1. Watching my belly dance. I used to think that my control-freak, type A self would be horrified by the experience of having something - rather, someONE - moving around inside me like an alien bodysnatcher, but I am, in fact, completely enamored with this aspect of pregnancy. As I sit here, Charlie is doing what I'm convinced is "the worm" in my tummy, and it amuses me to no end. I have been fascinated from the first time I felt the gas-bubble like flutter of his movements to today when I can watch my entire midriff undulate with his squirms. In fact, if I didn't have to function in normal society, I think I could watch it all day long. Each time I see my little man dance or feel what I assume is a tiny little foot poking my side, a fresh jolt of joy washes right over me. For as excited as I am to meet Charlie and cuddle him in my arms in a few short weeks, I know a part of me will miss having him in my big old belly to entertain me with his in-utero dance parties.
2. The Kangaroo effect. It may be odd, but I keep thinking of myself as a kangaroo carrying little Charlie around everywhere I go in my pouch, and I simply love it. He is portable, completely contained and quite good company.
3. The unsolicited smiles of other women. There is something about a visibly pregnant lady that makes other women smile, whether it's at the grocery store, on the street or at the mall. I assume they're all mothers who, upon seeing me, are reminded of the days they carried own little "joeys" in their kangaroo pouches and are wistfully cherishing the happy memories (I guarantee they're not remembering feeling like an overturned turtle whenever they rolled over in bed at night or the moment they first looked down and saw somebody else's swollen feet and cankles instead of their own formerly normal-looking feet). Whenever a strange woman flashes me a smile or offers a word of congratulations or encouragement, it makes me proud of the invisible bond of sisterhood among women (note that the same cannot be said about the dirty old men who leer at pregnant ladies passing them on the street; they are just gross).
4. The pregnancy hair and "glow." It may be vain, but I'm looking on the bright side here. I have to thank Charlie for at least giving me the best skin and hair of my life. It may just be temporary, but I try to focus on these small things instead of the fact that everything from my waist down is getting bigger by the day...
5. Conversations with the belly. It all comes back to the belly, I know. While I could do without every other part of me expanding in this pregnancy, I do love this buddha belly, because I know our little Charlie is growing in there. Even more so, I love it when my darling hubby talks to the belly. Every morning and every evening he says hello and goodnight to our son with a twinkle in his eye, and it just melts my heart.
So while I'm very ready to meet our little guy, I'm trying to cherish the special moments of these last few weeks before his arrival (and the onset of sleep deprivation). I know this is just the beginning of a lifetime of "Things That Never Get Old," and I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us.
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