Week 35: Walking Catastrophe

 
I never had been a big believer in "pregnancy brain" ... the idea that we constantly forget things during pregnancy. But with our second child, I'm starting to reconsider.

 
It's not like I'm forgetting doctor appointments or to call my friends on their birthdays; I'm forgetting basic living tasks. For example, I'm a stickler for locking everything up anytime we leave the house. But these days a window will be left open or a door unlocked. I can't begin to calculate how much time I've wasted driving back to our home because it dawned on me that I left the back door wide open. The neighbors must think I'm crazy. I pull away from our house, only to pull in again 5 minutes later and make a mad dash for the front door.

 
That's not like me.
 

And if there's "pregnancy brain," what about "pregnancy balance?" While painting the baby's room recently, I literally fell backwards into a wet wall from a standing position. I hadn't been standing on one leg. There was no strong gust of wind to knock me over. I just spontaneously fell over.

 
When I think back to my first pregnancy, I used to walk into walls. My co-workers would look at me with pity as I crashed into door jams and cubicle walls. I couldn't even walk and talk at the same time or I would inevitably trip over something.

 
What I'm wondering is ... once we have kids, does memory loss and the feeling of unbalance ever really go away? My husband teases me for always forgetting something essential ... my wallet, my keys (or better yet, where are my keys?), my cell phone. But ask me for a Hello Kitty bandaid or bag of Rainbow fishies, I'm your gal. Did I remember our daughter's sunscreen and hat? You betcha. Blankie? Never travel without it.

 
And what of balance? While our minds are contemplating all the things we should be remembering, in between driving to dance classes, soccer games and band practices, are we ever achieving a sense of equilibrium? To me, at least, it always seems a little out of reach no matter how organized we make our lives. We put our kids' needs ahead of our own every day, and it begins even before they come into this world.

 
So if you see a pregnant woman whose backside is covered in "sea grass" green paint, be kind. She's undoubtedly suffering from something for which there is no cure.