looking back

As we draw nearer to the arrival of our little man, I find myself remeniscing on these last nine months of having him in my belly. Overall I'd say it was a very pleasant experience, and here are a few reasons why:

-We took the pregnancy test at 4am the morning that we were leaving from Moses Lake to head to our new home in Jacksonville. We had a pretty strong hunch of what the result was going to be, so we were at least a little prepared to see that little pink plus sign. It's amusing that we'd watched the movie Knocked Up the night before, so really the timing couldn't have been better. I mean, it was hard to keep the news to ourselves as we were saying our goodbyes, but we got to talk and make plans for the next 3,000 miles - how we were going to decorate the room, what we might name him/her, when we should start to tell people - it was a lot of fun.

-We made the big announcement a couple weeks into June, though some friends and relatives were accidentally left out of the loop for a while. Most people's reactions we along the lines of "Well that didn't take long" and "Yeah, we figured that was coming." It kind of took away from the excitement of it all, but everyone was generally very pleased to hear the news, and some were so ecstatic they screamed and probably headed straight to the nearest store to look at baby stuff.

-Right around that same time, I started experiencing some morning sickness, later to become all-day nausea, usually brought on by being close to Michael. This was a very unfortunate coincidence, because I just couldn't stay away from him. Luckily, I only ever discovered one food aversion, which was, strangely enough, cilantro, but I was bummed that I didn't get any fun cravings either. I mean, there's the usual stuff like cookies, ice cream, candy, chocolate of any kind... but I couldn't possibly blame that on the pregnancy and keep a straight face. Actually, my life-long sweet tooth took a little break during the first four or five months and I could actually eat healthy, but since then it's come back full force, and I've had to be a little more disciplined.

-Aside from the stretch marks and loss of mobility, I've really enjoyed the changes that have happened to my body. There was the awkward stage when I just looked pudgy, which actually lasted until my fifth month or so, but now I look enormous and I love it. I mean I wouldn't want to stay this way forever, and at this point I'm eager to get back to my normal shape, but I've always appreciated the look of a glowing pregnant woman. I feel so beautiful as a mother-to-be, with all my extra curves, and yes, the with-child-waddle. People tell me all the time that I've kept a good figure, or that I'm a "cute pregnant lady," which is really nice to hear when you're wearing size jumbo.

-People become really funny when you're pregnant. They want to give you advice and tell you every detail of their pregnancy or delivery, or those of someone they know. They think it's a free-for-all to touch your stomach and say all sorts of inappropriate things about your body or your love life. I mean I've never been an especially private person, so I didn't care too much, but I always found it so amusing. "You're carrying him in your thighs." That one was the best.

-One of my favorite moments was hearing his heartbeat for the first time. Until then, he was kind of a presence that we had to just believe was there, with no actual evidence but what a few urine tests told us. When we heard the fast-paced Lub-Dub of an 11-week old heart, it brought tears to my eyes, because it was proof that this dream was a reality. The next best thing was feeling him move inside me. They were such small motions at first, little giggles and gas bubbles, but now he's darn near kicking a hole in my stomach and making his grand entrance that way! Michael always makes fun of me because I can't ever help but laugh when he gives me a surprise punch or somersault, even though I "should be used to it by now."

-The milestones are obviously the easiest to remember, but the most delightful stage for me has been this last month or two, the homestretch. Setting up his room and making all the preparations, eagerly awaiting his arrival, dreaming about having this little bundle of joy to hold and love up on... it's making me crazy with anticipation but sane at the same time. This life inside me is an inevitable; whether I'm ready or not, I'm going to be a mother. I think that's the best gift of all, that I get to care for this person, that he'll be more than just a twinkle in my eye and a bump in my belly. He's gonna be one awesome little dude.

-The really neat thing is seeing that same excitement on his daddy's face, and to hear it in even the smallest comment about our future son. I can't wait to see Michael as a father, and to somehow find room in my heart, along with our new addition, to love him even more for it.

There are a lot of other little perks, like using my belly as a table and getting to eat as much as I want (though sometimes I don't want to but have to anyways). I receive some very nice massages, a lot of good hugs and sweet kisses when my emotions get the better of me, and most often ridicule from Michael about how huge I am or the fact that I have to grunt to get up off the couch, but I've had a lot of fun with it. Yes, pregnancy can be a very enjoyable phase of life, if you go at it with the right attitude. "You see this? *points to belly* This is my Do Whatever I Want and Get Away With It belly." It's true. Except I can't dance in public. No one likes that very much.