The pains of lugging around a tiny person

I love being pregnant! It's fun and exciting, and it's such a joy to feel a little human moving around and pushing on your abdomen. It's so neat to see her twisting and turning under my skin. Even the somewhat painful jabs to the ribs are quite endearing.
I really do love being pregnant. But, this whole pregnancy thing comes with a price.

Pain.

Who knew that there were so many different pains associated with carrying a baby? Probably most people are aware of this. But for someone reason, I always just thought pregnancy was fun and rewarding and really nothing negative to contribute. How wrong I was.

It's just little things, like heartburn, fatigue, and swollen feet. But then there are some other strange things, such as a good swift kick to the vaginal area. Thanks a lot honey, mommy really appreciates that. Or strange pelvic pressures that makes you think the baby is falling out. Strange sensations indeed.

My newest ailment is loss of balance and light headed-ness. That is not a good combination.

Yesterday I was taking the trash out. Somehow I missed the one and only step we have and managed to fall right outside my door. It was awkward and embarrassing. Looking back, it's quite comical to me, but in the moment is was anything but funny. I managed to scrape up my hand and leg, and I sort of fell on the side of my stomach. It took a lot of effort to get up, and by the time I was walking back towards the apartment, I was sobbing.
Being scared + bruised ego + hormones = sobbing uncontrollably

It startled me more than anything. And, of course, for the rest of the day I was nervous that I had hurt Jaelyn. I googled falling while pregnant, and almost everything I read said that babies are greatly protected in the womb, and that trauma to the baby is only likely if there was great trauma to the mother. No trauma here!

Can I just say though, that my great fall did nothing to help the pelvic pain I was already feeling! Needless to say, I spent the majority of the day lounging on the couch.

Phil also informed me that I'm not allowed to go outside anymore...!
Gotta love those fathers-to-be!

Ladies and Gentlemen....she has a name!

And so we decided on a name for our precious baby girl: 

Jaelyn Elizabeth Kemp

I told Phil that I had 4 names that I really loved (and oddly enough they all started with a "J" and three of them ended in an "n"). I told him that I wanted him to pick out his favorite.

I still really love the name Jael, but after trying it out on a few people, I decided against it. Most people pronounce it "jail", or they think it is the letters J.L. It annoyed me enough that we opted not to use it. Even though I had that named picked out before I ever even met Phil :-(

But...Jaelyn is a derivative of Jael, and hey...the name Jael is still in there. So I think it's a win win situation.

I love her name! And I can't wait to meet her!

So Whitney Houston died...

I have a very difficult time wrapping my mind around death. Not that I am affected by Whitney Houston's death the way many people are. Here is my beef with her death (or rather, with the ridiculous response to her death):

Yes, a well known and very famous person in our society has suddenly died. And yes it is sad and tragic. It is sad for her family and loved ones that she is gone. But ya know what, here is one celebrity. One person. Compare that to the hundreds of thousands of people that die every single day. Where are those that mourn for them? Where is the heartache and tragedy and sadness for those people? We never even hear about the babies and children that die every single day from starvation. Or the moms and dads that die from AIDS. Or those that are brutalized and killed by rebel armies, or gangs, or traffickers. Are these not news worthy?

Whitney Houston, who supposedly died of a drug overdose, is talked about constantly and people who didn't even know her are mourning this tragedy. But nobody dears to talk about these voiceless victims who die in the streets daily,  who die of hunger and disease every day.

It breaks my heart. It angers me. It makes me so sad.

And now I will step down off of my soapbox...

My Baby Girl

Baby Girl Kemp at 26 weeks

(We still don't have a name picked out yet)

 Looks like she's definitely a girl!!

 Throwing herself a little tantrum (starting a bit early, don't you think honey?!)

 Phil says she was giving us the bird...

 She was sticking her tongue out at us!

Things I've learned from Being Pregnant

Things I've learned from being pregnant:

1. Pizza right before bed is NOT a good idea

2. Anything and everything may make me cry. (One day it's watching 16 and Pregnant, the next day it's getting free coffee at Starbucks)

3. Tums are both my worst enemy and my godsend (I can't stand the taste anymore, but it does help when I attempt #1)

4. Socks and shoes make me cringe

5. I never knew what being "hairy" really meant...

6. I get annoyed when all people want to talk about is my pregnancy. Or I get annoyed when people seem uninterested in my pregnancy. (perhaps this is what will make me cry tomorrow...)

7. Not everyone is interested in seeing my "new" belly button.

8. It is now impossible for me to do anything without making some weird noise.

9. It's better to wait to pick something up until I've dropped at least 3 more items (clumsy much?)

10. People are ALWAYS asking me how I'm feeling now.

11. I go pee more than an old person (and it's just as difficult to get around)


I'm sure I'll think of more as this pregnancy progresses. But in the meantime...enjoy these lessons!