26 Weeks, 3 Days

I write this blog in between massive guzzles of water as I am deathly afraid I feel the swelling coming on again already.  I seem to be okay when I wake up in the morning thin-ish, rings fit, etc., but by the evening rings are off, the tops of my thighs begin to touch, and my feet feel like balloons.  Every time I pass by a mirror or see a photo of myself, I cringle desperately afraid of seeing the puffy cheeks / swollen eyes / double chin monster from the last two months of my last pregnancy.  So far, that monster hasn’t stared back at me and I’m doing my damndest to avoid her return even if it means I visit the potty literally every 20 mins 24/7.

My belly is slowly getting bigger.  There was a large jump in my belly size during the 5^th month, but it seems to have slowed a bit.  I think most people can probably tell I’m pregnant now, but then again, I kind of blend in with the classic older Italian and French generation on the beach with their skinny arms and legs sticking out of a wine-filled pot belly kind of resembling an alien of some sort.  Most people still don’t dare make a comment just in case.

My energy levels are hit and miss.  Some days I feel great, considering, and others I feel like I ran a marathon when all I did was make breakfast.

My skin is clear, dry as can be, but clear none the less.  I have now resorted to regularly lathering up my entire body with my anti-stretch mark “belly butter” just to keep my skin from shedding like an albino python.

I’m having calcium issues again with brittle nails and possible cavities sending shooting pains through my molars.  I don’t drink milk, but I do eat hard cheese and plain bio yogurt.  Tofu and soy also have loads of calcium, but I don’t eat much of that.  Kale and fortified OJ have calcium too, but… they are hard to come by in So France.  So… I’m on a mild calcium supplement again.  I hope it helps.

It seems I tend to battle with getting accurate amounts of protein, calcium and iron.  How can anyone fit all the nutrients needed into a short 24 hours?

I try to squeeze in some light weights, yoga and/or walking each day, but sometimes that is difficult when I have little help with Alexa and she is on the fringe of giving up her daily nap.  I am anxiously counting the days until I return to Florida where I can go to a gym and sweat… AND drink my fresh squeezed organic green juices.

I pissed 3 times just in the time it took me to write this blog!