I am my own Macy's parade

I feel like a balloon. And not a beautiful, rainbow-striped, buoyant hot-air balloon like you see on office motivational posters. Oh no, I am a soggy water balloon, filled to near-bursting with stagnant grody pond water.



(not me)

Despite drinking vast amounts (up to 100 oz) of water daily, which I began doing to increase our amniotic fluid levels -- and it seems to have worked -- I'm still retaining water like crazy. I'm usually a leg-sitter: i.e. I like to tuck one leg up under my butt when sitting in a chair. I can't do that now (feels like my leg skin is going to split open). My face is puffy like a marshmallow. I've had to move rings to smaller fingers. And of course I have the carpal tunnel problem, caused by what else but fluid retention. The physical therapist's office has yet to call me back for an appointment, though. Argh.

I've reduced my salt and caffeine intake (only 1 small cup of coffee a day, and that's mostly milk). If I don't have just a little jolt of caffeine each morning, I'll end up with a migraine, which will send me home to bed, which would waste a precious day of sick time that I'm saving up for maternity leave. So I need the one cup of coffee.

I guess I can try and reduce salt even more. I've heard that calcium supplements help reduce swelling, too. Also potassium. So, yogurt and bananas and potatoes-with-the-skins-on, here I come! Hide your women and children!

Ironically, despite the huge quantities of water that I'm consuming, the skin on my hands is still dry and scaly. This has been a lifelong problem with me; it doesn't seem to have anything to do with hydration levels. I think it's my thyroid, though that's been tested a few times over the past several months.

Pregnancy is a fascinating physiological process. As a coworker said to me, though, the other day: "The last month is what gives pregnancy a bad rap." ;-)

We had 65 trick-or-treaters tonight! Mom and I sat outside, since it was such a nice night. Halfway through the evening, my black (outdoor) male cat decided to sit on the stoop next to us, glowing yellow eyes and all -- how seasonally appropriate! Bob had to stay inside most of the evening, but a few preschoolers did ask to "pet" him, and he was very sweet while they proceeded to whack him on his sensitive little nose (as it seems all preschoolers are wont to do when "petting" animals). He is such a good boy!