Evaluating Pregnancy so Far:

So I decided that I wanted to take an inventory of my pregnancy…and rather than wait until I’m knee deep in diapers or when I hit that 38 week mark and am suddenly not motivated to do anything but eat bonbons and put my feet up…I thought I might do it now…while some things are still fresh in my mind. I started a mental tally of things I wanted to remember about being pregnant some time back. They range from my favorite moments so far, to the most surprising things I’ve found, and even includes what’s been annoying, etc. So…if nothing else, I wanted to put this somewhere in my memory bank as a reminder of this time in my life. So somehow the things I thought and felt would be here for me to look back on. And when our daughter (if we are blessed with one) asks me what it was like for me, I can say…here you go! Read this!

My favorite moments so far:
Seeing the pregnancy test turn positive
The way we told our loved ones we were pregnant. (Check out Steff’s blog for a picture and story)
My first pair of maternity jeans and how amazing I felt watching the bump grow
Feeling the baby kick for the first time
The look on Jer’s face when he felt the baby kick for the first time…hilarious!
The look on Steff’s face the first time she felt the baby kick…also hilarious!
Getting the first pictures of our baby
Deciding not to find out the sex
Putting together our baby’s crib
Seeing the crib in our baby’s room
Feeling the baby move everyday – my little reminder of what a miracle it is
Watching Jer be more loving with me than ever
Getting pictures taken together
The extra phone calls from Mom about how I’m feeling
Being hungry and cleaning my plate
How not being able to reach my feet very well has been a fabulous excuse for a mani/pedi session ;)
Steff calling me Baby Momma and Jer Baby Daddy
Peanut butter cup blizzards with chocolate ice cream
Falling in love with Jer all over again

Things that have annoyed me:
That everyone has to share their horror stories with you
That people actually feel like they have the right to talk to me about my weight
That people actually feel like they have the right to talk to me about my diet
That I outgrew my favorite pair of maternity jeans
That I’m getting a double chin and an outty
That I get winded just walking up our stairs
That I miss sleeping on my stomach
Waking up at 3am and staying awake till 4:30am for NO reason
Waking up at 1am, 3am, 5:30am to go the bathroom
How everyone says, “Just you wait. You have no idea what you’re in for.” (Hi. We had some clue or we wouldn’t have done it.)

Things that have surprised me:
How big my stomach has gotten
That’s it’s only going to get bigger
That I could love someone I’ve never met so much
How much I miss my favorite pair of worn out jeans
How good my bed can feel at the end of a long day
That until now, I could ever clean my plate twice in one day like I did at Thanksgiving
How much I hate giving blood and it hasn’t changed just b/c I have to
That I would feel the need to cry at the craziest things
That Taco Bell could give me such bad heartburn
That Buffalo Wild Wings could give me even worse heartburn
That 4 Tums Smoothies would make all heartburn stop
That I’m measuring a few weeks bigger than I actually am
How nervous I am about staying at the hospital
How nervous Jer is for the whole entire labor and delivery thing
How much I love Filet Mignon
How much stronger my marriage has gotten
How much patience my husband has

Other things that make up a Misc. List:
I love the way Jer laughs at me when I’m hungry and mention getting ice cream or eating again
I love the way I can see my stomach move when the baby moves
I love that Jer read crib ratings out loud to me and the baby when we first found out the baby could hear us talking
I love the fact that Jer even read crib ratings and car seat ratings and pack n play ratings at all
We’re blessed b/c we were able to purchase the crib and dresser we wanted brand new!
I love that Jer helps me take off my shoes at the end of a long day when I’m too tired to do it myself.
I love that even though I don’t love everything I wear, I’ve been blessed enough to go shopping a bunch and find lots of fun cute clothes to dress up the bump!
And I absolutley love that we have friends and family around us who are as excited as we are to meet the newest edition to the Linley clan!

I’m sure there are more than just these…but it’s a good start…and makes for some nice reflection! Thanks for reading!