a TEN POUNDER already!

I just ate an entire pot of mac and cheese. Not homemade or anything fancy. Not even the Velveeta Shells and Cheese kind. Nope, in about five minutes I completely devoured a whole box of Kraft in the blue box. Ya know, with the cheese powder. I went to my exercise class this morning (I figure attending twice gives me permission to call it "mine") and as soon as I left, I had the sudden craving for mac and cheese with cheese powder. I've been dealing with sickness and weird appetite issues for so long that having an actual craving is really rare. Sure, sometimes I want some ice cream and most hours of the day, I could be eating pickles, but craving "real" food is a seldom event. I give all glory to my exercise class. I think I just burn so many calories that my body is surprised and thinks, "Oh gosh, I'm starving!" I feel so good after the workout and mac and cheese. Unfortunately, I have tons of things to do and very little time to do them. Kelsey and I are going to Wilmington later today, and I still need to run some errands and clean this disgusting house. Yes, my house is always disgusting. It's so easy to just not clean for a day or two, and pretty soon, we're living in a pig pen. I'm sorry, Derick. Anyway, it stinks to have all this energy and to feel really great, but not have time to get things done. (I declare as I'm sitting on my rear end, typing up a blog.)
Tomorrow, I'm going to a water aerobics class, and I'm so excited. I need to be in water. It's been a long winter and the ocean is still too chilly for swimming. This pisces needs to go for a dip!! I only own bikinis and a couple of strictly-for-athletic-swimming swimsuits, so figuring out what to wear is going to be a challenge. Sure, I could wear those athletic suits, but my big belly would make me look quite ridiculous. Target has some really cute tankinis that I've had my eyes on for a while, but I've also been wanting to look at Old Navy because they usually have good deals.
Backing up to the topic of big bellies. Today before class, I was talking with some girls about how far along we were and one girl was comparing bellies. The girl beside me was 18 weeks, which I will be, too, tomorrow. When she said that, I couldn't help but look at her belly. She had a similar body structure as mine, but her stomach looked like mine did before I was pregnant! She was talking about how she felt that all in one day, her belly just blew up in size! I couldn't help but wonder if our baby is already a ten-pounder. Crazy, I know. We all grow and change at different rates. It's just funny to see someone who is as far along as I am, so tiny and cute, stand next to me as I bulge out of what were once my loose-fitting yoga pants. I'm not complaining. This baby can do whatever he/she needs to do. That just means I will eventually get to buy new clothes.
We got the news that everything is good to go for us to move on base this summer. So now, we just play the waiting game until our lease is up at this house. It's been a nice place to live; I'm just looking forward to being on base around some of my friends and so close to Derick's job. It will literally take him five minutes to get to work in the mornings. Right now, it only takes him fifteen or so, which in Jacksonville is a dream come true, but the houses on base are even closer to Truck Co. That means he can come home for lunch, which will be really nice once the baby is here. It will be sweet to have Derick home in the middle of the day to spend time with the baby (and wipe the butt). I'm sure he will appreciate the nice break in the day. The thing I will miss about living here is the backyard. It's so nice to just open the back door and let Paris use her doggy door as she pleases during the day. I don't mind to walk her, and I know she will love going on walks, but it is a luxury to have a fenced-in yard, even though she won't walk on a vast majority of the grass because (I'm pretty sure) something or someone is buried out there and it gives her the creeps. Base housing has a little dog park, which she will like, and we could possibly get a house that already has a fence up. The downfall on that is that we will be responsible for mowing inside the fence. Not too much of a hassle, though, considering we have to mow all of our yard here. The pluses of living on base are plentiful: housing is just down the road from the hospital, so once I get my Tricare switched to on-base, I could just walk to my doctors appointments. Ok, maybe it's not THAT close, but worst-case scenario.
So, in exactly two weeks, we should find out if we are having a b or g. It is time! We are both so very anxious and excited. I hate wishing my life away, but I just know these next two weeks are going to drag by. Looking back, though, the past eighteen weeks have somewhat flown by. Some days felt like they lasted forever just because I haven't had the most active, feel-good pregnancy, but altogether, it's really been a blessed experience thus far. I find it so easy to (mostly jokingly) complain about the puke and the (everlasting) spit and the exhaustion, but I also hope I've made my gratitude and humility obvious to God. This baby is in so many ways an answered prayer. I wasn't comfortable and 100% healthy during every second. I have had my share of really rough days, just ask those close to me or come take a look at my house. I know there will probably tough times to come, but Derick and I both just give all the glory to our Lord for this gift. We can't wait to discover exactly who it is that's hanging out in my belly and making me so sick! In two weeks, we will hopefully learn a little more about the special angel that God entrusted us with. Feeling very blessed. I'm glad I ate that mac and cheese.