oooohhh, baby!

I've heard before that each pregnancy is very different from the next...ohhh, boy, is it true for me! It's crazy, really, how different this little girlie is than her brother. Pax was harder on me hormonally...this one is much harder on me physically. Not sure which is worse. Very thankful that I didn't have the double whammy of BOTH being hard at once! I don't remember Pax dropping until maybe a week or two before he came...she dropped about 2 weeks ago, which is nice for breathing and eating purposes, of course, but extremely uncomfortable...and since I'll only be at 30 weeks this Thursday....well, let's just stay I'm already starting to waddle a bit. Not the most attractive walking I've ever done. Sleeping has been...awful until the last 2 nights because, as we all know, when they drop, you pee. a lot. But lavender oil is one of my new best friends!! I've had crazy heartburn (didn't you all want to know that?? I know. you love it when I share!) which I had all of twice with P...tums are like candy right now. And lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, starting about the time she dropped...as well as some real contractions, which have made me slow waaaay down. Which is very, very hard for me to do because, well, although I don't mind asking for help I HATE feeling like I can't do things I think I should be able too; or even keep the same level of activity I did with my first pregnancy. It's also made me a bit more focused on my weight than I like to be, although I haven't gained as much weight this time. I know that the baby comes first...I know that I'd do anything to make sure she's safe, healthy, and doesn't come too early. And I will. Gaining weight just isn't my favorite thing (like it's anybody's favorite thing?) and so when my activity level is restricted, I do tend to think about it more. My focus easily taken off what is truly important (gaining enough weight for a healthy baby) by my own selfishness. I don't look any more pregnant with this one than I did with Pax, although at 7 1/2 months I have had some people ask if my morning sickness is almost over (ha!). This makes me want to carry around a picture of me from before I was pregnant just so I can show people that yes, I really AM preggo and not just fat. A never-ending battle for almost every woman I know, this weight issue...I long for the day when my self-image is a reflection of God's image of me, and not of my own media-warped brain. sigh. sorry. This was supposed to be a blog about the funny and not-so-funny differences between my two pregnancies. But now my very tired preggo body just wants to go to sleep...and so I will go put lavender oil on my foot (a new, rather hippie-ish world of essential oils we're discovering...but they are AMAZING! called doTerra.) and sleep beautifully all night. Thank You, Lord, for the healthy little girl growing inside me...give me clarity, patience, and good rest as I face these last 10 weeks!