Pushing boundaries
This whole pregnancy thing wasn't nearly as romantic the second time around, Jun thought. Derek seemed to be enjoying it. But she really wasn't. For one thing, she didn't need the extra flexibility. Ironically enough, that had slowed her down.
Jun knew in the eventuality (please please) her 800 weeks oh lord of gods pregnancy ended, she'd thank relaxin for loosening the tendons of her pelvic girdle. But right now, as she slowly bent at the knees and carefully lowered herself to the ground, she wondered why nature hadn't designed a hormone that targeted only the tendons directly involved in labor.
Because since her endocrine systems had loosed the floodgates to the hormones she'd need to get through the work of popping out the person sleeping under her heart? She was loose as a goose. That combined with the extra 14 kgs she was carrying, placed her joints at risk. She had to plan everything-- from big things like her 'heavy' workouts to 'no-sweat' things like stairs.
Some moments she'd forget and she'd rush, okay, sometimes run. Or hurdle the bar rather than go around it. And she'd be fine in that moment. Especially if Derek (or anyone else) hadn't noticed. But eventuality? She would pay.
Aches and pains she'd never before suffered would demand the attention of ice alternated with heat. Maybe it was all the running around (and jumping, and fighting, and being hit, and blowing up and being blown up) she'd done as a science ninja, because as well as she'd been taken care of then, maybe pregnancy had made her flexible and pliable in a way that made her combat useless.
Even her regular stride had been adjusted. It took her longer to walk, she really wasn't supposed to jog, and even getting down on the yoga mat required some forethought.
Yes, she was complaining. But only to herself. Because she was very happy, dammnit, to be pregnant.
As it often happened when Jun focused on what she couldn't do because Derek had knocked her up, the person living beneath her heart stirred and shifted unhappily.
She patted her belly and crooned, "It's okay. I'm not mad at you."
For that she got poked in the bladder.
Jun shrugged, sighed, and straightened her legs. As she stretched (making use of BLOCKS!) she thought. She was always thinking lately. Not that her thoughts went very far. She almost felt stoned sometimes. Short attention span...high intensity feelings. Paranoia. (Also. Am I ready? Is Derek ready? Chance is going to walk soon? Good thing I'm used to being sleep deprived. Is that the phone? Hernias suck.)
Huffing slightly, she pulled her ankles as close to their opposing hips as they could go, then clasped her hands together and closed her eyes and dropped into meditation. She creaked like a house settling at night, a little twinge in her hip, a subdued crack in her shoulder, a little tingle in her knee.
And then, from the other room, Chance cried.
"Oh..." She rolled her eyes and disentangled her feet. When she made it to Chance's cradle, he'd already pulled off his diaper.
Jun knew in the eventuality (please please) her 800 weeks oh lord of gods pregnancy ended, she'd thank relaxin for loosening the tendons of her pelvic girdle. But right now, as she slowly bent at the knees and carefully lowered herself to the ground, she wondered why nature hadn't designed a hormone that targeted only the tendons directly involved in labor.
Because since her endocrine systems had loosed the floodgates to the hormones she'd need to get through the work of popping out the person sleeping under her heart? She was loose as a goose. That combined with the extra 14 kgs she was carrying, placed her joints at risk. She had to plan everything-- from big things like her 'heavy' workouts to 'no-sweat' things like stairs.
Some moments she'd forget and she'd rush, okay, sometimes run. Or hurdle the bar rather than go around it. And she'd be fine in that moment. Especially if Derek (or anyone else) hadn't noticed. But eventuality? She would pay.
Aches and pains she'd never before suffered would demand the attention of ice alternated with heat. Maybe it was all the running around (and jumping, and fighting, and being hit, and blowing up and being blown up) she'd done as a science ninja, because as well as she'd been taken care of then, maybe pregnancy had made her flexible and pliable in a way that made her combat useless.
Even her regular stride had been adjusted. It took her longer to walk, she really wasn't supposed to jog, and even getting down on the yoga mat required some forethought.
Yes, she was complaining. But only to herself. Because she was very happy, dammnit, to be pregnant.
As it often happened when Jun focused on what she couldn't do because Derek had knocked her up, the person living beneath her heart stirred and shifted unhappily.
She patted her belly and crooned, "It's okay. I'm not mad at you."
For that she got poked in the bladder.
Jun shrugged, sighed, and straightened her legs. As she stretched (making use of BLOCKS!) she thought. She was always thinking lately. Not that her thoughts went very far. She almost felt stoned sometimes. Short attention span...high intensity feelings. Paranoia. (Also. Am I ready? Is Derek ready? Chance is going to walk soon? Good thing I'm used to being sleep deprived. Is that the phone? Hernias suck.)
Huffing slightly, she pulled her ankles as close to their opposing hips as they could go, then clasped her hands together and closed her eyes and dropped into meditation. She creaked like a house settling at night, a little twinge in her hip, a subdued crack in her shoulder, a little tingle in her knee.
And then, from the other room, Chance cried.
"Oh..." She rolled her eyes and disentangled her feet. When she made it to Chance's cradle, he'd already pulled off his diaper.