i am now 8 months pregnant, and 5 weeks away from my due date.  pregnancy has been 100% not what i expected, and i wanted to write down all my experiences before i forget and am caught up in new mommy bliss. here are a few things i've experienced this pregnancy that i don't want to forget.

1. i am a marshmallow.  i guess i should've expected that, because i'm pretty prone to bloating in general but holy cow! my hands and feet started swelling towards the end of my second trimester, and now the lower extremity swelling is completely unforgivable.  i've resolved to buying a new comfy pair of rubber nike flip flops, and will be wearing those until everything levels out for me again.  not only have my extremities swelled, but

2. i have somehow avoided back pain throughout this pregnancy.  i'll occasionally get upper back pain, but that's usually alleviated with an hour in mat's parents massage chair.

3.  i only experienced morning sickness for a month, and never threw up. hallelujah! i was just nauseous and had zero appetite, which didn't help. but considering that only took place for a month, i'd say i'm pretty lucky.

4. i'm a lot less emotional than i thought i'd be! honestly i was a nightmare on birth control, so i was sure i'd be a nightmare while i was pregnant, and was really nervous for mat.  besides being a little more teary (but i'm pretty teary anyways), i haven't had mood swings at all.  the biggest thing is that i have lower tolerance for some people/personalities. but even then, i usually just back off so i don't have to deal with them. i'm feeling pretty good about that aspect.

5.  i've been struggling with pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel and tendinitis since around my halfway mark.  i had never heard of this, and it was really challenging when i was finishing up school and my fingers would randomly go tingly or numb while working on a patient.  but i got through it, and i've decided to put off thank you cards (to my mother's dismay) until after my fingers are back to normal.  at this point, it's too difficult and painful to grip a pen. boo.

6. the last couple months are the worst. the week after school got out, i got so uncomfortable, so much more swollen, so much more exhausted.  in addition to that and the finger/hand pain, i started getting random shoulder pain at night.  i would be laying on my left side, and wake up three or four times a night to my right shoulder throbbing, and nothing would alleviate the pain.

7. shoulder pain can be associated with preeclampsia. random! but after mentioning my shoulder to a friend, she told me that her sister found out she had preeclampsia because her shoulder started hurting.  so i called my doc, they didn't seem concerned but at my following appointment i had an elevated blood pressure, and some protein in my urine.  so i got to collect my pee in a giant jug for the next 24 hours (which also happened to be my birthday, lucky me!) so they could determine exactly how much protein was present.  at my next appointment, my blood pressure was lower, but still a little high for me, and there was a little higher level of protein than normal, but both were still within a safe range, and no one seemed concern.  and since i'm in the home stretch, i'm getting scheduled once a week anyways.  so i'll just be monitored to make sure everything stays good and healthy.

8. i miss being able to bend over and tie my shoe.  i also miss being able to get up out of bed without a couple rounds of swinging my leg to get momentum, only to get up on my elbow. i also miss sleeping on my stomach. and i miss sleeping through the night without having to pee. and i miss being able to fit into my clothes. i also miss being able to hug people without bending forward to accommodate the belly. and i miss being able to browse target, or home goods, or any store for that matter, without having to treck back to the front of the store to go pee 4 times. there's a lot of things i miss.

9. pregnancy brain is FOR. REAL. not that i didn't think it was real before, but i am a space cadet about the dumbest things. luckily, when i get that way, whoever i'm with can usually help me out haha. i'm just glad it didn't really kick in until the semester was over.

10. as uncomfortable as i am, and as much pain that i've had to deal with (not a lot, but definite zings around the belly, cramps, mild contractions, shoulder pain, hand pain, etc) i know that i will miss being able to feel this sweet boy wiggling around in there.  its such a strange sensation, but i can't help but smile whenever he's active.  i am dying to meet this baby. hopefully he won't be too rough on us, heaven knows we could use a little slack while transitioning into parenthood, but he is going to be loved beyond belief.  5 more weeks (hopefully less, not more!) and we are going to be full blown parents. hooray!