36 Weeks and Slightly Miserable, But I Still Have an Awesome Husband.

How's that for a blog title? :)

That about sums up my week.  A couple weeks ago, my fingers in my right hand started going numb.  It wasn't too big of a deal, just a nuisance.  My right side at my rib cage was in pain - felt like a muscle there was being pulled.  My "educated" guess is that this all is because E always is laying on the right side of my tummy.  This all started a couple weeks ago and was annoying but still not much to complain about.

However, a week ago, that all changed.  My ribs were in SO much pain - like I'd taken a blow from a baseball right into my ribcage.  Nothing helped.  No sitting, not laying down, nothing.  Once I could finally fall asleep, all was well and I would wake up without any pain for at least a few hours.  I greatly looked forward to falling asleep so I could have some relief from my ribs.

Then a few days ago, I fell asleep at about 11 pm and woke up at 1 am in excruciating pain from my right wrist/arm.  I got up, walked around a bit, shook my arm, and fell back asleep.  About a 1/2 hour later, I'd wake again.  Walk around again, get some feeling back into my arm, and fall back asleep. This happened in 1/2 hour increments until about 4:30 when the pain and burning sensation was so unbearable that I couldn't stand it.  It literally felt like someone was holding my arm over a fire.  I got out of bed so I wouldn't keep tossing and wake up Skyler.   Nothing was making it feel better.  I massaged it, I shook it, I walked around to get blood flowing, I tried laying propped up so the blood flow was better....I eventually was so in pain and frustrated that I started bawling (very rare for me to cry from pain).  What happened to my perfect and wonderful pregnancy?!  I wanted it back!!!!

I finally sat down on the futon at about 7 am, too exhausted to do anything else. I laid my head back and I think I dozed off a little.  I remember three dreams that night from my small intervals of sleep (I almost never dream), and each one was about how much my arm hurt and how Skyler needed to help me fix it!  Skyler got out of bed at about 7:30 to find me still sitting up on the futon with my head back and eyes closed.  He said it was the most pitiful thing he'd ever seen and he felt so bad.  I told him that sitting upwards felt a little better and I joked that I wanted to go buy a lazy boy to sleep in instead of the awfully uncomfortable futon.

I somehow managed to sleep from about 8-11 am.  I then headed down to hang out with my mom that day and didn't get home until about 9 pm.  When I walked in the door, this is what I found:

Uh huh.  A lazy boy.  My dear, sweet, amazing husband called up his old roommate and asked if we could borrow the chair for the next few weeks until the baby comes!!!!  He went and got it and hauled it in our house after work that day.  I walked in the door and just about started bawling again.  I couldn't believe how sweet and thoughtful he was!  I was mostly joking about the lazy boy, but he took it seriously and thought if there was any way that I could get more sleep, he was going to help me get it! :)  *sigh*

I've slept in it now for the last two nights (and also have been wearing a brace for my wrist) and I have slept SO much better!  Conclusion: my husband rocks and I am so thankful for him!! :)

Aside from aches and pains, I've also been going to weekly appts with my midwives now.  Last week I had a SUPER fun appointment!  I was 35 weeks and got to have my belly painted!  One of my midwives, Patricia, is really good at watercolor crayons and feels for your baby and paints how your baby is laying/positioned on your tummy.  It turned out so cool!  And was relaxing to boot.  Here's a sneak peak at E. ;)

Kinda fun, huh?! Here I am now at 36 weeks:

This pic I thought looked so funny! SO round like a pumpkin :) I mean, good grief...the light reflects off of it... haha

And for fun...here's a comparison of my pretty little scars from my gall bladder surgery from February, and how pretty they look now on me. :) Look how spread out they are!! (P.S. if you're confused of the scar placement...the recent picture is taken in a mirror!)

And that's how Kayla and E are doing at 36 weeks... hanging in there, but ready to go whenever E's ready!!! :)

Love,
K