Not so bad after all

Sunday morning at 8am I thought for a few moments, with a little sadness, that they were starting the triathlon I had intended to swim as a team member. Then, I thought about how chilly the water was Friday afternoon at the beach, the temperature's about 62 degrees I've read, and decided maybe it wasn't so bad that my team mate decided to take on the tri by herself. Next year I should be able to fit into my wetsuit if I decide to go for the June triathlon, or I'll wait for July or August as there are 2 others in the area then. We'll see. I'm not really thinking about next season until next season, or until things have settled down after Critter's arrival. Sunday afternoon the boys and I went with grandma to her town beach and had a blast. At low tide the sandbars seem to go out forever, the swim buoys actually lay on the beach it's so low and the small areas where water is trapped between the sandbars is full of lovely warm water and some great little hermit crabs and creatures to explore. We played and relaxed for about 3 hours and that night we were all exhausted, a fun day.

Pregnancy moment: I do wonder sometimes what it is about the whole pregnancy thing that makes people think you want their opinion on any number of topics. TriSaraTops recently posted about comments you shouldn't make to pregnant women about how they look, other than "you look great". Third time around now I think I've heard them all so most things don't really get more than a fleeting acknowledgment in my mind, but I am amazed at how pregnancy almost makes you not really a person anymore, as if you have no feelings or brain- people think they need to tell you everything they assume you don't know.

On having our third child I've gotten comments ranging from "you must be crazy, now you'll be outnumbered", to "your kids are cute, you should have more". Neither of those reasons seem to me to be valid reasons to have, or not have, more children, but apparently they're good enough for other people. There have also been numerous responses of "but you only have two hands", as if I'm raising my boys to be completely unable to stand near me or walk with me without fearing that they will, for some reason, take off into traffic. I admit that's a concern with Superman at times, but Hot Wheels is well aware of appropriate actions when walking in parking lots, near the road, etc.

This time around I've also been going to the gym which has evoked comments from "good for you for sticking with it" to "if you exercise too much your child with be too small and sick". Wow, it's a good thing they told me, I never would have thought about what my actions could do to the child growing inside of me, what would I do without that comment convincing me I should just sit on my butt for the remainder of the pregnancy so I don't endanger the baby by stunting his or her growth?

It's been fun in a different way this time around. I was not very excited throughout my first pregnancy, as I think I've mentioned because I anticipated that having an infant would be no fun. The second time around I felt a lot of guilt that I would be ruining Hot Wheels life when his brother joined the family before he was even 2 years old. This time around, I've been-there-done-that with many of the issues so I've got no reason to worry. It's a nice feeling. I'm not someone that loves being pregnant, but it's an effective means to an end, and the kid part is totally worth any of this and tons more. I do have the "joy" of Braxton Hicks contractions this time around, which I didn't have with the first 2. Those are the "relatively painless" false labor contractions, and I quote relatively painless because they are not. There is some pain involved. Not significant, but mentionable, especially if it occurs while on the elliptical trainer or recumbent bike or while doing anything other than sitting on the couch. Even on the couch it hurts, but oh well.

Only 61 days to go. Two months from today I could be holding Critter, the family complete, with a new little one to play with. I certainly hope that he or she does not decide to arrive early, but again, these things are beyond our control and we'll go with whatever happens. Hot Wheels has an end-of-the-school-year pot luck dinner tomorrow night and Thursday is the last day of school, I can't believe he's finished his first year of preschool already, time just flies. It's going to be a great summer.