Random Update

So aside from ultrasound/belly photos and drinking decoys, I haven't exactly been posting updates about my pregnancy (whoops). Thankfully, most of the reason for that has been that there isn't much to share--don't really have anything to complain about (not that you'd want to listen anyway), and no "fascinating" developments to share (aside from the normal stuff that happens during pregnancy).

But, for the sake of remembering some of the things that have happened and some of the things I have been feeling, I figured I'd chronicle a few of the latest developments. Feel free to yawn--you probably won't find most of this stuff very interesting.

--Darrell has been able to feel quite a bit of movement lately. The other night we were watching some episodes of Bones and BOB was squirming away. The first few rolls and kicks Darrell could feel he got all excited about--ten minutes later he looked at me and said "Seriously? Is that still baby that I'm feeling?". Welcome to my life dear.

--I can definitely notice kicks to the bladder. I'll be sitting there, perfectly fine, then all of the sudden *BAM*--I have to go to the bathroom. And then just like that, I'm fine again. Kind of annoying, but better than having BOB set up camp on top of my bladder, I suppose.

--You know that whole "eating for two" thing? Well, it's kind of a misnomer. Sure, I am *technically* eating for two, but I can't actually eat as much as I used to in one sitting. And I certainly can't eat heaping portions of food (at least not without getting super uncomfortable). Smaller, more frequent meals is what I've needed to get used to--and this can be kind of challenging at school when I only get one lunch break.

--One thing that has surprised me the most is that the growth of my belly has not been consistent. I imagined my belly would just continue to grow a little more each day, and that is definitely not the case. At 3:00 on a Monday, my belly might be bigger than it is at 10:00 on the following Thursday. It seems to swell and shrink randomly, which I was not expecting. There are still some mornings when I wake up and feel like I don't even look 12 weeks pregnant, let alone 23 weeks pregnant. It's kind of weird.

--I'm just starting to get to the point where bending over is uncomfortable. Not always, and not in all situations, but I've especially noticed that if I'm sitting in a chair and I try to bend forward to pick something off the floor I can't quite make it. Not cool.

--Maybe it's just because I'm pregnant in South Dakota in the middle of winter, but I have definitely not had any issues with getting warm too easily. In fact, I more often tend to get cold. Which, as it turns out, is actually an uncomfortable thing to be while pregnant. Shivering causes my core to tense up, which is not a pleasant feeling when my core is currently being stretched to accommodate BOB.

I can't really think of anything else right now--I'm sure Darrell would tell you I'm forgetting to mention my moodiness and laziness and inability to walk and talk without getting winded--but those haven't really been bothering me, so I don't see any reason to bring them up  :-)