Prego Fashion

I attended a lunch today, and as I was going through the line getting my food, I overheard the table right next to the food talking together and I heard one person say (quite clearly), "Yes, women these days aren't trying to hide the bundle anymore."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they were talking about me. And granted, I was wearing one of my tighter shirts (it's actually the one from the Week 26 picture), but I was dressed very professionally and I don't think that I merited being a topic of conversation at lunch!

I know that maternity fashion used to involve large, billowy dresses and blouses (and large bows!), and I know that it was fashionable to wear them at the time, but I can't say that I'm sad for the change in style. I'm already billowy enough these days - I don't need the help. Surely it's better to have clean lines and nice silhouettes than to dress like a tent, right?

I also think it's empowering for a woman to be able to show her pregnant body (keep in mind that I paired this fitted top with wide leg trousers, so it's not like I'm putting on a show or anything!). It's not a condition, a liability, or an embarrassment. It's a baby. Or at least it's the baby's habitat, anyway. And I'm darn proud of being a woman and having a body that comes with all the equipment to grow a human life, so I don't mind anyone being able to see the fruits of that process.

So, be nice to pregnant women who are struggling to find clothes that don't make them look and feel any frumpier than they already do. And if you can't be nice, then at least keep your voice down!

Oh, and one more thing - I had my first leg cramps last night. It was lovely to be awoken from the few precious hours of sleep I get each night by shooting pains in my right calf. The first one wasn't so bad, but the second one was. I'm sure it would have been entertaining to observe...me crying out in pain, sticking my leg up straight in the air, and trying to get around my belly so that I could massage it.

Apparently these are quite common with pregnant women, especially during the second half of pregnancy, and medical experts have only been able to come up with some likely explanations - no solid ones. Anyone else have these??

Give the people what they want

So, I've had a request for more belly pics. I suppose it's like people slowing down to see a car accident, but it's still mildly disturbing that you guys want to see solid evidence my increasing states of obesity.

Nonetheless, I understand, and am happy to oblige. Keep in mind, however, that I can only document this phenomenon as often as Coleman is home to take the picture. The hold-the-camera-out-and-see-what-picture-you-get would probably result in some seriously unflattering angles, and I've suffered through enough of my father's adventures in setting the timer and running around in time to be in the picture to know better... (sorry, Dad, but it's the truth)

So, to recap, here's Week 18:

And here's Week 22:

It's not all that different, right? Oh, just wait...

This is Week 26:

I like to call this one "Whoa mama!" After I saw this, I began to forgive all those people I just complained about a couple of posts ago... Hellooooo belly!

For those of you who are interested in this sort of thing, I am officially sporting a linea nigra, but my belly button hasn't popped out yet (I'm hoping to keep my 'innie' an 'innie' for as long as possible!!). I'm also on Stretch Mark Watch '09 - thankfully, no developments to report yet - but I'll keep you updated on that front as well...

Stay tuned for more pounds and inches...

One more thing

According to my little ticker over there, we've officially moved into double (rather than triple) digits on 'days left until the plus one arrives.' 98 days to go, it seems.

Wow - time sure flies when you don't spend your day with your head in a toilet!

Stuart Smalley would be proud...

Lately I've been humbled and encouraged by multiple friends who have expressed their utmost confidence in my abilities as a mom. One told me that I was "born for this role" and another that I have been possessed of the "mom gene" since I was 15 (or at least since then, as that is when she met me). You two know who you are... Other friends have expressed similar sentiments about what loving parents Coleman and I will make or what a lucky little girl our daughter is. I - truly, honestly - don't share these as a matter of pride. I share them because I'm so very thankful for them.

I spend most of my time worrying about what else I'm going to be (what in the world I'm going to do with my life, etc.), so it's really touching to hear that some of you are convinced of my aptitude or potential in this role.

So thank you to all those encouraging people in my life who are lifting me up, even if you don't realize it.

And, not to be too self-indulgent here, but when you're breaking weight barriers you thought you'd never see, any words of encouragement are key! At any rate, last week was a week straight of multiple people saying, "Wow! Looking pregnant there!" or "You're really starting to look pregnant..." or "You're getting pretty big there" (which should never, ever be said to any human being over the age of 12 or 13). These don't seem too disheartening one at a time, but in aggregate, they can wear on you.

Apparently, however, this is the week of multiple people telling me that I "only look pregnant right in front" or I've "got a belly, but that's it!" or "you're only belly - you don't look pregnant anywhere else!" God bless these people. Even if they're just being nice, keep lying to me, please! And then today another grad assistant came by my desk to tell me that she saw me walking across campus and that I'm "owning this pregnancy thing." She said I was confident and assured in the manner of celebrity moms who make pregnancy look easy. Even if she is deluded, she's adorable!

Now, none of these are as rewarding as the previously mentioned affirmations of my abilities as a mother, but they sure don't hurt!!

An existential question

I'm currently filling out a survey for the Grad School and the question I'm on now asks how many "dependent children" I have.

Do I answer 0 or 1? Is this a test of my convictions about when life begins? Am I turning my back on my poor, defenseless fetus if I answer 0?

I'm half joking, but really, I'm not at all sure how to answer this question!

Sometimes it hits you at the weirdest times...

Even though I'm boasting quite the belly these days, and even though I'm feeling her squirming and bumping around in there, it's still sometimes a little hypothetical that I'm hosting a human right now. However, there are moments when it sinks in a little.

Friday, for instance, I'm in my Zumba class, and apart from the new body bulges (and the requisite purchase of larger workout pants) and the fact that squats have gotten more difficult (more weight for my thighs to hold up!), nothing seems all that different.

Then, in one twisty, leg-lifty move, the instructor calls out, "Keep those abs held in...if you can! That is, if you don't have a daughter in the way!"

Wow. Daughter.

Sometimes it just hits you.