34 Week Bump

There it is! The official 34 week bump, and the incredibly tired expression that accompanies it where ever it goes.

You know what is a great boost to your self-esteem pre-pregnancy? Waking up in the mornings. Now, you may be asking yourself what in the world I mean by that, but please, let me explain.

Before you are pregnant, you can eat, and eat, and eat and eat all day, and when you wake up the next morning - bam! - your body is trim and you feel good about yourself again. It's only after eating uncontrollably for many days that one morning you may wake to find a few extra pounds added on. But let's be realistic. If you go out for ice cream with friends or stuff yourself full at dinner, the next morning you feel like a million bucks when you wake up and your stomach is flat again, despite last night's dessert. Ahh, I loved that feeling.

For the first few months of pregnancy I would wake up to that exact feeling. As the months crept on, I got a little bigger and bigger, but always would seem to wake up to the same body I was used to. And then, one day, I woke up and that wasn't the case. Now, I wake up in the morning and can't help but chuckle at how I actually grew in size overnight. My abs are gone. My innie is now an outie. And getting out of bed is a feat in itself. If I'm on my right side, I have to figure out how I will roll myself over and then gain enough momentum to actually swing my legs over to the floor. And if I'm on my left side, I have a morning ritual where I debate which leg would be easier to lead with. Right? Left? No, wait, the right. No, no, that's ridiculous, the left is the easier leg to move. Sometimes, I really wish Jimmy would lean over ever so lovingly and just give me the push I need.

Despite the lack of sleep, inability to see my feet (which may be for the best, considering my toes are still unpainted), incredibly uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions and complete discomfort in my own body, I really do love being pregnant. Especially because I know I've only really had to deal with all these pregnancy side-effects for a little while, and in the end, I get to bring a little miracle into the world. Hurry up, baby James! We are so excited to meet you!!