I am a whale. Not only am I sitting right under the 200 lb mark (where I SWORE up and down I'd never ever be again) but I am just OBSCENELY pregnant. Isn't it funny how quickly you can go from cute-pregnant to gross-pregnant? One day you're just adorably walking along looking like you swallowed a basketball and the next day you're waddling and grunting like a sweaty manatee. It's not fair.
It doesn't help that Baby Sister is still sitting breech. I have a butt AND a head sharing space on my abdomen, rather than just a butt. I keep discussing the benefits of space efficiency with her, but she doesn't appear to be listening. I can already tell we're going to have some issues when it comes time to clean her bedroom.
Yesterday I tracked across town to buy that Tivo. Not once did it occur to me that WE WON'T BE ABLE TO RECORD TWO PROGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME. Our Ultimate TV did that (in fact you could record two shows while watching a third) and the lame Comcast DVR does it, so I just assumed. Now I have to drive back to Milpitas and take it back. My marriage can't survive only being able to watch one show at a time. The battles are bad enough as it is.
Also? And it PAINS me to admit this, but the Sleep Number bed ain't working out. The twenty-five dollar Coleman air mattress I've been sleeping on on the floor? Was more comfortable. Because I like a SOFT mattress and Dave likes a FIRM mattress, he's literally rolling onto my side of the bed, you know, because of gravity. Not to mention the fact that when you pick a low Sleep Number it literally deflates the bed, so I feel like I'm sleeping in a hammock. I'm laying at least six inches below the sides of the mattress. Which would be super comfy if I could sleep on my back, but I can't, so it feels like my body is being sculpted into a banana every night. And the combination of not having the use of my stomach muscles and the fact that there isn't a geriatric safety handle installed anywhere within reach of the bed makes getting out of it to pee AN OLYMPIC EVENT. Just think of a water bed, but much, much higher up off the ground.
The worst part is that we don't really have a plan B. We can take this bed back, but then what? We have to actually AGREE on a comfortable mattress without ever sleeping on it? How do people DO this?
For what it's worth, my wife and I bought one of the Tempur-Pedic mattresses (actually, a Canadian knock-off made of the same stuff for half the price) and once we got used to it, it was great.
It feels very stiff at first, but once you relax into it, it's wonderful. It cradles you really nicely, providing good support. It also does really nicely at not transmitting motion, so if one person (me) is flipping and flopping all over the place I don't actually wake my wife up, unless I accidentally hit her.
My wife was having a horrible time with her back when she first got pregnant, but once we got the new mattress things were much better.
Posted by: Dreadmouse | March 17, 2006 at 08:32 AM
I had one of those giant pregnancy pillows with my last baby and it was a life saver. I am trying to remember the name of it. It's shaped like a big U and it supports you back and your belly.
Good luck, girl! The next couple months are going to be a killer. :(
Posted by: Grechen | March 17, 2006 at 11:28 AM
I hate to say it, but sometimes 2 beds is the answer. My husband's snoring sounds like a yak trapped in snare drum. I used to be able to sleep through it, but having a child re-wired my brain. Now we have two beds in two bedrooms. It took me a long time to accept this solution because it seems so wrong after 10 years of marriage, but after a week of good sleep I was convinced. Obviously, you won't be pregnant forever so it might not be the solution for you. But maybe just for now you could buy 2 beds and convert one into a daybed or guest bed after your life gets back to normal.
Posted by: Sally | March 17, 2006 at 11:50 AM
DirecTivo will record two things at once. But, then, you've got to do DirecTV. However, DH tells me their phasing their relationship out sometime in the future so you should check into that before you get one. HTH!
Posted by: jenn | March 17, 2006 at 12:00 PM
If you get a router of some type, you can record two shows at once with tivo.
Call them and ask before you return it. Tivo is just the best.
Posted by: Tuesday | March 17, 2006 at 01:18 PM
LOLOLOL
Okay, first of all, when you buy your mattress, spend the extra bucks to go to a higher-end specialty place with - don't punch me - dudes who do nothing but sell mattresses all day and are actually decent at it. Made a world of difference for us (and cost us...)
We got two TiVos to solve the TV problem. One just broke and we are LOST.
Posted by: jonniker | March 17, 2006 at 01:36 PM
Don't return TiVO!!! You CAN record one show and watch another! I don't know how we did it, but there was a cord, and it involved TiVo-ing on AV1 and watching on the regular tv. But it can be done!!!
Posted by: Paige | March 17, 2006 at 02:48 PM
Oh. my. God. Don't remind me because I was there. Exactly there. Same weight. Same misery. Just last spring. You'll get through it, and you'll be feeling just fine minus a ton of weight next year! I promise:)
Jen
Posted by: Jen R | March 17, 2006 at 07:57 PM
when we re-did My Kid's room and upgraded from bunk-bed-kid's room to platform-bed-teenager's room, we let him choose his own mattress. Of course, he picked one that was more expensive than most of the others in the showroom. It doesn't have innersprings. I guess it's a foam mattress? (but not that memory foam stuff)
Well you'd think it'd be incredibly squishy but it's not at all. I have pretty serious chronic back problems (I slept in a recliner chair when I was pregnant) and I've always slept on a firm mattress b/c I was told that's what my back needs. But when my back is bothering me, I sleep in his room.
It's supportive, but you just don't really feel the mattress around you. No pressure points. Just try one out at the store. Maybe it will work for you too.
Posted by: kalisah | March 17, 2006 at 09:36 PM
I have been trying to find an email address for you as I have been wanting to send you a thank you note. My mother has serious health issues and sleeping on her back pains her something awful. After weeks of sleeping fitfully or not at all, I read your post about sleeping on an air mattress for your pregnancy. I thought it couldn't hurt to have her try it and she LOVES it. She sleeps much better now and the relief she and the rest of the family has is amazing. Thank you very much for mentioning it, you have no idea how much it helps her. Much love from me and my family, I now include you and yours in my prayers.
Posted by: Nic | March 18, 2006 at 04:05 PM
You poor pregnant woman! I hated the ginormous fat part. With my last one I went from 130 to 227. And I haven't recovered(because I am lazy). That's not right. I hope you are feeling well today!
DON'T buy a new mattress until you give birth! We made that mistake. What feels good now will feel totally different once your body goes back to normal. I LOVE my bed, but whenever I was pregnant I couldn't sleep on it. I had to sleep on the couch so I could have the back support.
Posted by: gina | March 19, 2006 at 08:19 AM
Delurking to second the tempurpedic suggestion. I got one when pregnant with twins, and didn't have any of the back or hip pain I'd suffered with my first pregnancy. Matter of fact, I got my OB to write a prescription for the mattress and didn't have to pay sales tax. That was Texas; your mileage may vary.
Posted by: Carrie | March 19, 2006 at 04:51 PM
My folks have a tempurpedic knock off and love it. It is split down the middle so any adjustments don't bother the other person, but a king size sheet covers it.
A couple other ideas, get a king or queen size memory foam and fold it in half. Pump up the sleep number bed so Dave's not rolling on you and get your softness from the memory foam. Or Aero is making bed height air mattresses. Both of these options are kind of expensive, especially after buying a new bed, but you've still got a few months to go and might be worth it.
Posted by: Rayne of Terror | March 20, 2006 at 05:18 AM
I third the tempurpedic thing. Because I am a cheap bastard, I bought a 4 inch memory foam matress topper on Overstock.com for $169.
I am a terrible, terrible sleeper - bad back, tossing and turning - and it has changed my life. I LOVE going to bed at home now.
Posted by: Sue | March 20, 2006 at 05:52 PM
I hate hate HATE hate hate hate hate hath HATE, loathe, (takes breath) hate hate hate HATE my sleep by numbers bed. It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS sucks. I like the soft mattress also. When my husband comes over on my side for *ahem* he catapults me off the bed because he weighs significantly more than I do. Bring it back NOW. It will be worth the effort. Hurry now, no excuses.
Posted by: christine. | March 20, 2006 at 09:03 PM
Have you heard the newsflash? The new version of TiVo can record two shows at once! This is from the email they sent me:
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Now, you'll be able to record 2 shows at the same time with the new Series2™ DT DVR, so you'll never again have to choose Housewives over Sopranos — you'll get 'em both! Hurry, TiVo subscribers get first dibs just in time for May season finales!
P.S. Eliminate the need for a phone line! The new TiVo Series2 DT DVR also comes with built-in Ethernet so connecting to your home network is a snap!
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Just thought you'd want to know!
Posted by: Jen Zug | April 27, 2006 at 12:36 PM