"I'm doing great, you?"

Every single person who sees me these days asks:
"How are you doing?"

And not like usual 'how are you doing?' that doesn't even really merit a true response, but one that is really concerned and caring, and unsatisfied when I say: "I'm doing great, you?" In fact, if I give this response I'm almost always met with:
"Yes but, how are you?"

But hey, I'm not complaining. To have the entire population of folks you come in contact with in a day be genuinely interested in how you feel is pretty cool. There's almost a mourning period after baby is born when you realize no one will be asking this question anymore (with such concern anyway) nor will they be opening doors for you, lifting heavy things for you, or giving you free food.

So I truly enjoy giving people the answer they weren't expecting which is -- great! I've had no terrible morning sickness, my baby is growing right on track, my shoes still fit (heck, at 5-foot-8 I'm wearing my best friend's hand-me-down size six's)... I can't complain.

Here's the truth.

This pregnancy is bringing up all these horrific symptoms that I can't remember from being pregnant with Oliver. This may be due to the fact that
a) I didn't experience these symptoms when I was pregnant with Oliver, or,
b) The female body is amazing at forgetting how uncomfortable pregnancy and birth are in hopes that you will reproduce again*

* I actually remember saying to my sister (at 7cm dilated - a.k.a. transition a.k.a. the most painful part of labour): "This sucks so much. This baby is going to be an only child FOR SURE."

Yes, I am actually not "great" I'm kind of "yucky" but I'm putting on a smiling face! There's something about positivity, seeing the bright side, and being grateful for what you've got that makes the day so much better.

But since you're my blog followers and everything, will you indulge me for a moment to let me bust out an extensive list of my wah-wah-baby woes of this pregnancy? Yes? Thank you!  (Oh and, don't let this list stop you from trying to conceive. Pregnancy is wonderful and leads to babies - I highly recommend it.)

• Total inability to bear sugar-overload or onions -- This comes and goes. Last night I had onions roasting in the oven for a casserole and almost started crying because even the smell was making me feel gross. I thought this unexplained intolerance was over!
• Need to pee x 1,000 -- I am totally willing to get up once a night to use the washroom, but what I can't understand is why my body feels the need to put me on MAX URINATION ALERT every 20 minutes only to yield like a millisecond of actual peeing. No thanks. 
• Lower back pain -- I should potentially (absolutely) be seeing a professional over this. But I feel like discussing it with my sister (an occupational therapy masters student) is enough. It's to do with my sacroiliac joint: a combination of added weight (from less than 130 to over 150 lbs in 32 weeks) and the loosening of joints care of pregnancy hormones. I physically cannot balance on my left leg to put underwear or pants on after a shower. (I find other ways to do so, in case you were wondering.)
• Spells of intense dizziness -- My texts to Calvin this week have been like: "Gunna faint." "Hurry come home from work, dying." "I can't take dinner out of the oven, I'm passing out." "I wanted to water the Christmas tree but now I can't stand up." "Fainting again..." and more. Poor husband. I haven't fainted yet.
• Fatigue -- Seems normal. Except that my iron levels when last checked were outstanding, and I sleep like 10 hours a night, plus a day-time nap when I'm not working.
• Contraction-like cramping that lasts hours on end -- You've heard of Braxton Hicks, the practice tightening that your body does before labour? Well, we can stop practicing now. It feels like my uterus is attempting to birth this baby, like 30 times a day. We know how to do this! We can wait til end of January. Ow, stop.

And a handful of other things including bleeding gums, lack of appetite, impatience with my loved ones, and BLOGGING ABOUT HOW I'M FEELING. (I apologize for crossing the line with my "I can't put on underwear" and "this is how much I pee" statements.)

But, hey...

I'm doing great, you?