Tummy Tuesday #13

Y'all. Time is FLYING by.
And I couldn't be happier.
I love the feeling of this little one kicking me, but I dream
of the day I can sleep on my back or stomach again.

How far along? 22 weeks

Have you noticed that I wear tshirts 99.9% of the time?
We are allowed to wear them to work, which is perfect for me.
I don't mind dressing like a college student on the reg.
I let my work speak for itself....although I will tell you that
it gets a little awkward when you walk into an unexpected meeting
with all of management and you are sporting a Memphis tshirt and a
baby bump....oh well, what can you do? Besides dress up, obviously.

Sleep? Just like it has been. Not great but def not awful. Oh and FH
has been off work this week so having him at home at night and in the
bed with me makes it much better. Even if I do keep him up half the
night with my tossing and turning. :)

Best moment this week? The ultrasound today!! Although, Baby Harper
sure didn't want his picture taken. We could not get one of his face but
he gave us a clear shot of his butt and man parts. The good news is that
this means we get to have another ultrasound when we go back in 4 weeks.
I'll take it.

Miss anything? My coworker!!! She had her baby on Sunday and so
now I have to work for 6 weeks without her. It's gonna be a looong 6
weeks but I'm so excited that she gets to spend time at home with her baby.

Movement? Yes, lots. I was glad that I could prove it to FH when he
saw him squirming in the ultrasound. He is a mover! But FH hasn't been
able to feel him yet. He tried really hard last night, but he always misses it.

Size of the baby? a papaya. 8 inches, 1.2 lbs....although today at the
ultrasound he measured at 13 ounces. Also, I'm kinda freaking out about
the size of this kid.....as we all know, I'm huge. Well, I just found out that
FH's dad was 12 lbs when he was born and my dad was 10. I was almost
9....in other words, we make big babies. Maybe this will be a Thanksgiving
baby instead of a Christmas baby?! That would work for me.

Food cravings? None really....I got kinda obsessed with drinking Root
Beer. Which is weird. But it's caffeine free so I was safe to drink it....and
then I realized how much I was drinking. So I stopped cold turkey.
I've been guzzling water like there's no tomorrow. I will do almost anything
to make sure I don't gain too much more weight...it's gettin' ugly!

Gender? Boy

Best rest? No Thank you!

Limitations? Putting my shoes on, painting my toenails, getting out
of bed, breathing...all of these are super simple tasks that are not so simple anymore.

Pregnancy Symptoms? Nothing horrible. My pains kinda come and
go pretty quickly. I'm good with that. I don't mind hurting as long as
I don't stay in pain 24/7.

Looking forward to? Showing off the nursery. I'm hoping FH is secretly
putting the crib together right now as we speak....hear that, FH??


All in all, time is FLYING by. And now that September is almost here,
I know time will really zoom by. This is our year end at work so I will
be crazy busy and working tons of hours....I just hope I can handle sitting
in this chair long enough to get through the month!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!!
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Goodbye Free Time

I love that my kids love sports.
If they didn't, I probably would have had to adopt more.
I super big puffy heart love sports.
And if I am too old and fat and out of shape to play them myself,
then the next best thing is to be a sports mom.
The kind that does NOT have 400 stickers on the back of her minivan.
Just so we are clear.

The girls have been active in sports since they started playing in the
outfield dirt softball at 3.
But this is the first year that they can play school sports.
Which is SO EXCITING!

Alex is cheering.
Which is not my cup of tea.
But it is SO HER and she is LOVING it.
I can already tell that this is going to be her thing.

Kate is playing volleyball.
Which I love!
Unfortunately the 5th and 6th grade team only plays like 6 Saturdays
and then practices twice a week.
It's a nice way to get them into the sport when first starting out.
And let's be honest, I would have killed just to do this in the 5th
grade.
The girls go to the same school that I went to and we definitely
didn't have sports for elementary kids.

Kate is also water girl for the football team.
This works well because she has to be at all the football games anyways.
And it gives her something to do without having to cheer.
Cheering is so not her thing.
I can tell it's building her confidence and I think that's great.
She has to run out on the field and throw bottles of water and boys.
That takes some courage.

It's a lot of work to keep both schedules straight.
There is some kind of practice or game almost every day.
And of course we have to fit homework in there too.
But this is the beginning of many, many years of juggling sports.
I hope!

My mom told me some of her favorite memories came from sitting
in the bleachers watching me play ball.
She was the best sports mom ever, never missing a single game.
And let's be honest, when you play volleyball, softball, basketball, and
tennis, there's a lot of games to go to.

I hope that I can be the cheerleader that my Mom was.
I hope that I can yell for my kids but not embarass them.
Encourage them but not overwhelm them.
And most of all, I just hope I can appreciate every single moment
of them making memories. And enjoy this year even if this pregnant
lady is DYING in the heat, because next year there will be a baby
to haul to all these games. :)

Go Rebels!!!

Happy Friday Friends! :)

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Fat Girl Wednesday

aka Tummy Tuesday #12

 

So I'm a little behind.

It could be worse.

 

How far along? 21 weeks.

 

I'm pretty sure my bump got bigger this week.
In fact, everything on me has gotten bigger.
Except for my bladder, unfortunately.
My hair is even out of control long.

Sleep? It's been pretty decent this week. I've stopped taking daily
naps so I know that's helped. I'm not as exhausted 24/7 like I was before.

Best moment this week? Starting on the nursery! It's so exciting that it's
slowly coming together. And I'm proud that we have started on it so early.
I want to get it completed so that we can focus on other things before baby
gets here.

Miss anything? Being independent. I hate asking people to help me
do things. Like pick something up for me or carry something heavy.
I'll be so glad when I am back to normal.

Movement? Yes. The girls and FH still haven't felt him but hopefully
that will happen soon. :)

Size of the baby? a spaghetti squash. 8 in, 1 lbs. I'm so excited that he
is finally (estimated) to be one whole lb!

Food cravings? Nothing special this week. I'm trying so hard to control
my eating....it's not easy!!

Gender? Boy.

Bed rest? Nope. Although some days when I'm at work, I long for bed rest....
knock on wood. I have been there, done that and it's not pretty.

Limitations? Not being able to help paint the nursery was extremely
annoying to me. I love to paint and having to sit in another room so I
could breathe something other than paint fumes was not a fun limitation!

Pregnancy Symptoms? Nothing new, nothing horrible. I miss seeing
my feet. My swelling has definitely gone down a good bit. I'm glad I'm
not at a constant swollen status. It comes and it goes and when it's here,
it's miserable. So I'm grateful for the occasional relief.

Looking forward to? Seeing the nursery once complete. Our ultrasound
next Tuesday. We go on vacation next Friday and I'm praying that I have
non-fat feet during that weekend. Oh and this might sound crazy, but I'm
really looking forward to the yard sale I'm going to have this weekend.
I need to get rid of some stuff so we have more room in the house...and
I have no reason to hold on to little girl clothes anymore.

I'm gonna be honest and tell you that I have had a tough time this week.
I feel like every other day someone makes a comment on how huge this
baby is going to be or how I look like I am due next week. It's hurtful.
It's not nice. I think most people don't have bad intentions with these
comments, but it doesn't make it any better. I'm so grateful to have this
bump, no matter how huge it is. I'm grateful that I have a healthy baby
growing inside of me, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me. But
I'm also not responsible for smacking people if they keep making comments.
And when out in public from now on, I swear I'm just going to start telling
people that I'm due in like October or something so I don't have to deal.
That, and I'm working up the courage to come back with a "and when are
YOU due??" just so some women can realize they should be nice. :)

Happy Hump Day Friends!



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Monkey See, Monkey Do

Okay so this morning, I have been doing a bit of blog stalking.
I can't help it, when a blog I like, I have to backread.
Especially when I find another pregnant momma.
So this post idea came from this adorable pregnant lady.

Just some random questions which is always a good thing when you
don't know what to blog about.....

1. Do you like blue cheese? negative.

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Nope. If I were into stinking,
having a bad voice, and cancer then I'd probably try it. But luckily, I'm not.
And I'm not even just saying that because my kids will read this one day.
Smoking is BAD kids!!

3. Do you own a gun? There are 2 BB guns in my house. One pink, one
brown. They don't get used often...and unless a can robs my house, they
won't help any...empty coke cans are all that have been shot at with them.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? None. But now that
I am pregnant, I drink a lot of Root Beer (caffeine free!) and do you know
how weird it is to order a Route 44 Root Beer? Especially when you
prounounce "route" like "root".....

5. Do you get nervous about doctor's appointments? Yes, always. At
least until they weigh me. After that is over with, I'm good. :)

6. Do you like hot dogs? The thought of them disgusts me...but they
are kinda good so yes, I guess.

7. What do you prefer to drink in the mornings? root beer. and when
not pregnant SWEET TEA!!

8. Can you do pushups? Sure can.

9. What's your favorite meal? It's a toss up between Mexican and pizza.
I'm real healthy, obviously.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? my wedding ring

11. Favorite hobby? lately, eating. But normally any kind of sports or
just anything that involves competition. I'll totally win. Unless it involves
swimming. I'm a stupid slow swimmer.

12. Do you work with people that idiolize you? Of course, my friends Amy, Amy, and
Candi think I am the greatest gift to our building?
And of course I'm not just saying that because they read my blog....

13. Name a trait that you hate about yourself? no patience. AT ALL.

14. Middle name? Elise.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this moment. I'm hungry. Is it time to leave work yet?
Is this tshirt too small for my baby bump?

16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. new notebooks for K&A.
candy for K&A. Cheez-its for me.

17. Name 3 drinks you drink regularly. root beer, water.....and I guess
anything that FH is drinking I normally still a sip of. :)

18. Current worry right now? Will I ever stop gaining weight??

19. Current hate right now? People who feel the need to be brutally
honest about how big I am....do you think I don't realize this??

20. Favorite place to be? off work

21. How did you bring in New Years? more than likely I was sleeping...

22. Favorite place to go? the lake or the river. I love the sun!

23. What is your most recurring dream? I don't have one. Is that
weird? I hardly ever even remember mine...unless FH does something
mean in my dream, then I wake up mad at him. {sorry about that!}

24. Introvert or extrovert? extrovert

25. What color shirt are you wearing? charcoal Go Tigers shirt!

26. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't think I have ever
slept on any...but I love me some cotton sheets. The softer the better.

27. Can you whistle? a sad, pathetic little whistle, yes

28. There was no question for #28.....weird.

29. Favorite color? Green.

30. Would you be a pirate? Only if I could still brush my teeth.
Do pirates get to do that? Oh and there would be no bird near my shoulder.

31. What songs do you sing in the shower? None really. I prefer
baths and I stay in there way too long to sing. I like to read then though.

32. Favorite girl's name? Rosemary

33. Favorite boy's name? Harper.....duh.

34. Who is your loudest friend? I hate to admit this but I'm pretty
sure that I'm the loudest.

35. What's in your pocket right now? nothing at all. That's what
my purse is for.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? a commercial for KMart that
someone posted on their blog.

37. Bed sheets as a child? absolutely no idea. I can tell you though
that I had a day bed and I slept on the trundle bed so I never had to
make my bed, I just rolled it back underneath. #genius

38. Worst injury you ever had? I tore my ACL playing basketball
and had to sit out my entire Junior year. Life has never been the same.

39. Do you love where you live? Most definitely!!

40. How many TVs are in your house? 4. But none of them get
watched as much as the iPad does.

41. What is your worst habit? Biting my lip.

42. How many dogs do you have? 0. I don't do animals. I have enough
humans to take care of at my house.

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I'm thinking FH might.

44. Do you own slippers? Yep, somewhere in the back of my closet.

45. What is your favorite book? I have no idea. I read WAY too many
and too much to have a favorite. Not to mention, normally as soon as
I get done with a book, I forget what happened in it.

46. What is your favorite candy? Currently, Airheads. But I LOVE
me some candy.

47. What is your favorite sports team? I bleed blue. Memphis Tiger
fan all the way....even when we aren't that good.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Ummm, I have
no idea. Maybe that Cups song?? "cause you're gonna miss me when I'm
gone....."

49. What were you doing at midnight last night? Probably headed
towards my 2nd or 3rd trip to the bathroom....

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up
this morning? Do I really need to wash my hair?

MAN! That was long...and probably pointless.
But I love when blogs are spelled out with questions. :)

Hope everyone is having a happy Thursday!




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Keepin' It Real

 

Let me just go ahead and tell you that I hate feet.

Gross.
Nobody wants to open up IG and see a pic of your feet.
Nor do I want to touch them, or even talk about them for that matter.

But I like to keep it real on this blog.
And real for me right now is MONSTER feet.

**warning, foot picture ahead***

I swear I don't have fat feet on a normal basis.


When I say that they are killing me, I'm not exaggerating.
My tennis shoes are too tight and my flip flops leave marks.

My fat feet make me waddle.

Did I mention that I'm only 20 weeks??

This kinda freaks me out because in case you didn't know, I got really REALLY
sick when I was pregnant with K&A.
We are talking bed rest, swollen, high blood pressure, and miserable.

You know you are swollen when you show the doctor your cankles and
his response is "Oh, wow." That's where I was with K&A.
I was told that this won't necessarily repeat itself and even though I am
swollen, as long as my blood pressure stays normal, I'm fine.
Blood pressure is still normal. Let's hope it stays that way!

In the meantime, I'm doing eveything I can to get the swelling down.
Mainly because I kinda like being able to walk.
Oh yeah, and I kinda need to be at work everyday so if I get sick this
time around, I'll be in trouble.

I have a stool under my desk at work and I keep my feet propped up.
**warning, another foot picture ahead***

I also was told to soak them in Epsom salt and warm water.
Well, I dont exactly have a bucket for foot baths just sitting around
at my house....so I had no clue what to use.
I wasn't putting Epsom salt in my bathtub because I was afraid it
would be impossible to clean up....so I improvised, redneck style.

Yep, that's yours truly.
Soaking her feet in a cooler.
So if you ever get a beer out of our cooler and you think it smells like feet....
well, sorry about that.
But hello, amazing! It was like heaven.
My own mini spa in a cooler.
And I'm not even mad that I looked like an idiot while doing this.
My new nightly ritual.

Okay, enough about my feet.
Have I grossed anyone out yet??
I'm hoping to go find some fat girl tennis shoes this weekend.
I don't even care what they look like, I just want some comfort!

I'm not sure what a Southern girl is to do when "festival season" is
fast approaching and swollen feet are involved.
I'll just have to find a wheelchair to be pushed around in so that I
don't miss out on anything. :)

At this rate, I'm going to have to stop doing bump updates and start taking
weekly cankle pictures.

Happy Hump Day Y'all! Pin It Now!

Tummy Tuesday #11

I'm tired. School starting back is going to kill me. Just so you know.

How far along? 20 weeks. Halle-freakin-lujah!!! Halfway there!!

I kinda feel like my bump hasn't gotten any bigger.
My butt probably has, but I feel like my bump is staying the same.
Which is fine, I'm not complaining. I'd LOVE to stay this size.
It just makes the bump pictures seem pointless.....

Sleep? I'm not complaining. I can't say I'm comfortable when I sleep but
I can say that I have finally realized that I just have to deal with side sleeping
from  now until December.

Best moment this week? Nothing really new. The girls were excited that school
started back so we were able to show my bump off to their teachers.
Although, I should mention that when we were walking up to their back
to school party, Kate turned to me and said "I'm kinda embarassed because you
are so big" and she giggled. I'm simply including this because when you are
older and reading this Kate, I want you to know that it took a lot of will power
not to smack you, sweet child of mine. :) We all know kids are honest!

Miss anything? Not really this week.  I do miss seeing my baby. I can't
wait to have another ultrasound soon to see how much he has grown!

Movement? Yes, I will never get use to feeling this. And I will never stop
loving the feeling.

Size of the baby? a banana. 7 inch, 11 ounces

Food cravings? I NEED chocolate. Chocolate and protein. Tacos and pizza.
Is anyone else hungry right now?!

Gender? Boy.

Bed Rest? Nope.

Limitations? I'm fat and I'm slow. I can't wear regular shoes so much because
my feet are swollen. I can't stand for long. I get out of breathe easily and I
still get exhausted. Basically, I'm like your average 600 lb human.

Pregnancy Symptoms? Back pain isn't as bad as it was, but feet hurt constantly.
I've even given up on wearing anything but my good tennis shoes that I normally
run in (well, back when I was running anyways).

Wedding rings? Not a chance. I hate this part. I'm not buying a new fake ring
just to wear, that's just not for me. I want my ring on my finger! But I guess
it's a small price to pay.

Looking forward to? Working on the nursery! We finally got the crib yesterday and
FH has 2 weeks of vacation time coming up next week, which means I have to make
up my mind on what color I want to paint...but I keep changing my mind!

That's all for now! Happy Tummy Tuesday! :) Pin It Now!

Tummy Tuesday #10

Can we just discuss how much I am starting to hate Tummy Tuesday?
Not so much the update, I like keeping up with everything.
But mainly the Tummy Tuesday pic!!
For some reason, I always go to take this pic when I'm lookin a hot mess.
Which is understandable since 9 times out of 10 I look a hot mess these days.
So the odds of being all cute and dressed up are not in my favor.
At all.

But I have to give the fans what they want. And fans want pictures.
Hear that Mom? This pic is for you.

Moving along.

How far along? 19 weeks ALMOST HALFWAY THERE!!!

Sleep? Not horrible. I feel like it's been a little better lately.

Best moment this week? That would definitely have to be yesterday.
I was full of energy for some reason. I have no idea where it came from but
I had to take FULL advantage of it while it lasted.
I had a list of errands and I completed it after work. That never happens.
It's normally so hot that I just want to run home to the air conditioner.
I went to the grocery store.
I cleaned out our fridge.
I cleaned both bathrooms.
And then I went for a wog. (walk/jog)
I haven't ran any since my half in April (when I didn't realize I was pregnant).
Since then, I have been walking every work day about 2 miles.
That is the full extent of my exercise.
Sad, but true.
Last night, I planned to do 3 miles.
I walked 98% of the time and I did a jog/bounce that was super slow
for like 5 seconds every 10 minutes or so.
It was kinda sad. I was really slow.
But it FELT AWESOME.
I even got shin splints.
I never thought I would be excited to have shin splints, but it was a reminder of
how much I miss running.
I didn't even make it 2 miles since it was so humid.
Also, I knew that I was going to regret this later on so I stopped.
But I'm so glad I got moving and broke a sweat.
I'm hoping I can start doing this more often.

I would have never posted this time before pregnancy...but now, I'm just happy that
my heartrate monitor even fit around my body. I almost forgot which buttons to push
on this thing it's been so long since I used it.

Miss anything? Shin splints....apparently. Feeling the burn.

Movement? Yes, lots lately. I love it! It sure does throw me off though when he
is moving and I'm trying to walk. Very distracting but in a good way.

Size of the baby? my app still says a mango, which is weird because that's
what it said last week. I guess it's a bigger mango now? 6.5 inches, 10 oz

I think someone should update this app so that it has better comparisons.
Can't you just say that my baby is the size of an iphone or something like that?
Would give my kids a better idea, just sayin'.

Food cravings? Nothing major, but I find it kinda hilarious that I NEED protein.
If you know FH, you know why this is funny. The man will carry a Muscle Milk
in his back pocket for a snack. He craves protein. And so I know I am growing his kid....
protein to me now is like spinach to Popeye.

In fact, I found this picture and just had to post it. Sorry for the repost if you follow
me on IG {and if you don't follow me on IG, then what is wrong with you??}
Also, I totally stole this pic from someone. Sorry 'bout that.
This is definately a mini FH.

Pumpin' iron.

 

Gender? Boy.

 

Bed rest? Nope.

 

Limitations? I hate clothes. That is all.

 

Pregnancy Symptoms? Swollen like a fat kid.

 

Wedding rings? Over the weekend I took them off. This was SO SAD to me.

I can still get them on, I just have a hard time getting them off.

And my fingers really swell up when I walk.

Since they were bothering me, I just went ahead and took them off.

I hate not wearing them....but I would hate it more if they got stuck on!

 

 

A told me that since I took them off, cute boys were going to flirt with me.

I told her that I had a big ole pregnant belly so they probably wouldn't.

She said, no, they still will. They'll just think you're fat.

 

Thanks A. Thanks a lot.

 

Looking forward to? Hopefully having more energy! I would LOVE it

if yesterday was a new everyday feeling instead of a one day thing. :)

 

Happy Tummy Tuesday Y'all!!

It will be Christmas time (and Baby Harper time) before I know it!

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10 going on 15

Can we talk about my kids for a minute?
This blog is, after all, about raising these Steppe Sisters of mine.

And after three VERY long and very relaxing weeks, K&A finally came home on Friday.
But they didn't come home as little kids.
They came home a foot taller, acting like pre-teens, and still arguing like 4 year olds.

It's gonna take me awhile to get back in Mommy mode.

First thing Friday, I took Alex to get her physical for cheerleading.

She seemed so grown up at the doctor's office....I didn't like that.

But I really had a rude awakening when the doctor asked me if she had started her period yet.
Ummm, do what?!
My baby is too young for that, shut your mouth doctor!
And then I started to freak out.
Holy cow.
Isn't 5th grade too young?
I most certainly wasn't that young....
So I did what any girl would do.
I text my friends to ask them when they started.
And of course, one of them answered 5th grade.
Holy cow again.

I'm not ready for that.
I'm not ready for girls that are growing up.
Of course I will love it for them to mature just a tiny bit so that I don't have to play referee on a daily basis. But I'm not THAT ready.

I'm pretty sure FH isn't ready to live with 3 hormonal women either.
Poor guy.

So after that question and my mini freakout, the doc continued the physical.
It was all fine and dandy until she told me she had a list of questions that she asks all athletes.
Go for it Doc.

First up, do you ever feel sad, lonely, or depressed?
A said "sad, sometimes" and my mouth dropped to the ground.
What?! That can't be.

Please note, I later asked her why she answered this way and she said she feels sad when bad things happen, like recently when our cousin died in a car wreck.
Ok, I'll take that. Everyone gets sad when sad stuff happens.

Next up, have you ever tried drugs or alcohol?
She immediately looked and me and tried not to laugh.
I mean, she is 10 after all so she found this question pretty funny.

And finally, have you taken any performane enhancing drugs?
Really? Do you really think my 10 year old is shooting up some steroids for cheerleading?
This one kind of made me laugh...and obviously A had no idea what it meant.

To sum it up, physicals are interesting....and eye-opening.

The rest of the weekend included way too many "adult-like" questions.
Including, but not limited to, comments such as It's not fair that boys don't have a period, but girls do.
I couldn't agree more.

And 5th grade starts this week.
I'm just not ready for it.
I'm in denial that my babies are growing up.
I'm also in that stage of feeling bad for everything I put my Mom through while I was a teenager.
It's horrible knowing that you can do your absolute best raising them, but the rest is up to them.
You just have to trust that you raised them well enough to resist peer pressure, to make good decisions, and to stay away from boys until they are done with college.

I'm seriously considering locking them in the house until they are 20.
Don't worry, I'll let them have a few visitors.

And just so you know, they left yesterday for one final min-vacation before school starts on Friday.
Yes, their first day is Friday. Go ahead and tell me how dumb that is.
They will be back home for good on Wednesday though and ready to take on the school year.

I don't want summer time to end, but I'm excited for all that is to come with these big kids this year.

Just a few pickles for you, Mom.

Please note, K&A hardly ever take normal, smiling pics. They are GOOFY.

 

 



Cheers to a great summer.....and school starting means we are getting that much closer to little brother joining the group.

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Life Lessons

While I'm growing this human, I'm learning things about life.
Mainly, that life is a miracle.
How cool is it that God created this tiny tiny little poppy seed sized human in my stomach that will grow into a baby?
It baffles my mind everytime that I think about it.

Another life lesson that I've learned?
We should never compare ourselves to others.
Pregnant or not, this should be the case.
But I've had to remind myself of this over the last couple of months.

You see, I'll never be that tiny pregnant girl who barely shows.
I'll always be the one that hears "Are you sure it's not twins?!"
And I'm okay with that. Or at least I'm trying to be.

This big ole belly of mine might not be pretty.
Cankles are not exaclty attractive. {Understatement of the year.}
Sausage fingers bursting out of a wedding ring are not desirable.
Maternity clothes are only cute if you aren't limited to them.
Or if you don't think about the fact that you are spending $20 on a shirt that won't fit you long.
4,876,952 trips to the bathroom in a one hour span is not something to be jealous of.

But that tiny girl, the one who is pregnant and still looks absolutely amazing?
She probably has a back that aches too.
She might cry in the dressing room when trying on a pair of maternity jeans.
Even if she is just upset about moving from an x-small to a small.
Being pregnant is hard.

But it's a beautiful thing.

It's not always easy to get a bun in your oven.
Please don't tell my daughters this. I would like them to realize that it could easily happen at any time at least until they reach the age of 30.
And of course, it can happen at any time....just ask the younger version of myself.
But it doesn't happen easily for everyone.

Millions of women would sacrifice all that they have just to have these cankles I am sportin'.
Not exaclty the cankles, but the oven cooking a bun anyways.
Many women try for years without success.

Women like that remind me how blessed I am.
So no, I can't move quickly anymore.
I don't enjoy getting dressed up and I sure as heck would cut off my left leg before I stepped on a scale in front of my husband.
But I will appreciate every single moment of this journey.
It's a privilege to have an expanding belly.
Stretch marks are something to be proud of.
Not necessarily something that everyone needs to see though. Don't be fooled.

I will ignore the comments on how big I am already.
I'm very aware that I am super-sized.
But I'm just giving my little half pound baby tons of room to grow.
That makes me a good mom, right?
I will enjoy having an excuse to be lazy right now. Not often can I avoid dirty dishes just
because standing on my feet a long time hurts.
I will try to refrain from crying every other day. I think it makes my poor husband nervous.

And most of all, I will look back on this time and realize that it was all worth it.
Every lb gained. Every tear shed. Every stupid outfit that I'm busting out of.
Every night I avoided sleeping on my back. Every single second that I felt miserable.

It will be worth it.



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