have baby, will travel

One of the things I wanted to do before the baby arrives (rather, before I was much more pregnant) was spend a weekend in New York to catch this year's Whitney Biennial, among other things. This was the first weekend when the handful of shows I wanted to see were all open...And let me tell you, I can't imagine having gone a day later! Even taking the subway everywhere, we seemed to walk at least 5 or 6 blocks to and from each destination. And the subway system seems to include more stairs than I recall. And ramps. I think those inclined walkways are actually worse than the stairs.

Saturday was probably, to most people, a perfect spring day. Sunny and clear, with the temperature right around 70. I left my jacket where we were staying for the weekend, but even so, it felt like the height of summer to me, especially in the subway. Nobody offered me their seat on the subway, but it wasn't a big deal, most of the time. When I had to stand, it was usually only for a stop or two. Finding bathrooms every 30 minutes to an hour wasn't quite as challenging as I'd feared. As my companion pointed out, finding and using public restrooms is a talent that comes in handy not only during pregnancy, but is also probably very useful once the baby's out of the womb and in need of multiple and frequent diaper changes. Not that I'll be schlepping said baby around New York anytime soon, but his point was well taken.

Anyway, I think I'm physically still recovering. I used some muscles that have probably atrophied slightly since about the four-months-pregnant mark. I experienced some swelling to the point that my socks, not usually terribly constricting, left visible indentations around my ankles, and I had a tough time taking off my ring Saturday night. My lower back still aches. But on the flip side, being 7+ months pregnant, I didn't feel as self-conscious as usual ordering four donuts at the always delicious Doughnut Plant (that I shared with my travel companion, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds).