Surprising (yet Humorous) Experiences During Pregnancy

You read about all of the "side effects" of pregnancy in the pregnancy books. Some you may experience while others you won't -- and then there are the little quirks that you alone enjoy or look forward to that you don't read about in a pregnancy book. It has amazed me how much pregnancy does change your body and so I started thinking about some of the things that I have experienced during pregnancy that surprised me. I suppose some of them are "duh" moments, but I figured I should document them to make me and others laugh when this experience is nothing but a distant memory.

1. I can't fit through small spaces! We stopped at a Walgreens on our way home from Evanston last week (I had to pee and Geoff had to pick up a few things for me). On my way into the store I followed a path that took me between a pole and a garbage can and I got stuck! Geoff laughed at me and said "did you really think you would fit through there?" -- I replied "I'm not used to having a belly!" Memo to self: you have a belly and it does get in the way of doing things you used to be able to do with ease.
2. I can't cut and paint my toenails. I learned this one pretty early on. Early in the second trimester, I painted my nails for the last time -- I knew it was the last time because it was really hard to reach them. I am not big on painting my finger nails, but I hate toes without color -- they're so ugly!! My toenails grew like weeds while I was in the hospital and a few weeks after coming home I had to ask Geoff to cut them for me. It was pretty depressing, but just one of the things I've had to just accept.
3. I can't get out of bed without a "plan." When I wasn't pregnant, if I had to get out of bed, it was so easy. I would think it and it would happen! Now, I have to roll onto my left side, close to the edge of the bed and really concentrate on how to lift my body up and out of bed so I can sit up. This is much more difficult when I have a full bladder, as I am usually in pain or in the midst of having a contraction. I have recently learned the "side" trick as getting up from laying on my back became nearly impossible!
4. I have Insomnia!! I have always been a pretty good sleeper. There are times when my mind would start racing and delay my sleep -- but I have never really had a pattern of insomnia. For the past month or so I have fell into a pattern that I can't break. I wake up around 2 am to use the bathroom, get back into bed and can't fall back asleep. I toss and turn -- move my legs around in every contortion possible and I just can't get comfortable enough to sleep. I lay in bed, wide awake and begin worrying about every little thing -- thus making it likely I will never, ever fall asleep again. Last night I gave up, grabbed my water and a book and went to the spare bedroom until Geoff's alarm went off at 4:30.
5. I have very little appetite and no real cravings. When you hear about pregnant women, you immediately imagine a woman raiding the refrigerator in the middle of the night or sending her husband out for ice cream and pickles at 2 am. I haven't really had any cravings and I have never had a ravenous appetite. Early on I had horrible food aversions that made it hard to eat much at all. Once I got beyond that, I think I started experiencing the "squished stomach" syndrome that makes it difficult to eat. Also being on bed rest has given me a lot of indigestion and heart burn -- so that takes away my appetite pretty quickly. I still found a way to gain 40 lbs so far, but I think that if I had an appetite or cravings, I would have gained a lot more weight.
6. I'm not as big as I thought I would be at this point. I may be retracting this statement in a few weeks, but I just look at myself in the mirror, and I don't think I'm all that big. I know I am bigger than others at this point since I'm measuring about 37 weeks when I'm only 30 weeks, but I just thought with twins I would have a HUGE belly by now.
7. I let Roxie give me "foot massages." I know -- you're probably thinking -- huh? But I am not afraid to admit that I look forward to letting Roxie lick my toes. For some reason, she loves it. I have no idea how it started -- I think I was hanging my feet off of the bed and she came up and started licking them -- one foot, then on to the other foot. It tickles and feels good to me -- a little pampering. I know I should be making Geoff massage my feet, but he is busy doing other stuff, so I have to take what I can get...
8. There really is something called "baby brain." I can't explain it, but there are times when I feel like the babies are sitting on my brain, because it just doesn't work the way it used to. I suppose this could be caused by the fact that I'm on bed rest and don't get as much brain stimulation as I would be getting if I were at work -- but I always laughed when I heard women blame forgetfulness on this thing called "baby brain" -- it actually does exist!
9. I really miss being at work. When you're there, you wish you were home. When you're home, you wish you could be at work. I'll never understand this...
10. shhh.... stretch marks??? I will probably regret posting this in a few weeks, but it's definitely been a surprise.

I'm sure I will have more surprising experiences to share as this pregnancy progresses, but for now this is my list.