure. I grew two inches in 72 hours. Beat that!

If you're really quiet, I'm pretty sure you can actually hear me grow.