Hits & Misses

Top 5 Things I'll Miss About Being Pregnant
1. Feeling the baby wiggle and squirm inside. I've always felt that her little flips, turns, nudges, jabs, pokes, and kicks have been some kind of secret language she uses to communicate with me. I know that she doesn't like it when I lay on my back or left side for too long because she squirms and jabs until I change position. I know she enjoys a good meal because she snuggles around for 10 minutes after I eat and then naps quietly for at least an hour. Pretty soon (any day now) the movement I feel from her will tell me she's ready to meet me face-to-face!

2. Guilt-free eating. Although I'm not thrilled with the weight gain, it has been pretty nice eating pretty much what I want, when I want it. Fruit Loops morning, noon, and night? Don't mind if I do!!

3. Strangers (and everyone else) tossing around more warm smiles than usual. Not to mention door-holding, lifting heavy stuff, and giving me my choice of seating!

4. Extra sleep! I may wake up more frequently to use the bathroom or just to turn over, but overall, I think I've been getting more sleep than usual. Especially since school got out - I've been averaging 8-10 hours each night!

5. Comfy clothes 24/7. No one judges sweatpants at 3:00 in the afternoon at the grocery store nearly as much when your baby bump leads you down the aisles!

Top 5 Things I Will NOT Miss About Being Pregnant
1. Not feeling comfortable in my own skin (my own stretched out skin). It hasn't been much fun trying to find clothes that fit properly. And it really hasn't been fun watching the numbers climb on that scale. I outgrew my wedding ring months ago and even my flip flops are starting to feel tight!

2. Not being able to exercise. I know! I was surprised to hear myself say this, too! I kept working out for as long as I could, but unfortunately, I had to give it up sometime in April. It became really uncomfortable and I was worried I'd hurt myself or the baby with a shift in balance and weird blood pressure changes.

3. Heartburn. Doesn't matter what I eat, when I eat it, or what I do right after eating it - heartburn and acid reflux keep striking without rhyme or reason. I've been told, though, that heartburn during pregnancy means the baby will have hair. I know it's just an old wives tale, but supposedly, it's one of the most accurate ones...

4. 196 trips to the bathroom each day.

5. The loss of independence. While it's nice to have people help out, sometimes I feel like people treat me like I'm completely helpless. I'm usually quite independent and used to doing things on my own. That all changed right around the time the belly bump appeared. I really appreciate all the help people have given me (especially with packing & unpacking my classroom and moving to IL), but it's been really hard for me to hang out and watch other people do my hard work.