One of the worst side effects - kankles, elephant feet, and piggy toes at the end of the day (heat makes it worse):
Fortunately after sleeping/laying down for 8 hours, they are back down by the next morning (notice there are actually spaces between my toes):
And this is what my left hand looks like now cuz my hands are a little swollen most days:
To add to the list: between frequent trips to the bathroom and the impossibility of rolling over in bed without being fully away, a good night's sleep has become completely foreign to me; it is increasingly difficult to get out of a chair or bend over to pick something up; my back protests quite loudly now from the weight gain; the ever-present double chin; and many others that I will spare you for TMI's sake.
However, this is what makes it all worth it:
Jelly Bean is alive!! (And does this not remind you of the movie Alien?) He visibly moves around like this all the time now and I was finally able to capture it on video. He's an actual person!! He kicks and moves, and (my favorite) flinches at loud noises near his head. He sleeps and wakes up in regular intervals (let's hope that keeps up after birth) and, near as I can tell, really loves to kick box and break dance (usually across my ribs). He kicks when I eat (probably because the food takes up what little space he has left) and also when I listen to music or sing (maybe he's telling me to shut up?). It is so amazing to get a sense of his personality already, and to see sharp protrusions from my belly that are his little feet, knees, and elbows. I am now 35 weeks pregnant and I can't wait to meet him in only 5 short weeks!!! CRAZY!
For now, here are a couple of belly pictures to date:
We are still working on a name for our little guy, but with all the talking and joking around about the name Trent Rex Jeppson, it's kinda starting to grow on us... is that horrible to plague him with the inevitable nick name? We have a few other names we're thinking about too, so we'll see what he ends up with...
5 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!!
