Tuesday, April 12, 2016

28.

I am 28 years old. This is the first year since I've turned 15 that I didn't cry, or complain about getting older, or feel like my life can only go downhill from here.

Big progress, people. Biiiiiiig progress.

It's not like I think 28 is OLD. I don't even think 70 is old, honestly. And besides, I think a lot of "oldness" has to do with your attitude and mindset, not your age (still not a grown-up!). It's just terrifying to me that life can pass by so quickly. One minute, you're getting ready for prom, and the next thing you know, you're in your late 20s, married and pregnant. For the past few years, I have been making an extra effort to be present in the moment instead of worrying about the future. It's not easy for me, but I am getting better at being mindful and taking in every experience. It has really helped me feel like I am getting the most out of life, instead of feeling like it has passed me by every time I turn another year older.

I still hate the attention. But this birthday, I appreciated the fact that I've made it to 28 and have such great family and friends that have helped me get here and actually be HAPPY.

Eric and I have been home for the past few days, and by home, I mean the Jerz home. It has been a jam-packed whirlwind of a trip, but I think it has been my favorite visit home since we moved to Florida. We ate cheesesteaks when we landed on Thursday night. Yes, at 11pm. We got lunch with Eric's parents on Friday, headed in to Philly, saw Erin's very city Philly apartment, and went to Erica's place, where all the old roomies and that whole crew of friends got together. They surprised me with birthday cupcakes, those assholes. It was a late night, but totally worth the exhaustion. 

Saturday was CRAZY. We met Dave, Sunny, and Arya at the Pop Shop for lunch, where it proceeded to SNOW. Dave threw a snowball at me. I was mad, but we had a good time catching up. Arya was adorable in her little Darth Vader hoodie! We drove back to Eric's house, where the snow was basically blizzarding for the rest of the day (slight exaggeration, but you know). We watched the Flyers game with his mom's side of the family (PLAYOFFS WOOOO!), then went to see his dad's side of the family, where they sang happy birthday to Erin, Eric, and me. We had Coldstone ice cream cake, so I'm not complaining about this birthday acknowledgment. Then, we drove over to Speak's, where we partied with all our Pitman friends til 2am like old times.

On Sunday, I slept til mid-afternoon, because I'm pregnant and can't handle late nights like I used to, apparently. I had the worst headache of my entire life. But then my family came over, and we ate lots of Philly pretzels, stromboli, hoagies, calzones, and more birthday cake for me and Eric, and all was right with the world. My cousin brought his DOG over. A cute little pittie mix! The cats survived, which is good, because now I know they'd get over Nym being in the house if we brought her up for a visit. 

Yesterday was my actual birthday, and I just RELAXED. I sat curled up on the couch with a million blankets and my space heater. Eric and I went to catch up with Kim, Kadie, and Hannah later in the day, which was hilarious. Those kids are so great. We stopped at Meg and Carolyn's, where we discussed very adult things, like mattresses and property taxes, because we are good at adulting. Then, Eric surprised me with a birthday dinner! He got our families together at Mannino's, this delicious Italian place, where we gorged ourselves and didn't regret it at all. Back at my house, we met up with my Uncle Al and Nancy, where we had (you guessed it) MORE BIRTHDAY CAKE. Linny made this one all tye-dye swirly, so it was extra special.

I really don't want to go back to Florida today, even though I am freezing my ass off. I mean, I am truly, genuinely chilled to the bone here, and not very happy about it. And I know that everyone is all spread out now, and all of these get-togethers wouldn't happen every weekend if we lived here. But these visits paint such an idyllic picture of what our lives would be like if we lived here. Now that I am having a baby, I want him to grow up with this awesome support system that I have, and see his million aunts and uncles, blood-related and not, more than once a year. Everyone is so excited about this kid, and so supportive. I almost cried 24958 times over the past few days, because I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude (also, I'm overwhelmed with pregnancy hormones, which doesn't help). Guess we better get used to traveling with a youngin. ;)


How far along? 20 weeks! Halfway there! Holy shit, time is flying
Total weight gain: Uhhh I don't know. I feel like I've probably gained more since my last appointment. I bet I'm finally heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight now. ;)
Maternity clothes? WELL. I have a cute, fitted maternity dress that I wore on my birthday, and it made me feel so good about my belly! And I've been wearing some maternity tank tops and tees. Much more flattering for my little bump and boobs than regular shirts, especially when paired with the maternity jeans that I have been making work. BUT, thanks to the generosity of many family members for my birthday, I will go purchase those jeans that actually fit me, guilt-free, and I will feel confident and comfortable in my non-saggy, non-baggy pants! Thank you, family!
Stretch marks? I thought I noticed a few on my thighs, but I think they are old ones. No obvious dark ones yet, at least.
Sleep: Boo. Bad. Although I slept much better on my NJ mattress than our mattress in Florida. We are going to be purchasing a new one in the very near future.
Best moment this week: Can I pick all of it?
Miss anything? You already know what I'm going to say. I'm going to have a bottle of Shamong Red packed in my hospital bag.
Movement: Yes yes! He is flipping around in there on a somewhat regular basis. I sometimes get surprised by it and go "OH!". He's so cute, I can tell. ;)
Food cravings: Nothing specific. Just sweet stuff in general. But I don't like to SMELL it. Just eat it. Haha
Anything making you queasy or sick: Actually... not really. As long as you keep grilled chicken away from me, I'll be good
Gender: Dude
Labour signs: No
Symptoms: Very tired, headaches, round ligament pain, some lingering hormonal breakouts and aversions
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Definitely happy this week!
Looking forward to: Getting started on the nursery! Woot woot!

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