This week has been brought to you by the Eisenhower Interstate System (and a “Future Interstate” or two). We’ve only got one more long drive ahead of us before we meet Baby Girl (fingers crossed) as we head out from Virginia tomorrow morning. I have learned a few things about myself traveling while massively pregnant:
1) I will swell. Period. End of story. Water intake doesn’t stop it. Getting out of the car to walk every two hours doesn’t stop it. It’s happening. Get over it.
2) My tailbone will feel like it’s breaking in two after several hours on the road. The only thing that helps this is leaning forward and since this is very difficult to do while riding safely in a van, it’s just another thing to get over.
3) Having a “wait and see” attitude about my next meal is no longer an option for me. The result is a (literally) paralyzing hunger that leads to me spending four hours in a hotel room with a broken television remote and 2 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups while slowly developing the shakes and a massive headache and waiting for Matt to come home and save me. This is not advisable (and necessitates two plates of food at the meal that follows).
4) Never go anywhere without at least 3x the number of snacks and beverages you anticipate needing. You may not need any of it, but if you don’t have it with you you’ll definitely need it and the result is Bad News Bears.
5) Going to a wedding full of thin, good-looking people while 35 weeks pregnant means that blending into the scenery isn’t an option. Most people are very nice, but those girls who were afraid to sit next to you because you were taking up more than your allotted share of seated space, those girls you could do without. Move your chair over a foot and get over it: they’ll be more comfortable and so will you.
6) When someone offers to bring you water or food: take them up on the offer. Immediately.
On with the pictures!
Week 35 in my pregnancy with Liam (apparently we like to play it fast-and-loose with the 36 week deadline for travel — these shots were taken at Big Canoe on our last pre-parenthood vacation):
Week 35 in this pregnancy with Baby Girl (It’s still amazing to me how much bigger my belly is this time. At the time I never thought it could possibly stick out farther than it did last time, but clearly I was wrong…):
Bonus Shots:
Here’s what I look like after an afternoon on the road (34 weeks, 5 days):
This was taken with my college roommate Courtney also at 34 weeks, 5 days (The contrast between the tininess that is Courtney and the pregnantness that is me is kind of incredible, I think.):
This was taken tonight (35 weeks, exactly) after getting back from Ben’s wedding (a good example of what spending 6 hours outside does to my hair and my face — between the frizz and the puff we had a great time, believe it or not…):
And now it’s time for some shut-eye before another 8.5 hour drive tomorrow. Three cheers for earplugs!