Walk much?

This entry goes out to all my fellow belly buddies. The other morning I had a SPECTACULAR fall in the shower. It was just like the cartoons, where you see your feet fly up in front of you and everything. On the way down I scrabbled frantically for a hand hold, but as I was in a wet shower stall I was pretty much out of luck. FORTUNATELY, I landed on my now (admittedly) amply padded rear. And my right calve, right arm and (ouch) head. Izzy, snug and well cushioned in the front of me, probably only felt a jolt like a drop on the roller coaster. She is merrily kicking me in the ribs as we speak. (That's my girl.)

Gang, this is the second dramatic fall I've had in this pregnacy and both involved slipping in water. I must confess that when I read the bit in my baby book about falls being a danger to pregnant women, particularly in their last trimester, I sneered. Yeah, right. Who ARE these clumsy oafs and why can't they stay upright? Well, apparently, the clumsy oaf is ME!

I thought, that being young and flexible AND a veteran of numerous dance, movement and combat classes, I would surely be immune from this particular hazard. I can ride a unicycle, for God's sake! I juggle knives! Balance, I got. Coordination, check. Looks like it doesn't matter after all - when you strap an extra 20 pounds (oh all right, 25 and counting) to your midsection, balance goes out the window, maybe never to return??

At 7 months, I'm just starting to feel ungainly, awkward and well, large. I must say that I don't much like the feeling of heaving myself up out of chairs, puffing up the stairs or flailing on my back like a beached turtle when I try to get out of bed in the morning. Never before in my life has bending over and putting on my sneakers caused me to grunt and strain. Never before in my life have I been so grateful NOT to be a momma cat- can you imagine if we had to carry LITTERS? All those kicking feet... (Then again, they don't have to worry about sneakers, so maybe it evens out.)

But I digress. I just wanted to give a shout out to my many pregnant friends - the baby book is RIGHT! Please do not follow my example and be extra cautious when getting in and out of the bath tub, shower, going up and down stairs, etc. I know it makes you feel like you're 80, but we gots to protect our precious cargo! In the meantime, be well, sleep lots and happy eating. Love you!