A Crippling 23rd Week

All About Us

The recipe on how to make a delightfully crippled pregnant lady:

1 newly waxed floor

1 dash of rain-soaked high heels

2 bags of groceries - one in each hand

1 pregnant, ambitious worker who is already suffering from a lack of balance

Mix the ingredients together vigorously and you will have yourself one pain in the ass! As you can imagine, this week has been nothing short of interesting. This little mishap happened on Wednesday and I am still feeling the after-effects. I have a badly sprained foot and a killer bruise on my knee. Of course none of this even phased me until I was sure that Lidia had escaped any injury from the fall. While there is no way to tell this for sure, she has been as active as ever. That, coupled with the fact that my OB said as long as I didn't have any bruising or scrapes on my abdomen, then the baby is fine. So once that initial concern was addressed, the pain slowly kicked in. My wonderful husband drove me to Urgent Care where I had X-rays done and was given crutches. No broken bones - just a badly sprained foot. Since I would be the one to break my arm while on crutches for a non-related injury, I decided to only use 1 crutch on which to hobble around. The night of the accident was brutal. I laid in bed with my foot elevated and throbbing. I tried to position myself so that I wasn't on my back, as the added weight from dear Lidia and all of her components puts too much pressure on a major artery that leads to my heart and brain. This pressure leads me to feel dizzy and uncomfortable, so all night I was trying to maintain a comfortable position while still having my foot elevated. The pain was so bad that I just couldn't help but cry...and cry and cry. I likened the pain to that of labor and delivery pain, so I tried to breathe through it, which helped. Then, there was a point in the night where Lidia was moving non-stop. She was throwing kicks, punches, elbows, and knees all over the place. This helped me keep my mind off the pain, but I couldn't help but think that she was somewhat feeling the discomfort as well. Somehow I managed to get to sleep that night. Really, it was thanks to Jason and all of his efforts to make me well that finally got me to sleep. The next day, I did not want to go to work, but I made myself because I knew that I could do my job sitting in a chair with my foot elevated all day. Jason drove me there, helped me into my office, and told my coworkers to make sure I was partaking in the RICE method of recovery. Needless to say, it was quite a sight to see a pregnant lady hobbling around on crutches. I was referred to as "waddles" for a whole new reason. While I did fill the prescription for Vicoden that my OB called in for me (yes, I was just as amazed that pregnant women can take Vicoden!), I didn't end up taking any. My feelings were that if the pain got as bad as the night before, then I would pop one immediately. It never did, so I never took it. While the pain has subsided the past few days, it is not gone and my gimpiness continues. I can't walk for long periods of time, let alone exercise, so I am in major withdrawal from lack of physical activity. I may try the stationary bike tomorrow, as it seems it wouldn't put too much pressure on my foot. I certainly do not thank God for this happening to me, but I do see it as a blessing that it happened THIS week instead of LAST week. I would have been completely crushed had that been the case. So, the moral of the story? The lesson learned? There are a couple. One - I learned that as hard as it sounds, it will always be instinctual for me to put Lidia's health and well-being before my own. Two - that I am very BLESSED to have two sisters who gave me EXCELLENT advice (better than the Orthopedic specialist I saw on Friday), one of which is a Physical Therapist and the other who is an Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner. Three - Jason and my parents have won the battle - I will no longer be wearing high heels - at least until Lidia arrives. Four - I can always count on my husband to be there for me when I'm injured. This includes being able to tell him a little white lie - that the Orthopedic specialist told me that having someone massage my foot will make it heal faster because it increases blood flow to the injured area. Hey, it sounds believable to me! And, it's working! :)

On another note, our kitchen renovation is finally complete! The finishing touch, the kitchen faucet, was completed today by none other than that handy husband of mine. Take a look at how snazzy it is! New floor, new window coverings/blinds, new cabinets, new hardware for cabinets, new faucet, new light fixture, and mostly impressive - new granite countertops!

You Are Still a Papaya!

I must apologize. As I had mentioned in the last blog, I was going to try to find a fruit or vegetable to compare you to this week since the Web site I rely on to do this is no longer doing week-by-week produce comparisons, just month-by-month comparisons. Needless to say, I haven't been able to find anything to which to compare you. So, I have decided to post a picture of us hanging out today. You, in my belly, and your siblings, by my side, as I was trying to find a recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook for Scalloped Potatoes. I found the recipe and made them for dinner tonight. I made sure to scoop a couple extra out on my plate just for you, my dear. They were delicious - I hope you liked them!

One thing mommy has to confess - I have come down with little baby girl clothes shopaholic syndrome, otherwise known as LBGCSS. Yes, Lidia, I admit it. I have been buying clothes for you like they are going out of style. Which wouldn't make much sense, but you get the picture. Every time I'm out, I have to buy you something. I've already bought you close to 5 going-home outfits, about 15 onesies, and 5 sleepers. Not to mention the oh-so-cute newborn booties and a "Daddy loves me" bib. And though I thought my 2-store shopping spree yesterday had subsided my addiction for awhile, LBGCSS struck again today. You will be sporting a Bengals onesie from 0-3 months and a Steelers onesie from 3-6 months. You see, I planned that perfectly because you will be about 4 months when the Steelers are in the Superbowl again next year. Daddy doesn't think you will look good in Black and Gold, but I know that you will be born to wear those colors! Girl, you are going to be one stylish baby!

Your development this week continues to be on a maintenance and maturing cycle. Your organs continue to practice what they will be doing in the outside world. Your brain is continuing to grow exponentially. Fat is continuing to build on that skin-and-bones frame of yours and because of this, you will double your weight by the end of this month. This month is also our last in the 2nd trimester. Let's make it a great one, Lidia! Your Daddy and I continue to read to you every night in an effort to get ourselves into a routine for when you are finally here. In the meantime, we hope you are able to enjoy our witty rendition of Dr. Seuss' ABC's! Until next week, Liddie Lou, we love you!