1) Food freedom
And I don't just mean sushi or caffeinated coffee (which boo-hoo, I can't stomach anymore!) I'm talking more the freedom to eat anything and not have to worry, like runny eggs, lunchmeats (even though I never was a huge lunchmeat person), seafood or cheeses (yes, you can eat fish-- you should eat fish-- but only some kinds of fish. And no soft cheese, but some soft cheese are fine... Shellfish is OK but it sometimes depends. Maine lobster or spiny???)
2) Breathing and laughing properly
This is happening more in the past 2 weeks as Baby gets exponentially larger. It seems as if just standing up from the couch requires an inordinate amount of oxygen. Don't even get me started on walking up and down the stairs. And I realized that I can't LOL as comfortably as I used to- why didn't anyone warn me about this? Jude was saying something crazy hilarious to me last night and it actually hurt to laugh- it then made me a little sad, which brings me to...
3) Emotional control
Actually, it's more just control over my state of mind in general. There are those moments of inexplicable weepiness (like over the Cheerios ad with the son waking his parents up with a bowl of Cheerios to lower their cholesterol- like hello???), panic (like last night when I went to bed convinced that if I got an epidural, Baby would spend her first month in a drug-induced blur), and all-round spaciness (I tried paying for groceries with my student ID.)
4) Cute shoes
I've been alternating between all of 3 pairs of shoes these past months- my Birkenstock sandals, my Chacos sandals, and a pair of PF Flyers tweed ballet flats (ok, those are kind of cute...). Nothing else makes sense or gives me any support. And while I would love to continue wearing my comfy Converse sneakers, I haven't been able to tie my own shoelaces for a while now...
5) All-round mobility
I should have known that the odd symmetry of a pregnant body was going to get in the way of movement in general- getting in and our of the car, the shower, the bed, off the couch, etc. I can't stand for too long, nor sit for too long. A regular chair isn't very comfy, but neither is our kneeling chair. And I miss sleeping on my tummy.
...I appreciate about pregnancy:
1) Food freedom
I've tried to be really good about what I've been eating during the pregnancy-- lots of whole grains, brown rice, fresh veggies, lean protein, and nuts. But I've also given in to that that extra scoop of ice-cream after dinner, just one more piece of chocolate, pancakes for supper, a funnel cake at Art Fair, a handful more chips than I should have with my sandwich, etc- just basically indulgences I wouldn't have otherwise allowed myself. I have to say, it *almost* makes up for not being able to have sushi.
2) Being pampered
And I don't mean spas or massages (although I have to say that I enjoyed the two guilt-free pedicures I've gotten in the past 3 months which is more than I usually get in a year). It's how people have just been watching out for you- Jude's been doing the laundry since I can't even remember when, people let me cut in line for bathrooms all the time, Mr Bus Driver Man made sure I'm safely seated before moving, and the guy at Trader Joe's helped me load groceries into the car without me even asking. I have to say, I might really miss all this kindness :)
3) Guilt-free sleep
I love to sleep. Ask Jude. Or my sisters. Or my parents. And since being pregnant, I've allowed myself the luxury of sleeping almost as much as I like. It used to be that every minute spent sleeping felt like a minute less work done or one chore less completed, but for the past few months, if I felt like sleeping in a little or taking that mid-afternoon nap, I've allowed myself to. Once Baby arrives, sleeping at all might be wishful thinking.
4) Being told I'm looking radiant
I don't get compliments on how I look very often but ever since getting pregnant, people have been saying nice things about my pregnancy glow :) I'm thankful that I've had none of the puffiness in my cheeks and nose or the ashen pallor I was expecting; in fact, my complexion has actually improved with the pregnancy. For that, I'm really grateful to the little one :)
5) Feeling Baby move
I complain about this sometimes, especially when she decides to jab my internal organs or perform extreme acrobatics just as I'm about to fall asleep; but it's also a most wondrous sensation that's hard to describe to anyone. Jude feels her move whenever we lay close together or when he has his hands on my tummy, but it isn't the same as feeling her actually move inside your body. She's a feisty one for sure and we love her all the more for it- it's like her way of reminding us that she's coming soon and we better be ready! :)
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