The physical part of version two is all finished.  We just have to customize the design at the top.  That stupid pastoral scene came with the template and I had something more along the lines of BURGERS is mind.  I think it’s more fitting.

It seems as though the talk of babies and pregnancy is just in the air today.  The whole internet is just electrified towards the subjects of pregnancy and motherhood.  Because of that, I’m going to talk about it.

I think Aschlie, that you are taking only the bad away from scary pergnancy stories.  You may never choose to be pregnant, but let me assure you that it’s not all terrible.  Oh sure, when you’re going through it, and you’re in week 24 of being sick and nauseous, the last thing you want to hear is that you won’t remember it as being this bad down the road.  Although I DO still remember it as being bad and the thought of getting pregnant again gives me that tight gross feeling in my guts, I really would do it a million times over for Lukas.  The happiness and love you get from being a mother (eventually for some) greatly overshadows the misery you had to go through to get the baby.  Hell, some people even do it a couple more times…that has to tell you something.  Once that baby is born and you are totally engrossed in taking care of it and playing with it and falling in love with it, you’re not thinking back on pregnancy….not often at least. 

Everybody internalizes the experience differently.  The beginning is hard for everybody.  Very few people don’t get the morning sickness in the first trimester.  That’s a long time to be sick and pukey.  But for most, by the time weeks 12-14 come around, it’s like “AHH!  I feel better!  Give me FOOD!”  For a lot of people, the second trimester is the easy part.  Then the third trimester comes along and you’re having to deal with a new set of problems.  Again, everybody experiences it differently.  You’ve got a growing baby in your stomach.  Your organs start getting cramped.  Heartburn from hell (had it), swelling ankles and feet (had it), constipation (had it), and peeing yourself (didn’t have it) and gigantic, painful acne (had it)are some very common things.  And there’s the fact that you won’t be sleeping much those last 6 weeks or so.  It’s partly because you’re big and uncomfortable and it’s partly because you’re becoming more and more preoccupied with the fact that this child’s birth is getting VERY close.  By the time you are about 36 weeks pregnant, you are ready to have your body back.  You become accutely aware that you have lost all control over your body and it can be unsettling and uncomfortable.  You feel a mixture of excitement to meet the little butthole that’s been kicking the bejeezus out of you and excitement to not be pregnant anymore.  Stretch marks aren’t fun, painful boobs aren’t fun, lactating isn’t fun (about two months after Lukas was born and my milk dried up, my nipples turned brown and actually started peeling.  I had to scrub the poor things to death with a loofa), but the baby is worth it.

Then comes labor.  I won’t lie…it hurts.  Contractions HURT.  I went into it thinking that I wanted to see if I could handle it before thinking about an epidural.  I made it 11 hours and then started puking nonstop.  I could handle JUST the puking or JUST the painful contractions, but having to do both put me over the edge, so I got the epidural.  It was awesome!  I slept for about three hours.  That was probably the best part about labor…sleeping.  But pushing and c-section…and puking while being stitched up from c-section and then for an hour after…well that sucked.  But then they gave me my baby.  I finally got to meet the little monster that had been kicking the bejeezus out of me and making me sick and nauseous for nine months…and that was it.  Pregnancy was over and motherhood started.  It was all good.

The most unfortunate part about pregnancy and parenthood are the habitual whiners.  Some people seem to find no happiness in either and will take every opportunity to complain.  Neither are easy, but they are times in your life that will leave a strong impression on you.  You want to try to enjoy them.  Like pregnancy….it’s a gross and uncomfortable process, but these are the last few months you will have to yourself and just with your loved one.  Enjoy it!  Go out to dinner. Sleep in.  Cuddle on the couch together.  Take the opportunity to become as close as you can.  And then parenthood:  It would be too easy to get caught up in the bad things, but you CANNOT let yourself do that.  They are little babies for such a short time.  It’s like you blink and they are toddlers already.  Yeah babies cry and they wake you up at night, they spit up, they leak out of their diapers, they scream and cry in public places, and they get cranky beyond comfort.  However, their first smiles, the little squeaky sounds they make when they’re happy, food all over their faces, the way they smell, the way the fall asleep snuggles against you…that all makes the bad things seems tiny.  If there’s any advice I would give that I would insist you FUCKING LISTEN TO ME on, it would be to enjoy those little times.  Don’t get sucked into complaining about it.  They are so brief and are gone before you are ready to let them go.

And for Helen, I have a TON on anti-nausea things that I tried when I was pregnant.  There’s the lemon thing ( I know you’ve tried it), then there’s ginger tea, vitamin B-12, a vitamin B-12 + a half a Unisom, Sea Bands (those wrist bands you wear to keep from getting sea sick), and the crackers and dry toast B.S.  There are women out there who swear on each.  I feel for you though, dear.  I hope you’re typical and find a little relief around 12-14 weeks.  But please take some quiet time to enjoy these things.  Enjoy picking out nursery stuff and little tiny clothes and itty bitty shoes and socks. 

I love being a mom and I love my little boy.  I love when he pulls at my pants and reaches up to me while saying “Momma.”  I love that when I ask him where his kitty is, he runs around the house screaming “BOO!”  I love his smile and giggle, I love watching him eat something he enjoys, I love watching him play with his Dad, I love watching him dance and clap when the radio is on.  He’s just great.  Maybe I’ll have another one someday.  Consequences be damned.

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