Its official....I'm a complete clutz

There are all sorts of things no one tells you about regarding the experience of being pregnant. I'm not saying that all these things are neccessarily "bad," but there are very apparent changes that occur as you start this journey into parenthood. There are the obvious side effects that everyone is aware of: your belly grows (um duh), you tire easily, your appetite changes, you can get stretch marks, your body and swell, your brain doesn't always work as well as you expect it to (especially your memory-- kiss that baby goodbye! Those I expected-- and really am totally fine with .

Then there are some other things that happen that I was not aware of...I call them "the surprises." This is my personal list of "little surprises" that have popped up. I'll start with the ones that inspired this post.

1) I've become a total clutz. It started a few months ago, whcn at least once per day (I'm not exaggerating) something I ate or drank throughout the day, would end up not in my mouth. In fact, something would end up nowhere close to my mouth. I can't explain how pregancy causes this, but it happens. Today I was 3 for 3...meaning 3 tops that I have worn throughout the day now have a stain on them and are on their way to the dry cleaner.

2) To build on the clutz side effect...I've noticed that my muscle coordination isn't what it used to be. Case in point-- tonight, I went to get a pitcher of decaf iced tea out and somehow (again, I can't explain) the container slipped out of my hands and contents so nicely adorned my freshly cleaned kitchen floor. On the plus side, I can now say that the area around, under and behind our refridgerator is also sparkling clean from fixing the mess this spill caused.

3) Veins, Veins. That's enough, Spider Veins!!! They are beginning to invade my legs. I don't think they are vericose veins because they are not raising from my skin, but they are webbing their way around my legs. I'm not a fan.

4) This is a side effect I didn't realize-- a woman's ribcage actually expands to accomodate the extra contents of a pregnant belly. That's pretty amazing. Even so, if your in your 32nd week and your baby hasn't done the appropriate "nose dive towards the exit sign" (i.e. maneuvered to a head down position in Hotel W), their head still doesn't fit well under this expanded rib cage

5) I've become way more blunt than ever. Forget being P.C., I've found that being pregnant has made me more direct in my communication. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing-- or that my mouth is out of control, but it is more willing to share raw emotion without always wrapping comments that need to be said with the pretty bow I usually offer.

6) My stomache (I'm referring to the organ, not my belly) has become the flattest its ever been. By this, I mean that it is being compressed in a major way by Hotel W & a growing Little B. In one sitting, I can't eat half as much as I used to be able to because of this. Granted, I'm hungry more often, so the key is to eat small but frequent food. When I decide to not pay attention to this rule, I meet my stomache's are enemy, indigestion.

7) And finally, I would like to know who extracted one of my lungs from my abdomen without me knowing. I say this b/c I am constantly winded now. Even a extensive conversation can make me feel a bit out of breath (and you know how much I enjoy talking-- so this is really new territory for me)!

These are just some of the things I've noticed along the way. I don't see them as bad-- in fact, now that I recognize them, they kinda make me laugh as I experience them. They're my own personal reminders that this pregancy is progressing.

Tomorrow, I have a doctors appointment in the morning and our 2nd (last) childbirth class in the evening. Work in the middle. I'm sure I'll have some fun things to bring up in tomorrow night's writing. Really looking forward to hearing Little B's heartbeat and getting my progress report from Dr Peskin. Until then....