Things I Will Miss and Things I Won't

This week we are drawing our inspiration from the great Nora Ephron and writing a list of things we will miss and things we won't.  Of course what comes to mind is not things about life in general - I'm not ready to go there yet - but rather about growing a new life inside my own body. 

Yep, that's right.  Another pregnancy post. 

I plan on making this my last.  (Pregnancy, that is.  I can't promise anything on the post front.  Gotta milk it while it lasts!)  So there are certainly things I will miss.

But I'll start with things I won't miss and get the griping out of the way first:

Unless you are one of those lucky Natalie Portman types, everything gets fat.  And by everything, I mean everything.  Including the parts of you you never expected to get fat. (Ahem, lady bits.)

That shortness of breath; something I have never experienced at any other time in my life.

The fear of miscarriage.

Morning sickness, obviously.

Thought you were done with pads and panty liners since Aunt Flo won't be showing her face for a while? Think again, suckah! You're going to need to keep a stash of panty liners with you at all times.  Your oven may have a bun in it, but that won't stop it from automatically switching into...ummm... "self-cleaning" mode.

Getting up off the couch is a huge production involving a whole lot of grunting and upper body rocking to build up enough momentum.  Gravity and inertia are conspiring against me, making it easier just to stay on the couch.

Which leads me to the subject of weight gain, again. Blerg.  My doctor isn't loving the numbers either.

Early morning wakings caused by paralyzing leg cramps.

Round ligament pain.

Double whammy: simultaneous occurence of the above two items caused by attempting to roll over in bed. 

Ninja kicks to the diaphragm, bladder, intestines, and various other vital organs.

The fact that everyone and their dog feels entitled to comment on your changing body.  When else in life is that considered socially acceptable?  Most people are generous, and a few are overly honest, but it still catches me off guard every time.

The difficulty of choosing names.  The Hubs and I have very different ideas about names for babies.  So far, we haven't found anything we really agree on.

The hormonal roller coaster.

Swollen feet and ankles.

Things I will miss:

That beautiful little plus sign on a pregnancy test.

The unbelievable feeling of having created life. 

The second trimester - that honeymoon period of pregnancy, when you have a cute bump and maternity clothes fit well, but you're not yet feeling swollen and whalish.  I already miss it dearly.

Daydreaming and speculating about who this little person will be.

Lilah hugging and kissing my bump, sharing her stickers with the baby by sticking them all over my belly, and attempting to feed him through my belly button.

The reassuring feeling of baby squirming and constant motion from within. (Ninja kicks aside.)

The look on the Hubs' face when he found out he was going to have a son.

Having boobs.

Feeling fat last nine months but the joy of becoming a mom lasts forever. -Nikki Dalton