OH MY EYES!!!!!!!!!

As I stepped out of the shower this morning, I accidentally caught sight of myself in the massive mirror that spans from one end of my bathroom to the other. I typically try not to look but today it was inevitable. I was taken back by the sight in my field of vision as a flash of National Geographic came into my mind!

It simply amazes me that people grow inside of other people. I am honored to be carrying another child that God is carefully knitting together in my womb but let me tell you, it's wreaking havoc on me. I suppose every pregnancy is this way and I simply get mommy-amnesia after giving birth and healing up to be shiney and new, however, I'm in the thick of it now.

I truly think it's a miracle that God can expand my body to accomodate a growing little person but holy areola's!! It's not without a little caracture in the interrim.

Thankfully, Thong doesn't look at me and see "pretty or ugly" and is far beyond that, as I am with him. When you've gone through 7 years of good and bad together, you stop seeing the person on the outside and truly know them on a level that's deeply indescribable to any who have yet to experience it. In fact, trying to explain it is as easy as explaining the flavor of water. I'm glad he doesn't look at me and think "Wow she is really freaky looking all big, saggy and stretch-marked." I'm thankful that when he passes me after I've freshly stepped out of the shower, he doesn't seem to notice my massively protruding belly, boobs that have grown to unevenly rest on said belly and a butt that sticks way out thanks to my curved spine to negotiate the big belly with the hope I don't simply tip over one of these days.

On another note, I'm excited to be accused of "nesting" recently since I've decided to tackle decorating Noah's room. We went today and bought 3 gallons of paint and I came home and enthusiastically began painting the walls a beautiful shade of sapphire. I ordered the space-theme stencils early this morning and they should arrive the middle of next week. Although I'm so sore I can barely move tonight, I'm glad to feel somewhat accomplished in making sure my second-born feels as important as his brother and sister whose rooms are already decorated and painted with a cute theme to match their personalities.

Noah wanted Star Wars originally, but I knew that would be much more than I could handle, not to mention it might be more of a "phase" that he's more likely to outgrow than the cutsey outer space theme we ended up going with. I will order a specialty glow paint from the internet and paint a really neat nighttime scene of the galaxy on the ceiling so anyone in the room can see our solar system even at nighttime as they drift off to sleep. I'm hoping to get it all done before the baby is born, but if it doesn't happen to completion, it should mostly be done. I might put off the ceiling painting until I no longer am off-balance thanks to the big belly and swayed butt, although stranger things have happened and it's not uncommon to see me on the top of a ladder at 9 months pregnant.

I'm looking forward to going back to my doctor on Tuesday, in spite of the fact that I now have to get a shot for having Rh negative blood. It's routine in pregnancy to get the Rhogam shot at 28 weeks and then again after delivery if the baby is Rh positive (that's the + or - after your letter of blood type for example A- or A+). The shot itself does not hurt; in fact, I can't remember even feeling it the last few times I've had it. When I was pregnant with Lourdes, I remember not even thinking the nurse had given it to me. I literally DID NOT feel it. The anxiety of a big ol' shot going into my badonkadonk isn't overly appealing though so it makes me nervous.

I am also looking forward to being measured and having the doctor tell me if I'm back on schedule for how many weeks I am or if I'm still measuring 2 weeks big (or bigger?????). I will be 28 weeks on Tuesday. Where has time gone!? It seems to be flying by and I'm thankful to know if the baby was born right now, her survival odds are 80% with medical intervention. Although I pray to keep her in me for much longer, it's comforting to know she could and probably would survive if she came out sooner than later.

I have to do my glucose tolerance test tomorrow at our office and am SO not looking forward to it. I've had issues with low blood sugar and really gets worse when I consume a lot of sugar because then it crashes, so I'm expecting a day of turbulant blood sugar. It also means two blood draws tomorrow. Joy!!!!! I'm SURE I don't have gestational diabetes, so I'm not sure why I'm even doing this test, but the doctor wants it, so I will comply. I'm a good patient. :)

SO... some of my friends are giving me a baby shower!! Isn't that super sweet?! Seriously, I don't need anything for this loved baby and frankly, anyone who has had 4 or more kids know what I'm talking about when I say we don't go all out like we did the first or even second child. There is no "room theme" (heck, this baby won't even have a room; she'll be our roommate for as many years as we continue to live in this house), no fluffy butterfly bedding that will get folded and put away in a bottom drawer someday to be handed down to her children, etc. I have more than enough hand-me-downs from the other kids and learned through trial and error what I really need and what is more for show.

I know from experience that I don't need a Diaper Genie because I tried that with the first baby and got entirely grossed out that you can collect a month's worth of poopy diapers and pop them out of this white trashcan to look like massive white sausage links. Who cares if you can't smell it because each diaper is individually twisted off from the rest... you know what's in there!!!

I came to know that I don't need "burp cloths" because a hand towel works just fine to clean up any spit-up that makes its way to my shoulder or lap. By the 4th baby, I don't even plan on bothering to put up a towel on my shoulder to play offense. I'll just go on the defense if I get nailed. I don't plan on having a lot of clean clothes or clothes without some kind of stain. But that's what makes being a new momma kind of fun and adventurous.

Bottle sterilizers? No thanks. I have a pot and water that boils when I turn on the stove... not to mention, I hopefully won't have to use bottles, since I like to rely on the resources God gave me to nourish my babies. I guess I'm a little granola like that. Don't worry, I'll still shave my pits, wear deodorant and a little bit of makeup when I go out in public. I'm definitely pro-breastfeeding and I pity the foo' who tries to tell me not to do it. :)

Anyway, all these fun little inventions that first-time moms collect will someday be looked upon and the realization will be made that most of the neat little ideas really aren't necessary and functionality is much better than commercialization and marketing of these money-making products.

I'm thankful, though, that my awesome friends thought about me and want to celebrate the existance of my sweet little baby girl that they already love and haven't even met yet. It means so much to me to know that there are people who still value the birth of each child, whether it's the first or the fourth. I'm so blessed.