the myriad joys of the third trimester

1. Some days, I can see my abdomen expanding by the hour.

2. The shuffle you see comes from both the relaxing joints and ligaments and the new-found back pain that I'm having. I'm experimenting with a maternity support band to see if it helps before I give up and try something more awkward and expensive.

3. The baby is kicking more frequently and purposefully, so sometimes I can see my abdomen bouncing around (it doesn't hurt though).

4. The heartburn (that went away during the second trimester) is starting to come back (oh joy).

5. I had to invest in clothes that are 4-6 sizes bigger than what I normally wear.

6. Most days I am way too tired to walk the dog, so she's getting restless and squirrely.

7. I finally broke down and bought a stroller. It's probably the only big-ticket baby item that I'm going to be purchasing new--I haven't seen anything used either on craigslist or at a consignment store that I really liked, and my desire to go out and hunt around for this kind of stuff is rapidly decreasing.

8. I actually do a better job of remembering to eat and stay hydrated at work than I do at home on the weekends. This is a compelling argument to keep on working as much as possible.