A little help, please

I was telling my grandma the other day that it's so weird how dead on the division of trimesters is for me. As soon as I hit week 14/15, a switch goes off and I suddenly don't feel the need to carry a puke bucket with me wherever I go. Now, at week 27/28, what was recently a cute bulging belly that made for a nice accessory has suddenly become more like a bowling ball and it is in my way.

This is precisely where my conundrum comes in...

Disclaimer: These words of caution are mainly for my dad and father-in-law, quite possibly the only men who frequent this space to see how life is going for us and our darling girl. I am about to discuss things that will likely contain more than you want to know about your daughter's body. Read on if you must, but consider yourselves warned.

OK. When I got to this stage of my pregnancy with Addie, it was in the dead of winter. Wearing a bathing suit was no where near on my radar. So, when my belly got really big and cumbersome to work around, I simply put my razor aside, and stopped that part of my hygiene routine until after Addie was born. Ladies, you know what I'm getting at, right?

With the temperature outside steadying in the 80 degree range and higher for the foreseeable future, and with a girl who loves the pool and being outside in general, I am presented with the question: How in the heck am I supposed to shave my bikini area? Am I supposed to not worry about it, let it go and shock/gross the hell out of anyone who gets close to me at the pool? Am I supposed to channel my inner Gumbi and find a way to stretch and bend myself into a position where I can get to the goods? Do I need to find a good waxing place in the greater Lexington area (please say no, as I cringe at the mere thought)? Do I risk injury and go for it, totally blind?

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves, Why is she writing about this in a public space, on her blog? To that I say, I sincerely believe that when we as women run into issues with our bodies, no matter how trivial they may seem, chances are we aren't alone. However, many of us feel too embarassed to bring up these questions with each other at the risk of sounding silly or for fear of being humiliated. Most of the time, when I do get up the courage to ask girlfriends about this kind of thing, I am met with wide eyes, a hand on my arm and an, "Oh my gosh, me too!!!"

All that being said, I am putting on my big girl panties (and trust me, right now they are big) and asking for help from the wealth of knowledge that is women and moms out there who may have wisdom to impart on this topic. Any ideas for how I can get through these next few months without either maiming myself or looking like I walked straight out of a 70's bra-burning convention? If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment publicly, just send me a quick email (mommyhonesty@gmail.com) and I will hold your name in confidence.

As of right now, I am just barely able to keep up the maintenance. But any day, this kiddo is going to be so big that she will likely no longer allow herself to be pushed aside in order to accommodate her Mommy's need to be presentable in a bathing suit in public. Help!