The Ring is Off

The other morning I woke up and my wedding ring felt tight on my finger, so I decided to take it off and tuck it away safely until after Peter is born. My hands and feet don't look swollen, but now that I'm in my last trimester, I'm sure I'll start retaining a little water (I did with Jack and Thomas), and I really don't want to damage my finger or my ring if I wait too long to take it off. Until I get used to not wearing my ring, though, I keep having mini-panic moments when I feel my bare finger and have to remember that I took it off on purpose.

We donated a bunch of stuff to Salvation Army this weekend, so the garage looks emptier than it ever has. It's a good feeling! And, I decided that I'm going to rent a dumpster for a month to dispose of the brush that we're clearing out of the backyard. I've been bundling it, but it's slow going, and my back doesn't take too kindly to all the bending, tying, etc. these days, so I think I'm going to use a wheeled trashcan to ferry loads of brush from the backyard to the dumpster which will be out front. I won't make the trashcan loads very heavy, obviously, since I have to drag them up the hill and up the stairs, but I think this way will actually be easier and quicker than anything else. Plus, it gives me a nice outdoor project to work on while the boys play in the backyard. And it gives me some good exercise to make me stronger for labor :).

Speaking of which, I bought an exercise video a couple of weeks ago that I've been doing semi regularly, and I'm really enjoying it! It's called Walk Away the Pounds, and I had heard good things about it, so when I saw the DVD for sale at K-Mart for $14.99, I picked it up. It's a decent workout (especially since it's low-impact and not too strenuous for this achy pregnant lady), and it's not nearly as annoying as some workout videos I've tried. In general, I'd much rather get outside and walk rather than do a video inside, but sometimes I don't feel like tackling all the hills near our house with a stroller, or the weather is yucky, or I can't find the time for a walk until the boys are taking their afternoon siesta. I hope this extra walking helps make me a little stronger for labor -- but if nothing else, hopefully it will help keep me healthy and help keep my weight gain in check during this last trimester. My weight gain is fine so far (and I certainly don't want to stop gaining or lose weight now!), but if for any reason a doctor or nurse thinks I've gained too much between visits, at least I can tell them I've been eating well and exercising, and there's not much grief they can give me about that! And, I feel like it gives me a little more freedom when I have a craving for something like ice cream or chocolate -- I can indulge my craving a bit without feeling too guilty. :)