Sleep. I do a lot of it lately, and when I’m not doing it I want more. Then I climb into bed and the discomfort begins. I spend my nights trying not to count the bathroom trips and waiting for the sun to appear. The bathroom trip when I see the sunshine outside is my favorite one, because it means I will only climb back into bed one more time that sleeping period. I’ve started enjoying my naps even more than ever because they are so short that I don’t find myself climbing in and out of bed due to my potty breaks.

Somewhere around the third trimester I started sleeping with two pillows on either side of me, as I need the support to keep me from rolling over too far and putting pressure on my stomach. Within the last few weeks I found my hips aching throughout the night, as my body and belly get heavier and heavier, and so I took the advice of Mrs. Shortcake and started sleeping on a blow up mattress. I didn’t want to use a blow up mattress at first because I didn’t want to be hauling myself up off the ground 5 times a night, but my genius husband solved that problem by suggesting we put the mattress on top of our bed. Genius! Now I call it “the castle” and wake up without sore hips each morning. (I also stopped making the bed as it doesn’t make sense with this setup and I obviously didn’t even try to pretend for this photo.)

The only drawback to the castle? That Husband and I stopped sleeping together as it takes up a lot of space. I miss him, but it’s not like we actually touched at night anyway (I am NOT a cuddler), and with all of the extra weight I put on I’m always hot and he doesn’t like sleeping with the ceiling fan on high like I do. Also ,I apparently started snoring. I really hope that is a pregnancy symptom that will disappear when my internal organs are allotted their proper amount of space once again.

But, even with all of the sore hips and the grunting as I turn from side to side and the “oooofing” as I make my way into the castle over and over again through the night and the husband sleeping on the futon in the office, I know that nights of averaging 9 hours of sleep are quickly drawing to a close so I try to count my blessings. Soon, I’ll my body and my bladder back. (Except my chest, that will belong to baby.)

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