This is perhaps the last blog post I'll finish before the little one makes his or her grand entrance, so I thought I'd record the things I'll miss about being pregnant. Granted, dear husband and I certainly hope to repeat this process again soon. But I'm sure each time will be slightly different than the last.
In no particular order:
- Rapid eye movement from coworkers. Interactions at work, especially in the four-to-seven month, starting-to-show phase, would go something like this: "Hi Mary!" [eye contact] Pause. [furtive glance down at belly region and general weight-gain area] "Wow, uh..." [eye contact resumes] "The kid's really coming along now, ehh?" This pattern subsided in the final month or two as people would just try and get out of my way when they'd see me coming. Clear a path!
- Never having to wonder, "Is my fly down?" It never is. Know why? Preggie pants have no flies. Glorious. Now, I have had to wonder, "Is there toilet paper stuck to my shoe?" That question would oft go unanswered, mainly because I can't see my feet.
- The manic urges to clean. Anything. After a four-month gap in mopping my kitchen floor, I did it three times. In one week. I can hear the Swiffer mop whimpering from the closet.
- Ultimate fashion freedom. Who says my shirt has to be clean? I'm pregnant! Who says my hair can't go days, nay, weeks, without getting a blast of hair spray? I'm pregnant and too hot to get out a curling iron! Who says I can't wear the same pants five days in a row? I'm bearing a child here! (Besides, they're the only ones with a waistband big enough to encircle an entire planet, i.e., my current circumference.)
Chocolate-smeared shirts and cleaning wipes aside, there is, of course, the most obvious thing to miss about not being pregnant anymore. It hits me throughout the day that I'm carrying a unique human soul, just under my skin and muscle. Psalm 139 tells us:
Right now, the Lord knows every detail about every day I have left on His earth. And, right now, he knows each precious detail about the child inside of me. For the past nine months, baby and I have lived together, sharing our days in the most intimate way possible. That intimacy, then, is what I will miss most: the intimacy of having this child so close to my heart, so enfolded in my embrace. I'm waiting with joyful anticipation for the day of our formal introduction.
Having said that, I'm off to do the dishes. My Mom says to keep the place tidy and the sink empty. It's sage advice, since you never know when the "Ok, it's time to go!" moment will arrive. We'll see if I can keep the Swiffer in the closet.
In no particular order:
- Rapid eye movement from coworkers. Interactions at work, especially in the four-to-seven month, starting-to-show phase, would go something like this: "Hi Mary!" [eye contact] Pause. [furtive glance down at belly region and general weight-gain area] "Wow, uh..." [eye contact resumes] "The kid's really coming along now, ehh?" This pattern subsided in the final month or two as people would just try and get out of my way when they'd see me coming. Clear a path!
- Never having to wonder, "Is my fly down?" It never is. Know why? Preggie pants have no flies. Glorious. Now, I have had to wonder, "Is there toilet paper stuck to my shoe?" That question would oft go unanswered, mainly because I can't see my feet.
- The third-trimester tight belly phenomenon. One never feels like one has a gut while pregnant--there's no flab to be flung on the front half of the body! Granted, the tush is another story. The stomach region, however, stays in one of two states: taught (the normal state) and really taught (post-meal).
- The manic urges to clean. Anything. After a four-month gap in mopping my kitchen floor, I did it three times. In one week. I can hear the Swiffer mop whimpering from the closet.
- Ultimate fashion freedom. Who says my shirt has to be clean? I'm pregnant! Who says my hair can't go days, nay, weeks, without getting a blast of hair spray? I'm pregnant and too hot to get out a curling iron! Who says I can't wear the same pants five days in a row? I'm bearing a child here! (Besides, they're the only ones with a waistband big enough to encircle an entire planet, i.e., my current circumference.)
Chocolate-smeared shirts and cleaning wipes aside, there is, of course, the most obvious thing to miss about not being pregnant anymore. It hits me throughout the day that I'm carrying a unique human soul, just under my skin and muscle. Psalm 139 tells us:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb... When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
Right now, the Lord knows every detail about every day I have left on His earth. And, right now, he knows each precious detail about the child inside of me. For the past nine months, baby and I have lived together, sharing our days in the most intimate way possible. That intimacy, then, is what I will miss most: the intimacy of having this child so close to my heart, so enfolded in my embrace. I'm waiting with joyful anticipation for the day of our formal introduction.
Having said that, I'm off to do the dishes. My Mom says to keep the place tidy and the sink empty. It's sage advice, since you never know when the "Ok, it's time to go!" moment will arrive. We'll see if I can keep the Swiffer in the closet.
You are a doll, I love you!!!
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you and Sean. Will be praying for you and counting the days until I get to meet God's newest and most perfect miracle.
ReplyDeleteGob bless you,
Dorothy