What I Have Learned

I am getting a little nostalgic about the end of my pregnancy. i mean i feel like I have been pregnant for a long time. and I have really. 37 weeks. that is 15 weeks shy of a year! I wonder how I will feel once she is outside of me. breathing and opening her eyes and being a being. to not just feel her knees and feet wedged in my ribs, but see them wiggle on their own. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around her existing outside of my belly.

I digress. I made a list of things I have learned in the past 37 weeks. 

Things Pregnancy Has Taught Me: 

• feeling your baby move in your belly is one of the weirdest, most perfect feelings in the world. and the first time you feel it you have no idea that is what you are really feeling. people tell me i will really miss it once she is out. I think they are probably right. 
• there is nothing you can do to make morning/all-day sickness go away, especially in the beginning. it is what it is. just keep your mind on the end goal and pray:) no sea bands, ginger drops, preggie pops, or other gimmick helps. in fact prescription meds dont even help. it is like no other nausea you will ever experience. but hopefully you are like me and have a wonderful husband, mom and family who take care of you through it. or at least until you can not sleep on the bathroom floor anymore. 
• never. never. comment on a pregnant woman's belly (or any woman's stomach for that matter) if you simply must comment on her weight gain, use the phrase 'all belly' or 'Ainsley is growing!' although even that, at this point, is pushing it. once the belly reaches a certain point, just dont even draw attention to it:) 
• hormones are the real deal. you will ride an emotional roller coaster and realize in your head you are being crazy, yet there is not a thing you can do about it. keep tissues and mascara with you at all times. 
• take baths. lots and lots of them. but near the end make sure you send a quick text letting someone know there is a chance they might have to come lift you out of the tub if you get stuck. 
• indulge yourself, but not every time you feel like it. if you give in to every craving and amount of food you really want, you will blow up like a cow. its hard, but try to keep it under control. unless you are down 11 pounds from being sick. then it's a free for all. eat whatever sounds good whenever it sounds good.
• pamper yourself. I am not one to spend money on manicures, pedicures, or massages (unless I have a gift card!). but when nothing else about you feels pretty, it is nice to have pretty toes and nails:) go for it. 
• don't feel bad about wearing your husbands sweat pants. then his tshirts. your clothes stop fitting and there is no shame in sporting his clothes. they are way more comfortable. 
• everyone has an opinion. about everything. try to realize they are only telling you because they care about you. but also realize that it is your body,  your family, and your and your husband's decision. 
• people are way nicer to you when you are pregnant. they hold the door for you. they help you down stairs. they smile at you. it's nice:) enjoy it because once the baby is out and you are lugging around a car seat they will let the door shut in your face:) 
• invest in some serious cocoa butter or anti-stretch mark cream. you use it way more than you ever thought possible. plus it helps your skin be not so itchy (and man does it get itchy!) 
• sleeping more than an hour is a thing of the past it seems like. I know people tell me it is getting me ready for when she comes. and maybe they are right, but I can't imagine sleeping any worse than I do right now. it is impossible to get comfortable with a bowling ball attached to you and pulling on your every muscle. 
• God enables your body to stretch, grow and go through things you never thought possible .and I haven't even experienced the biggest part of this yet!. I am sure you women who have pushed babies out are thinking 'honey you aint seen nothin yet'. 
• despite all my whining and complaining-- carrying your child in your belly for 9 months is the most amazing thing I have done up to this point in my life. carrying our daughter that God created from part me, part Philip, is a truly miraculous experience. I feel so blessed to have been given this time to carry her and grow her. 

** if you have not read this girls blog you have got to check it out-- she cracks me up

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