Do I raise the white flag or just go down with the ship?

Okay so maybe I'm being a little bit (or maybe not) dramatic but seriously my body is falling apart over here.

Thus far all the side effects of pregnancy have seemed manageable and I've found I could take them with stride and grace. You know- spasms and aches and pains-heart burns and other GI unpleasantries- not being able to sleep without 6 pillows or fully lay down-swelling ankles- pimples all over-crazy small bladder and and a baby bump that grew faster than the goldfish from this story :

(A Tale of Two Fish by Dr. Seuss--a favorite of mine as a kid...)

It has been trying to be outgrowing maternity clothes. At this point I'm just happy if I can keep my belly from showing (harder than you think). I haven't been able to pick things up off the floor for months (without some gymnastics) and let me say that I am CONSTANTLY dropping crap! grr.

But (smoothing my hair) even with all these issues I have just been trucking along and usually feel happy and calm.

Until recently...

yes I am afraid it's all starting to back up on me.

I beg you'll pardon this one post dedicated to: (sadly) complaints.

I have this crazy rash called PUPPP (stands for some sort of ridiculously long words that I can't pronounce let alone type) and I tell you the itching induced by this rash is vile and wretched. I feel ever so slightly hostile and out of control. I lay awake at night scratching. Oh the addictive anti-relief of scratching. I try not to but I always give in and I scratch. And I scratch. and scratch...

The cure? Giving birth.

In the mean time I have been dealing with "carpal tunnel" of pregnancy...which consists of constant numbness and swelling in my hands and fingers. Sometimes I can't open my hands in the morning when I wake up. I wear these slightly helpful velcro wrist braces that get stuck on the pillows in the middle of the night. A friend came over (such a lovely friend) and offered to rub my feet or anything I wanted and she couldn't stop laughing when I explained "It's my hands! They're killing me!!

The cure? Have babies.

The last thing pushing me over the edge right now is my nose. Yes-it's my nose. I can't breathe. Something about hormones and blood flow and yada yada yada apparently cause a pregnant woman's nose to swell up and then produce a whole lotta extra gunk resulting in 9 months of extreme stuffy nose. It also causes such intense snoring that my husband is listing me quite high on the "worst snoring he's ever heard" list.

It's an adventure every night as I climb into bed- arrange the six pillows-strap on the velcro wrist supports and attempt to sleep through the hourly pee breaks-constant itching and extremely stuffed nose. It is the combination of these issues that is making me crazy.

The cure for all of it? Easy. Stop being pregnant.

The thing about this is--I actually LOVE being pregnant. And for so many reasons. For one thing- I feel amazed when the babies move and kick. Sometimes my entire stomach goes in opposite directions. I'm astounded at our ultrasounds and love watching this tummy get so big.

For another thing- being pregnant has given me 9 incredible body self-conscious free months where I haven't once worried about my reflection or felt insecure. (which prior to pregnancy- for me- was a daily or many times daily thing).

Thinking that these babies will soon be on the outside both thrills and sobers me. The truth is that it went so FAST! This act of physically containing them will soon become an emotional duty. It has been one of the most special times in my life. I am so honored to have carried these two lives.

The good news is that I really don't have much longer to wait- they will be here very soon and I will say goodbye to pregnancy and hello to daughters.

And to an entirely new host of complaints I am sure. Let's not even go there.