I hope this post doesn't come across as annoying or full of complaints. I am so ecstatic to be having a baby that I cannot contain myself sometimes, but I am not overjoyed with the state of being "pregnant". I realize that it's something that I have to do in order to eventually hold my sweet Natalie in my arms, but other than that, I am 100% over the feelings that accompany pregnancy, and I still have thirteen weeks to go (if she comes on time and all that).
That being said, I am sure that I will want to have a second and third child. But, let me get through the labor and birth process with this one, k?
Anyhow, let's get the bad out of the way because no one wants to dwell on that, and this is just a mini therapy session of sorts.
1. I cannot STAND gaining weight. I started out this pregnancy at around 20-30 lbs more than I wanted to, and seeing the numbers creeping up on the scale (no matter the greatness of the cause) terrify me.
2. Fat face. You can group this in with gaining weight, but my face is massive. There were some candid pictures of me taken last night while I was opening presents. Lemme just say that I did not like what I saw. And lemme just say I fell into an enormous depression because I'm all self-absorbed and shallow like that. My chins have chins. I refuse to believe the well-meaning people who say I'm "glowing" and that I really "make pregnancy beautiful". Frankly, that's a load of horsecrap, you guys. I look like Cartman. I have been beat with the ugly stick, and there's no turning back! Pregnancy IS beautiful, but it doesn't make me beautiful.
3. Not being able to sleep comfortably. I miss sleeping on my belly or my back, and it's hard to find a balance with a pillow between my legs. Also, our bed feels like it's getting smaller. I want a recliner put into our room so I can actually feel well-rested. I fell asleep twice at my mom's yesterday in their recliner, so I'm assured that is the only way I can get a fabulous sleep.
4. Charlie horses. Every single night. One night I just gave in and started whimpering and screaming until I woke Brandon up so he could ask me what was wrong.
5. My pants keep falling down. Okay, I have never been blessed with a butt. I hate that. I inherited the flat butt of my father, not the voluptuous backside of my mother's family. With the gut expanding, I'm terrified that I'm going to lose my pants one day. And no one wants to see the wonderful expanse of cellulite across my rear. No one. I even cringe.
6. Maternity clothes. Yes, they're cute. And yes, you can have too many of them. I just want to shop at regular places again. I got a ton of maternity clothes for Christmas, and while I need them-- I am not excited about my entire closet being hijacked by them.
7. Makeup not looking the same. I know this sounds weird, but I have discolorations on my face from the pregnancy. It's a hormonal thing that happens to some people. I love makeup, but I have not enjoyed it while pregnant.
8. Swelling feet. Holy cow, cankles. I feel like I have a pillow beneath my right foot. It's that swollen.
9. I break chairs. Yes, that's right. I fell through a kitchen chair at my parents' house on Christmas eve. My parents have an older kitchen table (2o + years). I sat down in the chair that they put on the opposite side of the table where no one usually sits. (It was there because it wasn't sturdy.) When I sat down, I thought it felt funny. . . well, 20 minutes later it gave way, and I was on the floor. Cue my mother's breakdown and questioning every thirty seconds if the baby was moving and my dad hurling the offending chair into the yard. Cue coarse language and a bruise on my butt.
10. I cannot drown out my sorrows in chocolate or diet coke. At least not the way I want to.
11. People keep telling me their own birth horror stories.
12. I HATE MY HAIR. And Brandon won't let me cut it because he looooooves it long. I have no idea why. It looks like a dead animal crawled up there and died.
13. I'm going to only get bigger from here.
14. That whole birthing thing. It's going to come out of WHAT?!
15. I still have to work.
Things I LOVE!
1. Natalie Grace.
2. I can stick out my belly.
3. I don't really have stretch marks like I thought I would. '
4. I love to feel her moving around in there.
5. I love that people have been a little more courteous here and there.
6. My skin, although discolored, is softer.
7. Closer parking spots.
8. The element of surprise. When will I have my baby? Is she going to come early, right on time, what?
9. Baby showers!
10. Baby clothes.
11. Dragging Brandon around different baby stores.
12. People coming up and asking me when I'm due, what the baby is, if they can touch my belly. I love that part. It makes me feel not as repulsive if people actually want to approach me.
13. Nursery.
There's so much more, believe me. The good outweighs the bad, but now I can't think!
Anyhow, I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and were able to truly celebrate what it means. We had a fun weekend of family and friends! On Christmas eve, we went over to my parents' house for the Sullivan family Christmas.
We exchanged our 12 month gift boxes, had a huge dinner, and there was much happiness. I had drawn my uncle Shannon's name and had a difficult time filling his box, but I think he ended up with some good stuff.
1. Blind Side movie
2. Hachi movie
3. Candle (haha)
4. Alabama shirt
5. Alabama beanie
6. Old Navy pajama bottoms in AL colors with white polar bears.
7.Bath and Body Works Citron spray for men ( hope he liked it)
8. $10 Tractor Supply Gift Card
9. $15 Tractor Supply Gift Card
I know I didn't have 12 gifts, but there was supposedly a limit as to what we were supposed to spend... haha.
My mom drew my name, so I got a ton of good things! She knows me, so it was easy for her to think up little things that I might enjoy. I got a lot of jewelry, some souvenirs from her cruise (haha), a cute magnet, an ornament for Natalie, this awesome little cat light, a book light, a key finder (hehe- she knows how often I misplace my keys.) To top it off, she also got me an Old Navy gift card! WOW!
Brandon drew my cousin's wife, Amber. And while he really didn't participate in the box like I did, his money went toward supplying her with a ton of things that I liked. :)
Makeup bags, magnets, Bath and Body works stuff, a cute wallet, Target gift card, gloves, lip gloss. . . you know, all the fun things that ladies love. Well, I don't know her that well, so I hope she at least liked what we picked out. I mean, what *I* picked out.
My grandma drew Brandon's name, and he got most of the stuff that I did from my mom, minus the jewelry. My mom and Grandma were often together when they were getting these gifts, so they were on the same train of thought. ;) They only found out last month from each other who the other person had, so it was pretty funny to discover we had similar gifts going to the same house.
On Christmas morning, Brandon and I woke up and exchanged the presents we weren't supposed to get for each other. He got me two period films, Little Dorrit (BBC) and Louisa May Alcott's Inheritance. That was a total B- minus movie, so don't watch it. He felt bad, but it was only $5. How many duds have we bought in bargain bins? Too many. He also got me an Old Navy giftcard. If I can, I'm going to seriously hold off on redeeming it until after the baby. I am seriously tired of maternity clothes. I cannot wait to have a shopping spree when I shed the baby weight!!
I got him an amazon gift card, a Starbucks gift card, Bath and Body Works' Twilight Woods for men and a bag of Christmas M&Ms.
After that, we showered and went to my parents' house for a yummy Christmas breakfast. I'm not a breakfast person, but I seriously gave in to the bacon and eggs. I even had a bite of frozen pecan pie that Brandon insisted was the best thing ever. In its congealed state, it was pretty amazing.
My parents got us a Weber grill as a Christmas/housewarming present! I cannot wait to start using it. I'm not a big griller because I've never had one, but I cannot wait to make turkey burgers and other fun, healthy things on the grill. It helps that we have the screened in deck out back. That way, we can grill in the winter and not have to brave the ice and cold.
We also got a shop vac (perfect for cleaning out our funky cars to prepare for Natalie), a dryer ball that is supposed to really catch lint and cat hair and reduce wrinkles and the need for dryer sheets (win!), a Lowes giftcard for $50, a Mastercard giftcard for $50, the comforter that I wanted for our bed from Target (so pretty). Brandon got some pajama bottoms ( ironically the same ones we bought for my dad), and I got a robe and some non-skid socks for the delivery room. It was amazing! My parents really did a good job of spoiling us!
We got my dad a $50 Bass Pro giftcard, the pajama bottoms, and a night on the town with Brandon and his dad to see the Predators play next Sunday night. I bought my mom this adorable coat from QVC , a $25 giftcard to Homegoods ( she rarely uses gift cards, but I hope she takes advantage of this one since I broke her kitchen chair!) some red pajama bottoms with candy cane hearts (adorbs), a watch, and a pair of earrings. I think she liked her haul. I'm never sure with her, but I think she definitely appreciated the pretty coat. Red is her color, and she looked fabulous, whether or not she'll admit it.
Part 2 to come... I stink and need a shower in the worst way.
Haha, and I'm tired of watching the little neighbor boy slide around on his mini-John Deere tractor. . .
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