So yes- I haven't blogged in... well... months! In June, we've moved to Korea, and have had an incredible start to our adventure here. Suddenly, the end of this pregnancy has snuck up on me... today is my due date!!! As it doesn't seem like the little guy (or big little guy, as I think he's pretty sizable!) will be coming out to play at the moment, I thought I'd take a few minutes to look back on stuff I've learned through this crazy baby-growing process!
Things I’ve
learned in 40 weeks of growing my son:
1.
If I never see another ‘TUMS’ again, it’ll be
too soon.
2.
I can have the grandest intentions for making
super-healthy meals every day, however, if the motivation to go out and
buy/cook said meals isn’t there, I no longer feel guilty about occasionally
ordering take-out.
3.
German doctors are much more calm and relaxed
than American Army ones.
4.
German doctors are not great at predicting the
sex of the baby at 16 weeks.
5.
3-D ultrasounds are totally weird and creepy…
until it’s your kid. Then they are
amazingly awesome.
6.
Belly kicks, flips and pokes are a totally
indescribable feeling.
7.
Rib kicks, and bladder jabs are describable;
they are not comfortable.
8.
Compression socks are a lifesaver on overseas airplane journeys.
9.
Uncomfyness/soreness during the last few weeks
of being pregnant is nowhere near as bad as the pain and discomfort of my 1st
eight weeks of pregnancy.
10.
I am thankful every day to the preggo gods for sparing
me from both morning sickness and stretch marks.
11.
Watching the numbers on the scale go up each monthly
appointment was surprisingly more reassuring than scary.
12.
That being said, I never want to see the current
scale number again… unless I am pregnant again.
13.
I’ll always remember where I was when Brian got
to feel the baby kick for the 1st time. :)
14.
Any fears about childbirth seem to pale in
comparison to fears about parenting.
15.
I feel less self-conscious in a 2-piece bathing
suit now, than I did 37 pounds ago.
16.
I am thankful every day that Brian will be here
(not deployed or TDY) when the baby is born.
17.
For as much as I gripe about technology, the
fact that the grandparents will get to experience their 1st
grandchild’s first few months via Skype is an incredible thing.
18.
Some mornings I wake up and forget that I’m
pregnant…. Then I try and roll over.
19.
Being severely pregnant in the heat of the
summer isn’t really bad —I’d much prefer wearing these sundresses than heavy
pants and layers.
20.
Having friends in the same stages of pregnancy
with you is fantastically reassuring.
21.
Splurging on more and more books to read to your
baby is never a bad investment.
22.
If people were as kind and considerate to
everyone as they are to visibly pregnant people, the world would be a much
happier place.
23.
I always liked the idea of having twins…. Now
that I’m pregnant with just one, I cannot even begin to fathom having
multiples.
24.
I cannot wait to see Brian as a daddy.
25.
I could waste hours reading message boards on The
Bump… it’s nice to see other people with the same questions and concerns… and
the totally psycho ones make me feel much more normal.
26.
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sleep through
the night without getting up to use the bathroom or stretch my sore hips… I
really can’t imagine falling asleep and not waking up again until the morning.
27.
Sometimes the heartburn is worth it to satisfy
the spicy food fix; most often it’s not.
28.
Being pregnant certainly isn’t awful, but I
don’t think I’d say that it’s particularly enjoyable either.
29.
When discomfort becomes routine, you tend to
forget about it rather than harp on it.
30.
Maternity clothes come in two categories: Frumpy
and boring or incredibly cute and ridiculously expensive.
31.
Long, non-maternity shirts and tanks can be worn
pretty much the whole pregnancy.
At 40 weeks I still have two H&M short sleeve shirts that fit over
the huge bump just fine.
32.
I do not miss scooping the cat litter.
33.
Through the kindness and generosity of our AF
friends, friends from home, and family, I am convinced our little guy is
already the most spoiled (and will be the best-dressed) baby on the planet.
34.
Coming up with the ‘perfect’ name is not
easy!
35.
I love playing “guess which baby part that is”
with Brian when the baby decides to be a shark and swim everywhere at bedtime.
36.
The pregnancy ‘glow’ doesn’t happen for some
people… I just got the pregnancy badly broken out skin instead.
37.
The closer I get to going into labor, (and the
larger I hear the baby is measuring) the less inclined I am to having a
med-free childbirth… and I’m okay with that.
38.
That being said, I REALLY hope this baby comes
out on his own terms and I don’t have to be induced.
39.
My daydreams used to take me to exotic locales
and 5 star restaurants… now I picture little league games and trips to the
beach (perhaps still at exotic locales).
40.
It’s pretty amazing to have so much love and
concern for someone you’ve never met.
This is so sweet. You can tell you much you already love the "big little guy!" You done such a great job taking care of him so far, and you are going to be an even more incredible mom once he makes his appearance :)*. Love you!
ReplyDeleteI learned that pregnancy is 9 months for a reason. I could easily tolerate the first 7. By the 9th month I was done sharing my body & was quite content with evicting my tenant.
ReplyDeleteHaving been very pregnant both during summer and also winter, I must disagree with you. I preferred winter because I was never ridiculously as hot. In fact my hubby used to complain that I had the ceiling fan running in January and turn up his side of the heating blanket. During the summer I either hid out indoors in the a/c or floated in my mom's pool. That was lovely because I had an inner tube to sick my belly in & float face down!
Good luck! It is an amazing and humbling experience to be a parent.
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