Prego Thoughts

I'm 30 weeks pregnant today. Only 10 more weeks to go! This is a picture of me and my friend Jamie (6 weeks ahead of me) at her baby shower.

My pregnancy book tells me Adler is 3lbs. Crown to rump, he is a little over 10 3/4 inches and total length is 17 inches!
I can tell you, he is definitely getting crowded in there. It also tells me I should gain about 1 lb a week from here on out!

A baby born between the 38th and 42nd weeks of pregnancy is considered full term. Babies born prematurely usually weigh less than 5 1/2 lbs. So, it seems Adler will be packing on the lbs in the next couple weeks - it's like he's just baking in there for the last 2 1/2 months.

Stephen asked me the other day how I've liked being pregnant. I feel like it's one of those things that a year from now I'll say, "O, I loved being pregnant". Here are some of my thoughts on the matter. I will use the Tri Delta rush method of pro-con-pro.

So, first let me start by saying I am completely honored that God has blessed Stephen and me with the charge of parenthood. In so many ways, I feel inadequate and ill prepared, but it only makes my need for my Father greater and deepens my desire to know and cling to Him.

However, in gaining 25lbs, developing a protruding stomach, and entering the world of bottles (angled or non), nipples (flat or rounded), and wipes (to warm or not to warm) you have to find some humor. Here are my thoughts on things to complain about being pregnant and things to love...

My complaints:
1) The knocked up teenager stare - OK, so I know that pre-pregnancy I look pretty young for my age. In volunteering with Young Life, I often get mistaken for a student rather than the 26 year old I am. When paying to enter the high school games, the moms always charge me the student rate - I always have to awkwardly tell them I am an adult. Anyways, in the past month, my fingers and even wrists have gotten swollen. I can't wear any rings, bracelets, or even my favorite watch. This leads to the "knocked up teenager stare" by strangers. I can often follow people's eyes from my swollen belly to my naked finger. I love to watch how they choose to react. I know I could buy a cheap fake ring to avoid these looks, but a part of me thinks it's kind of funny and I kinda like to make these people wonder.

2) The fish bowl effect - I came up with that phrase all by myself because this is how I describe what it feels like to be pregnant. Overall, my body feels normal - if I'm distracted by something for a while, I'll forget I'm prego for a second. The fish bowl effect comes into play mostly in mobility - getting up and down from sitting - and especially getting out of bed. Bottom line, your sense of gravity/balance seems to be thrown off. Being prego, you can only sleep on your sides at night. I constantly feel like a pancake, having to flip over as one side gets achy. I can feel Adler's weight shifting as I shift - he'll often kick in complaint of my new sleeping position. Moving around, it just feels like a fish bowl.

3) The "I didn't wear that yesterday" method - If I did not wear an article of clothing to work the day before, it is fair play for creating the current day's wardrobe. I have adopted this method because I have discovered that buying pregnant clothes is futile. I went on a mini prego shopping spree about a month ago. I bought a skirt, a couple tops, and a pair of fantastic capri maternity pants. For the most part, none of these clothes fit anymore. I tried to hang on to the capri pants for as long as possible. Even though one of the two buttons was already broken, I would try to salvage the last button, clinging on for it's life, by unbuttoning my pants when driving/ or sitting at my desk for a long period of time. Finally, I had to face the reality it was time to retire the pants when even slouching them below my stomach, they would no longer reach across. At this point, I am caring less and less about my pregnancy wardrobe. However, I put this in the "complaints" section because I imagine this is more of a complaint coming from my coworkers. (not that shirt again!) I work for a non-profit group - we currently don't have a "dress code". But in the past 2 weeks, I have heard rumors of one being created. I can only imagine it is because of my 'flip-flop-just-wore-that-2-days-ago" wardrobe.

My joys: (tired of hearing my complaining yet?)
1) E-gad! My butt has shrunk!! - I realize this is not reality, but an illusion created as my stomach continues to get bigger and bigger, but I don't care. When getting dressed, less of my worry and attention is on my butt. I love it! It has definitely become overshadowed by the attention grabbing belly and for this, I am thankful. This may be the only time in my life I haven't wondered "does this make my butt look big?"

2) People are nicer to pregnant women - This has definitely been the case in my experience. A good place to be pregnant is in any kind of line. People want to let you ahead of them - bathroom lines, lines for food, grocery store - it's great! I always accept theses gestures because I know they won't last long. I only wish there was some kind of sticker you could put on your car so people would give you their parking spots. This is when I get mad. "I'm pregnant! Why can't you give me this prime spot??"

3) If all else fails, pull out the pregnancy card - I will admit that I have been pretty good about not abusing the pregnancy card at work. My boss has been very supportive and understanding especially in the beginning when I would be late to work due to a headache or upset stomach. But it's always nice to know, when you run out of excuses like "my dog ate my alarm clock", you can always blame the pregnancy. This is the case not only for work, but for any social gathering you are dreading. It is always great to blame for any kind of moodiness or harsh words you didn't mean. It is also the only time in your life you have an excuse for eating 2 pieces of cake instead of one (you are eating for two). I have lived the past 30 weeks more guilt free than probably any other time. Tired? Take a nap! Your pregnant!

Well, this has become quite the blog. I promise to not let future blogs get this long. Overall, being pregnant has been a great experience. I am so thankful for such great health for myself and Adler. The most miraculous thing has been being completely out of control of the development of Adler and having to trust Christ as He knits together each detail. I hope to continue this learning experience into Adler's life outside of the womb and try not to control his every life experience, but to trust Christ with the life he has for our son!