Oh the swollen feet~



This is a picture of me lying down on my bed, staring at my belly with my camera and another of me in the bathroom. These days I wake up in the morning with my fingers stuck open. I try to make a fist and my fingers almost spring back open! There is so much fluid around my joints that it is quite difficult to move my fingers as well as I used to. It hurts even to pull the covers over me...not that I have to often since it's so hot these days. I must be overheating because Brian, the one who is always complaining that it's too hot, actually sleeps with the blanket on without a complaint. I sit there in awe that he is not dying from overheating under the heavy blanket, but apparently I am the only one truly suffering in this heat. My feet are the size of elephant feet. I push the tops of my feet in with my finger and I get about a 2+ pitting edema score. I feel like a marshmallow. I can tell very much when I am swollen because I can't even fit into my pants or my shoes. I have resorted to wearing loose-fitting pants or spandex. I can't wait until I deliver and can shed this unnecessary water weight.

I saw Jill Elder the other day. She is about 1 week less pregnant than I am. She is having a boy and I can tell that she is carrying her baby much differently than I am. She is carrying it all in front. We were sitting at a table and she barely had any room between her belly and the table whereas I had a good amount of space still available. Her belly looked pointier and more round than mine. So this makes me think that I may be carrying a girl instead of a boy like everyone else is thinking. I actually had a dream about having a baby the other night. I had a dream that I had a girl. It was interesting because the baby was already a few months old in my dream...but I definitely remember feeling that sense of responsibility for this child. Funny how other people have been dreaming that I would have a boy and I end up having a dream about a girl. I think it would be more fun to have a girl, so I can dress her up in cute little outfits. Jill said she already picked out a halloween costume for her baby boy. He is to be a little skeleton this year. I think I will make mine into a pumpkin if I decide to get a costume. It should make a cute announcement photo.