This Pregnant Lady's Top 10

Though I'm no David Letterman, it did occur to me that other people going through this same wonderful (and occasionally miserable) experience might benefit from a few of the helpful things I found along the way. You'll notice that most of these help with the 'miserable' parts--I'll leave dealing with the wonderful parts up to you. So, here is my list of Top 10 things that have helped me out so far...some of them I didn't actually have, but really wished I did:

10. Ear Plugs. Invest in a good set and wear them often, especially around those who feel it is their duty to give you unsolicited advice. Like people who like to blog about their Top 10 list.

9. Body Pillows. I tried Snoogles, I tried normal pillows, I tried strategically placed cocker spaniels. Nothing worked better for helping me sleep at night than a couple of body pillows to support my back and hips.

8. An experienced toe painter. "Experienced" is the key word here. It's hard to feel at all pretty or pulled together when you are pregnant, and for me, having painted toes helped. However, after a certain point painting your own is no longer an option. Tim, bless his heart, tried to assist but ended up painting more toe than nail. Thankfully, my mom came to the rescue and now everyone I meet is left to ponder how the heck I can paint my toes when I can't even see them. Messing with people's minds like this is another way to put a smile on your face.

7. Keens. I love Keens. I can't say enough about them...I have like 10 pairs of Keens and they are the most comfortable shoes ev-ah. These have been my pregnancy favorite (mostly because there are no laces to bend down and tie), which means that I also have some awesome V-shaped tan lines on my feet.

6. A reacher grabber doohickey. I didn't actually have one of these, but I so wish I had. A third trimester essential.

5. Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. Absolutely awesome stuff, I picked this up in the first trimester when the belly started to stretch. Of course, it can't totally prevent stretch marks, but it does help to lessen them and it really helps with all the itchies.

4. A Merry Maid. Right about the second trimester, cleaning my house became about the farthest thing from my mind--madly organizing closets is one thing (some call it nesting), but dusting, mopping, etc just didn't even rate up there on my list of things to do. Sue (Tim's Mom) came to our rescue here and has been a real godsend, coming every two weeks to do the deep cleaning. I really can't thank her enough, and I'm sure all the people who have visted our house and not been eaten by sock gnomes also appreciate it.

3. A masseuse. Find one. Find a good one that specializes in prenatal massage and massages you while you're lying on your side. Then make an appointment every two weeks! There is no way I would have been able to keep up with my work schedule and all the things the voices in my head were telling me to do without Katie, my massage lady, taking a jack hammer to my shoulders every few weeks. Even Tim appreciates her, due to the huge difference in my personality after each appointment.

2. A crunch-meister. Otherwise known as a Chiropractor. Some people love 'em, some hate 'em, but I know I wouldn't have made it all the way to 39 weeks *without* waddling without mine. Once again, find one that specializes in prenatal care (best way is to get a recommendation) and then make sure to keep your appointments.

1. A husband AND a wife. You really need both. Don't get me wrong, Tim has been amazing and the best supporting partner I could ask for. From fetching countless jars of pickles, to rubbing my feet, to listening to me whine in one breath and direct him to do something in the next, the man deserves to be sainted. But there's just something about having a woman to talk to who can sympathize with those daily gripes that makes all the difference--that's where my work wife, Nicole, came in. Especially handy that she was training for Ironman during this time, which meant that we actually had a lot of the same symptoms (hip pain, increased appetite, weird cravings, tired, homicidal, etc) and could relate to each other's woes in a way a man never could, even though he tries his darnedest. My heartfelt thanks to both of them, without whom I would have surely been committed and had this baby in captivity. Please hang in there, I promise I'll get better. ;o)

There you have it--all 10 cents worth. Still no baby, but at least if you have this list you can get through this and still be as sane as I am. You'll have to decide if that's enough for you. :P