Once Upon A Time...

there was a girl.

who loved a boy.

and was lucky enough to get to be a mamma to that boy's baby.

(i'm still waiting for the ending... but all signs point to a happily ever after.)


I can count on my fingers the weeks that I have remaining until the official estimated due date of Little Miss and I almost only need one hand to count the weeks until her exit is cleared and the roadblock removed, meaning she could arrive anytime soon after. It is surreal. I have never been happier, more uncomfortable, more terrified or excited or felt more blessed than I do at this very moment of my life.

I have tried incredibly hard not to take one single second of this pregnancy for granted. I learned, like many that I know, that making a baby isn't as easy as many people make it look. And I'm not quite sure if I'll ever get another chance to experience this.

For the most part, I have loved being pregnant and have had it pretty easy... however, here are just a few things that I am looking forward to after her arrival...

...sleeping on my stomach, waking up six times a night for something other than the 4 drops of urine that make it seem like I'm going to explode, wearing real shoes again, losing the muffin top rolls that surround my feet and ankles (and ensuring that my ankle bones ARE in fact, still there), not feeling out of breath after standing up, sitting in a hot tub, eating sushi, wearing my wedding ring again, feeling the sensation of being chilly, drinking diet coke (oh wait... I didn't actually give THAT up, afterall), snuggling with my husband at night instead of all those jacked up pillows, crossing my legs and sitting like an actual lady, wearing jeans and not having to use so many public restrooms.... among many other things.


On the flip-side, some of the things that I'm going to miss...

...my husband rubbing my feet (oh wait, he doesn't do even do that), blaming my eating habits on the little miss ("I'm probably ok, but the baby seems to want another cookie, please") and most of all the feeling of life within, there is nothing as strange or amazing than the feeling of a human being moving and wiggling and living, nestled within my body. I hope to never forget just how humbling and awesome it is.

________________

Other FYI facts...

she's big. At my last appointment, she was 3.75lbs. Dr M. predicted that if she goes full-term, she will be between 8.5 and 9lbs. Pray for us. :)

we still don't know whether she'll come the old fashioned way or the sectioned way. tbd

i had another ultrasound last week, and she still appears to be a girl.

she has a name. leah. after my beautiful grandmother.

i have cankles, but i've been told it will be worth it.