Sweet Sixteen

Oh, baby, we've made to our sweet sixteen. I am thrilled to be here, and I feel the baby moving almost everyday. Because it's still so early, sometimes when I feel the baby I forget why I have that butterfly-ish feeling in my stomach. Then I remember the Cherry Baby and I think that I would take all the nausea in the world in exchange for the feeling of my baby moving inside. It's truly sublime.

I officially broke out the maternity clothes today. To hell with the Belly Band and squeezing into those damn regular clothes. I have been much happier today without the pinch and pull of clothes too tight. I also woke up early-- as in, I set the alarm and got out of bed before Sadie and Jeff were awake volitionally-- so I could take a walk in the early morning light. My motivation for foregoing sleep is three fold: 90% for mental health and to see if I can decrease my mood swings, 8% to get some unfettered outdoor time to myself before the crazy day starts, and 2% to "stay in shape." I am not sure how what can only be termed "tooling" around the neighborhood listening to Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, and Nelly can really be in service of staying in shape, but it made me feel like I was at least getting the blood moving. I read an article in the NYT last weekend that said studies show that even 20 minutes of exercise a day can decrease feelings of anger and frustration throughout the day. Since I walked for 40 minutes, I expect to have all peaceful thoughts and feelings for 2 days. The only drawback to getting up early and getting some exercise is that I was extra hungry all day. Like, two breakfasts hungry. I can't seem to get full today. Is this really what a 40 minute walk does to me?

Anyway, who cares? I have plenty of maternity clothes to carry me through the next 24 weeks or so. I am probably the only person who is happy to see the summer end. I love fall and being pregnant didn't exactly allow me to take advantage of all the joys of summertime. I am ready for new fruits (one more peach and I may start to grow fuzz on my body), new hues, new shoes, new smells, new accessories. I can't wait.