I'll admit it, I was looking for a pat on the back.

Weight.

I can't escape it. 

I've been pretty candid about it. I gained approximately 60 pounds with my first pregnancy. Sometimes, I felt devastated about this fact at my check-ups and other times, flippant. I only remember one truly obnoxious comment from a doctor. It went something like this, "You're not eating ice cream every night, are you?" It stung. It made me feel like one of those moms who pour grape soda into their 4 year old bottles.... not good. But whatever, I dealt with it. By Toddler T's first birthday I had lost all but 5 lbs. A long year of emotional hurdles led me to gain back about 10. But again, I dealt with it.

I was upfront with my new group. I stated my concerns. I asked for guidance about how best not to do that again. The nurse gave me a weight gain total of 15-25 pounds for the entire pregnancy. I almost wanted to laugh a little. But didn't and left her office armed with my list of NO foods. I will say, I have stuck to that list about 95% of the time. Last month, I had gained 4 pounds from the previous month. But, this was before I got THE LIST OF NO.  This month, I gained 1.5 lbs. I'll admit. I was happy. Very happy. 

Then the doctor came in. She is nice, she is upbeat, she is to the point. She commented on my tan. Said that the baby's heartbeat looked good and then asked if I had any questions. I asked if I seemed to be on track with the weight gain guidelines. She answered, "Well, You have gained more than I would like to see." 

What? What? That couldn't have been what she said. Right?

I suddenly felt like an outraged Honors student who had been denied an extra point on her extra credit question.  

How could she say this? Didn't she have my old flow sheet. Couldn't she see that by this time, with Toddler T, I had already gained 16+ pounds. Didn't she see that I always gained 4+ pounds in between appointments? Didn't she KNOW that I have been avoiding sugars, chips, and almost every food on THE LIST OF NO???

I guess not.

Perhaps my problem was asking. Perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut and let the next doctor mention it, if he is concerned. But I didn't, I guess I just wanted to hear, "Your weight is looking good. Keep up the good work."

I know this is trivial. Everything else is going fine, Tiny T has a strong heartbeat and I'm looking forward to the 20 week ultrasound. I left, scheduled my next appointment and declined ice cream for dessert tonight.

In funnier news, Toddler T has been watching the Olympics here and there. While swimming at my parent's pool, this past weekend, I told him that he was getting to be such a great swimmer that Michael Phelps better watch out. We then pointed out who Michael Phelps was and didn't give it much thought. Tonight, at my in-law's pool he learned to dunk himself and do a VERY rudimentary crawl. To be honest, he looks like he is half drowning. BUT, anyway.  After one dunk/crawl, he popped up and proudly announced, "Just like Michael Phelps." It was pretty funny.

I wish I could bottle his confidence.