I'd like to take a moment and appreciate my massive baby bump that has magically appeared over the past few months. Sometimes I whine that I can't roll over in bed because of it (well, without grunting and needing a push from my groggy and cranky husband haha), sometimes I whine because it squishes my lungs and makes it hard to breathe, most of the time it's a catchall for every errant Pop Tart crumb and drip of syrup or orange juice (I honestly never knew I was such a sloppy eater. Before my belly did all of these things just end up on the floor??? good grief!). One time I even cried because I couldn't fit it into a maternity skirt belly band!! (seriously that just happened to me a couple weeks ago and I was devastated for a solid half hour. but then I discovered cookie dough ice cream in the freezer and all was right in the world again.)
It's true that I can't even pretend to squeeze into a pair of my old jeans anymore (seriously - who are these freak women who wear the same jeans their ENTIRE PREGNANCY with long tank tops covering the un-button-able parts?!), and it's true that I'm going to have a jiggly jello belly for a little while after baby girl is born. Shoot, let's be real and just put it out there that I might NEVER get my flat tummy back. Ever. At least not the way that it was.
BUT.
Can we all agree that a baby bump is, all things considered, pretty amazing?? I mean...I've done basically nothing to create this life beyond the initial conception. I try to eat healthy, I drink lots of water, try to choke down my prenatals at least every now and then (FREAK I HATE THOSE THINGS) - sure. But ultimately I've gotten a front row seat to the most incredible creation process by just being a woman and getting pregnant. I've gotten to FEEL this little friend kicking and rolling. I've gotten to spend time awake at night feeling her hiccup and getting to know her little personality. I get to wear adorable maternity clothes (when they fit haha), wear leggings everyday without shame, feel justified waddling everywhere I go, and - best of all - I get to look in the mirror and shake my head in wonder at the miracle that my body is a part of.
I will miss you, my bump, in six days after our baby is born. I will miss watching you move around, all full of baby, and I will miss how freaked out Shaun gets when he sees a big kick or roll. I'm afraid that after she's born I'll stop feeling as connected to the 'miracle' aspect of this whole process - that I'll forget how overwhelmingly spiritual and special it has been...because my bump will go from being a quiet, constant reminder to a demanding, lively infant. I'll just have to remind myself to come back and read this post.
So...here's to you, baby bump. You're huge and not super comfortable to lug around, but you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. And I'll miss you when you go.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
7 Days! Pregnancy Appreciation Week
So I've decided to blog every day for the next week in honor of having spent the last nine months of my life pregnant! Because we're having a scheduled c-section, I know FOR SURE that at the MOST I will only be pregnant for another seven days. That blows my mind. Just...wow...
Let's be grateful, shall we? I spend a lot of time lately expressing how uncomfortable I am, how swollen I am, how tired I am, etc...BUT in reality, I am really REALLY grateful that I've gotten to experience pregnancy (and all of it's glorious, strange, and [at times] disgusting symptoms).
I spent a lot of time in my early and mid twenties feeling fairly certain that I'd never have kids. Not because I didn't WANT kids, but because I seemed to really struggle with the whole 'finding the right person to have kids with' thing. At times I felt pretty bitter watching women have their sweet babies, and loving husbands, and awesome lives.
DAY 7 of Pregnancy Appreciation Week is dedicated to appreciating God and His timing. I couldn't see it back then, but when I look back now I can see some reasons that it took me a little while to get to this point in my life. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful that God knows me better than I know myself. I'm grateful that THAT time period in my life is over, but also for all the things I learned about myself during it. I'm grateful that after all that waiting and praying for it I have my loving husband and sweet baby (almost!) and my life is awesome. Yeah, we're poor and in school. Yeah, we live in the world's tiniest apartment in the world's tiniest town with the world's tiniest income haha. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? This is what I've wanted for a loooong time. And if that means swollen ankles and heartburn 24/7 and body parts getting stretched out (that, let's be real, will probably never UNstretch...) and a budget the size of a thimble and sleepless nights and never-ending cravings for pickles and mustard and chicken nuggets and Taco Bell (...wonder why I have heartburn..??) then SO BE IT.
God knew what I could handle back then, and He knows what I can handle now. All of the waiting, all of the wishing...it's all lead me here. And a week from today I get to be a Mom. And that's the best, most amazing, most overwhelmingly terrifying and beautiful gift God could ever give me.
The end.
xo.
Let's be grateful, shall we? I spend a lot of time lately expressing how uncomfortable I am, how swollen I am, how tired I am, etc...BUT in reality, I am really REALLY grateful that I've gotten to experience pregnancy (and all of it's glorious, strange, and [at times] disgusting symptoms).
I spent a lot of time in my early and mid twenties feeling fairly certain that I'd never have kids. Not because I didn't WANT kids, but because I seemed to really struggle with the whole 'finding the right person to have kids with' thing. At times I felt pretty bitter watching women have their sweet babies, and loving husbands, and awesome lives.
DAY 7 of Pregnancy Appreciation Week is dedicated to appreciating God and His timing. I couldn't see it back then, but when I look back now I can see some reasons that it took me a little while to get to this point in my life. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful that God knows me better than I know myself. I'm grateful that THAT time period in my life is over, but also for all the things I learned about myself during it. I'm grateful that after all that waiting and praying for it I have my loving husband and sweet baby (almost!) and my life is awesome. Yeah, we're poor and in school. Yeah, we live in the world's tiniest apartment in the world's tiniest town with the world's tiniest income haha. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? This is what I've wanted for a loooong time. And if that means swollen ankles and heartburn 24/7 and body parts getting stretched out (that, let's be real, will probably never UNstretch...) and a budget the size of a thimble and sleepless nights and never-ending cravings for pickles and mustard and chicken nuggets and Taco Bell (...wonder why I have heartburn..??) then SO BE IT.
God knew what I could handle back then, and He knows what I can handle now. All of the waiting, all of the wishing...it's all lead me here. And a week from today I get to be a Mom. And that's the best, most amazing, most overwhelmingly terrifying and beautiful gift God could ever give me.
The end.
xo.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Out of the mouths of babes:
Yesterday during sacrament meeting I went out into the hallway at church to get a drink. A group of sunbeams were making their way toward the drinking fountain as I was heading back into the meeting, and one little blond boy looked up at me (in what I can only describe as a mixture of horror and wonder) and shouted,"YOU HAVE A FAT BELLY!!" I laughed and said,"Yeah...there's a baby in there!" His teacher looked pretty mortified and rushed him over to join the rest of his classmates.
Then this morning as I was helping my five year old niece get ready for the day, she informed me that "sometimes you forget lots of things because you have a baby in your belly." Haha. Sooo true.
Kids are funny. I'm excited to have a little girl who calls it like she sees it and doesn't shield anyone from the truth. Even when it's socially unacceptable.
That's all.
Then this morning as I was helping my five year old niece get ready for the day, she informed me that "sometimes you forget lots of things because you have a baby in your belly." Haha. Sooo true.
Kids are funny. I'm excited to have a little girl who calls it like she sees it and doesn't shield anyone from the truth. Even when it's socially unacceptable.
That's all.