Pregnancy pains

Now that I am getting bigger, I definitely notice more changes/limitations to my body. In cleaning my house, I usually like to have a day or two set aside to clean everything in one fell swoop, (with touch-ups during the week of course), because I like everything to feel clean and fresh at the same time. With dogs, I am pretty much constantly cleaning my house but doing a major clean all at once is really nice. Well, I have figured out that I can't really do that anymore. Not only does my energy level prevent me from doing everything at once but add to that my constantly aching back and my bulging belly that gets in the way. I was cleaning the bathtub last week and found that it is getting much harder to do. I felt as though I couldn't do a good job of scrubbing the tub because my stomach was getting in the way. Also the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms have a grooved surface to it which dirt likes to burrow away in so cleaning on my hands and knees is the best way to get them sparkling but thats pretty difficult with a belly and sore back. James has told me that he will take over these jobs and I am thinking that the time has come.

I think I am getting a little taste of what its going to be like with a baby in the house. I feel as though there is so much to do or things that don't get done because I am too tired and my body has its limitations but it gets me thinking that I will have lots of interruptions once Blake is here. So its probably good practice even though it can be frustrating for me at times.

Since my back is constantly aching because its trying to support the growing weight up front, James gave me a gift certificate to get an hour massage with a person who is trained in pregnancy massages. I went last Monday and it was really nice. She had a foam cushion that is designed for pregnant women with an indentation to lay your stomach and boobs into. It was surprisingly comfortable. I don't think Blake liked it too much as he seemed to be moving around a lot once I was laying on my stomach. She started on the back and spent most of the time there since that was my problem area. Ah, how soothing! Then she asked if it was okay to do my glutes (butt muscles) and I said yes because all those muscles are connected to the back muscles. You would think its really weird to have a stranger massage your butt but it felt really nice. lol Then she worked her way down the legs to the feet, had my turn over onto my back, and then worked her way up to my arms and shoulders. It was really nice and relaxing during the massage but later that day I felt as though the stomach muscles on my sides were really stretched out. It really hurt and made me feel sick but sometimes massages can do that to you because it releases "toxins" from all the knotted up muscles into your system. (Or something like that). But I have noticed an improvement in my back since the massage so that is nice!

Also I have been getting leg cramps more often. I woke up to one yesterday that was like a huge ball on my right calf muscle and it really hurt! Its still a little sore today. Ouch. Being pregnant definitely has its ups and downs and I am not looking forward to going into the third trimester only to get even more bigger and more uncomfortable than I am now. But the reward at the end will be sweet!