Weakling.

When I first went on bed rest, nearly 8 weeks ago (wow), my midwife told me that I'd likely become pretty weak, due to my muscles actually atrophying from my not regularly using them. I was also told that this happens pretty fast - within a matter of weeks of being on bed rest. She told me to lift weights while laying on the couch, and even to do some leg lifts and other basic strengthening exercises with an exercise band. I admit to only doing these exercises a few times, and rather half-heartedly, thinking I moved enough that I'd be fine.

Wrong.

Yesterday I had my appointment for the glucose tolerance test, and with the way the morning worked out (Eric being gone and my having to be available for the plumber who was in our house), I ended up having to get ready in about 45 minutes. Normally if I have an appointment, I get ready over the course of the morning. Get up to get some breakfast, put my contacts in. Get up to use the bathroom, brush my hair and teeth. Get up to get more water, put on a little make-up, etc. But yesterday I had to shower, dry my hair, get dressed and put on make-up all in about 45 minutes. And, let me tell you, it totally and completely wiped me OUT. I couldn't believe it. I actually had to sit down on the couch for a few minutes before leaving the house to get a little strength back and not feel so wobbly on my apparently now muscle-less legs.

Even getting Owen ready for bed on the nights I help out by getting on his pajamas and sitting in his room to read some stories, I'm finding myself to be ready for bed myself by the time he goes to sleep.

Needless to say, it's starting to freak me out. So I've decided to make a point to use the exercise band DAILY to try and regain some muscle mass in my arms and legs. I worry not only about being strong enough for labor and delivery of this baby, but about being strong enough to actually hold her for extended periods of time once she arrives.

In terms of the house, poor Eric keeps finding little things around here that are sucking up all of his time. Today he was set to prime the bathroom, only to find out that the door had been painted over on top of varnish, and the paint was just peeling off. So instead of priming the bathroom, he had to spend a couple good hours today scraping paint off the door so he can do all the priming. However, last night he successfully (with Owen's help, of course), installed a new faucet in the kitchen! The one that was there was leaking and pretty unattractive, so we splurged on a new one (hey, just add it to my tab Home Depot). Owen got a kick out of helping dad with this project, wielding his plastic screwdriver and using it to fix (bang on) everything he could reach. He was more than a little excited to be given the task of handing dad his wrenches, too. I've got such hard-working boys!