The Old Me, the New Me

I was just thinking about all of the physical and mental changes I have undergone in the last 16 weeks with this pregnancy, and I couldn't help but laugh at some of it. I figured I would share some of it with you so you'll understand better if I'm not quite myself.

The old me could run a marathon. I was in amazing shape just a few months ago. I would run at least 25 miles each week when I wasn't training for a race, and if I was training, that number would double. The new me can't walk up a flight of stairs or a slight incline without getting winded. Today, I actually had to sit down and rest after I took a shower. I was out of breath and my heart was pounding! This is so depressing because I know it's only going to get worse. If a shower is exhausting now, what's it going to be in a couple of months? Just standing up? Brushing my hair? Getting dressed? I may have to ask Billy to give me sponge baths and buy me a portable toilet to put right next to my bed. I think a bed pan is too much to ask.

The old me was focused and on top of things. The new me is scatter-brained and can't pay attention to anything for more than 30 minutes without having my mind turn to the babies. I used to be able to spend a certain number of hours each week working on my job, other times devoted to my dissertation, and I was always juggling 3 or 4 other small projects. Now, I can hardly keep up with my job, which is only part-time! I really need to be working on my dissertation, but I can't seem to keep my mind on it, and I really need to concentrate when I am analyzing the data and writing up my findings.

The old me would cook dinner every night and clean up afterwards. The new me can barely stand to handle food. I used to love to experiment with new recipes and ingredients. Now, I basically make the same 4 or 5 things all of the time. I can't stand chicken or pork. The only meat I currently eat is ground turkey. I have made pizza with ground turkey, tacos with ground turkey, lettuce wrap filling with ground turkey, turkey meatloaf, etc. Billy must be so tired of ground turkey, but I simply can't handle anything else. I feel like the guy in "Forest Gump" who named off every shrimp dish...shrimp scampi, shrimp creole, shrimp cocktail, etc.

After I'm done cooking, I don't have anything left in me to clean up most days. That's where Billy has to come in and take care of business. I used to not let him do the cleaning because he waits too long after dinner, and I hate to see dishes sitting around in the sink for hours. It grosses me out. Now, however, I have had to let that go. If he cleans up, it's on his time. The one thing he does really well is scrub all the pots and pans. He will not let up until every crumb is removed. My Caphalon has never sparkled like this before!

The old me did most of the cleaning around our condo. The new me sits on the couch while Billy vacuums and scrubs the bathtubs. I am still capable of dusting, toilet cleaning, laundry, and furniture polishing, but I can't push the vacuum, and I can't be exposed to the fumes involved with tub cleaning. Again, Billy is a champ at these chores. He vacuums every square inch of our place and empties the vacuum canister 3 or 4 times. He scrubs the tubs until all traces of mildew and soap scum are gone. Who knew he was so good at this? I'm enjoying having him as my man-slave! I hope he keeps it up.

Luckily, the old me is still intact when it comes to my emotions. I've heard that pregnant women get all crazy and hormonal. Fortunately, I have not had any emotional issues. I still don't cry easily or get upset about stupid things. Needless to say, Billy is thrilled that I'm not nuts. I don't think he could handle the thought of triplets, housework, and a crazy wife.