17 WEEKS TO GO...IS THAT A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING?!?!?

According to the doctor, we're officially 6 months pregnant today. Which means 17 weeks to go (in theory). HALLELUJAH! Of course, it could be earlier or later than the 40 week mark, because most women do not deliver on their actual due date. Lets hope for earlier rather than later. In the meantime, I can't wait to meet little Jovi, and touch her tiny fingers and toes...but pregnancy is certainly not blissful.

Which leads me to my pregnancy rant... Aaaw the joys of pregnancy!

1. My back KILLS me, due to the fact that I am the size of the Goodyear blimp (a constantly inflating blimp that is due to explode at any given moment).

2. I've got the complexion of a high school freshman. I've never had this many breakouts in my entire life. (Perhaps I should invest in some Proactive).

3. I'm convinced I could beat anyone in an eating contest of any kind, as long as I accept the fact that every bite means massive bloating, and miserable heartburn. (Which reminds me...my TUMS bottle is running low).

4. I can't sleep without strategically stuffing 25 pillows around my entire body, and then of course, I am sweating too much to get any rest anyway.

5. If I pee any more frequently then I'm afraid I am going to flood the "Land of Enchantment."

6. I am STILL on morning sickness meds. Lucky me!

7. Standing any longer than 5 minutes sends shooting pains through my lower back and butt. That damn sciatic nerve!

8. Any sudden movements causes those "oh-so-wonderful" round ligament cramps.

9. Jovi swooshes around so much that I feel like I am about to have a techni-colored yawn all over the floor. (And naturally she chooses the most convenient moments for this...the grocery store, while eating out, etc.)

10. I'm constantly making trips to the restroom to dab my leaky breasts (ALREADY...and I'm not even breastfeeding yet!!! Give me a break, colostrum. Won't I have enough of those issues later on?)

11. All feelings of sexiness leave with the never ending bloating and gas. (Poor Ben)

12. Walking, vaccuming, sweeping, dishwashing, talking, etc. all cause labored breathing that makes me sound like one of those phone perverts. (A lovely side effect of hormones that drives Ben nuts.)

13. The only comfortable position to lay in is on your back, which is forbidden by the doctor.

14. How embarrassing it to explain to the grocery store clerk that you're weeping for absolutely no reason? "No, I'm fine...really. I'm just pregnant." Then of course, you get the sympathetic "Ohhh" nod.

15. Oh and lets not forget those wonderful calf cramps that, so rudely wake you in the middle of the night (and this is only on the nights that you've actually managed to get to sleep. I thought mother nature would, at least, let me get some sleep before the baby arrived since I won't be getting any rest after.)

16. And why does my mind refuse to function? My memory is shot, and I can't seem to keep things straight. This is finally the moment that all of my anal and retentive ways were going to come in handy. I was going to do everything systematically, and everything was going to be organized and structured, HA. (Of all the times for my brain to take a vacation...)

17. My hot and cold sensors are completely out of whack. It could be 50 degrees outside and I am sweating bullets. Our electricity bill is going to be off the charts by the end of this, because the thermostat has to be set in the 60's for me to even cope. (God Bless Cold Showers)

18. The anticipation of seeing what your child will be like, and look like is pure torture. Yes, its exciting too, but after a few months, you begin to get restless. The suspense takes over, and its all you can think about. Its an elevated state of "child at Christmas," only the waiting lasts for much longer than one long Christmas Eve night.

MY APOLOGIES...
I apologize for the negative pregnancy rant, (which, by the way, would make a great birth control slogan) but I needed to vent a little. Don't get me wrong...I don't expect things to be easy once Jovi arrives, but at least then you get the fun moments, too. You get to see your child's facial features, and eventually her little smiles and giggles. You get to feel their soft baby skin, and have their fist wrap around your fingers. And despite all of the negative parts of pregnancy...there are some really amazing aspects as well, and I have no doubt that it will all be worth it. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that there will be more Baby McCarty's in the future. So please pardon my "woest me" moment above.

SEVENTEEN MORE WEEKS...
The interesting thing is that 17 more weeks of pregnancy seems like forever when imagining all of those "wonderful" symptoms and anxiety, and knowing that there is only more to come... (On that note: Thank you Ben for continuing to love me despite all the yucky aspects of pregnancy. You did not know what you were getting into.)

...On the other hand, when thinking about the fact that we have not even STARTED the nursery yet, I begin to panic. How can we ever get all of this done in 17 weeks or POSSIBLY LESS? Time is running out so quickly, and 17 weeks just doesn't seem long enough. The nursery isn't ready, we haven't found a pediatrician yet, we've not even registered for birthing classes or a tour of the hospital, and I'm sure I'm missing some other critical step.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE...
Fortunately, I have finally convinced Ben to paint the nursery this weekend. SO at least we're getting something done.
Next Monday, we're going to have our 3D Ultrasound, and from what I hear that is pretty exciting. If it is anything like our past ultrasounds I am sure that it will be awesome.
In a couple of weeks, we will finally be ordering our nursery furniture, and hopefully this will get things moving along as far as getting the nursery completed on time for Jovi's arrival.
My baby shower was cancelled due to Ole Hurricane Ike hitting Houston, but it has been rescheduled, and I will still get to see all of my family and friends in October. I am so excited about that, and at the very least, it is a distraction from all the stressful things that have yet to be done.
So maybe things will speed up for this last portion of pregnancy, and everything will start falling into place. I'm sure eveything will be perfect when Jovi arrives, and all this anxiety will be for nothing. In the meantime, I will try to destress.