As I have been asked recently as to whether or not I would miss being pregnant, I thought that sounded like a potential blog about the Pros and Cons of my pregnancy. (Bear in mind that I am not speaking for all pregnant women out there, because from my conversations with other pregnant, our experiences are quite different overall.)

Things I will miss about being pregnant:

1.) Feeling her move.
It's just an amazing thing to feel and watch your baby move your belly around. Trying to imagine what body parts could possibly be poking at my insides provides more entertainment than E! Television ever could (sadly, coming from me, that says a lot- oh how I love trashy TV). I have heard that people can usually make out hands and feet when they are pressed against the inside of the belly, but I've gotten nothing but bulges and blorps that resemble something more like a lava lamp. In any case, it's incredible.

2.) My fabulous hair!
My hair has NEVER been so shiny and cooperative in my life!!! I am doing absolutely nothing differently, and yet every time I look in the mirror, I am faced with THE hair style that I actually imagined myself having when I had it cut this way in the first place. I will truly miss my hair as it will probably fall out in"clumps and fistsfull," as my hairstylist explained to me the other day.

3.) My almost zit-free face.
Actually, I never really got zits. I got humongous, puss-filled, painful pimples that took MONTHS to heal. Prior to pregnancy (PTP) my face was a complete mess. I was always assured in my teen years that I'd be fine in my 20s. In my 20s, I couldn't wait for my 30s. I am 30 and once I got pregnant, there went the painful pimples! How Scott could keep a straight face as I would come to bed with my tiny little band-aids, known as "Spots", dotting most of my face, I will never know. I can only hope that my hormones will remember this perfect equilibrium and continue blessing me with a practically pimple-less face.

4.) The anticipation of having a baby.
Scott and I always talk about how the anticipation of something (an event, holiday, etc.) is greater than that "thing." The Holiday Season, for example, is SO exciting from about December 1st to about December 24th. Yeah you might get to open some presents on the 25th or so, which is VERY fun, but once it's over, you really miss feeling the anticipation of it all. It has been WAY more exciting to anticipate the arrival of Roz than anything I have ever anxiously awaited. But here's the clincher- once we HAVE her, we get to anticipate her ENTIRE life!!! Every acquired skill, new stage, new emotion, new friend, etc. We get to see her life unfold. From everything I gather, the anticipation never ends. How cool is that?!

Things I will NOT miss about being pregnant:
1.) Not being able to sleep on my back or stomach, and often times on my right side either.
I am a stomach sleeper. I quit sleeping on my stomach as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I know, I know. I probably could have done it. But I am a new parent and I clearly do not know what I'm doing. So, rather than freak myself out about it, I simply quit sleeping on my tummy. But when it was no long comfy to sleep on my back, that's when I began dreading the entire sleeping thing all together. I suppose it's nature's way of preparing me for the many times throughout each night I will have to arise to meet baby Roz's needs. Trust me when I say I am f*#@ing prepared!

2.) Avoiding certain foods.
Scott and I rarely go out. We love finding new recipes and trying them ourselves. Each week, we flip through our Cooking Light and pick some tasty sounding meals, add the ingredients we need to the list, and purchase those things in the store. Normally, we have to consider what our local Kroger will or will not have. We do not live in a large Metropolis, so I'm not talking about not being able to find something like exotic spices or veggies that you'd only ever find in an Oriental Super Market. I'm talking "will Kroger have spinach this week, because they didn't last week." Yes, it's really pathetic. Now, add on to that the fact that I have to avoid the thousands of food items listed in my books. I suppose I don't HAVE to, but like I said before, I'm new at this and would rather suffer not having a certain flavor in my mouth for the next several months over having that taste and worrying about what I have just done to my child's development.

When we DO go out to eat, I must say that I am SO sick of thinking about whether or that kind of fish would be bad or whether or not I really should avoid Feta on my salad, etc. I cannot wait to have SUSHI!!! Yes, I could have the "California Roll" as it does not contain raw fish, but that's not really the point. I WANT the raw fish. I WANT to eat Chinese food loaded with MSG too. I WANT a second cup of coffee. I WANT to eat lunchmeat without having to heat it up in the microwave. Ans I SO WANT a glass of wine!!! Ok, you get the point.

3.) The things that people say.
For this one, you're gonna have to view Strangela's blog directly prior to this one. My personal 2 favorites have been when a colleague told me I was "gettin' fat" and when a complete stranger to me asked if I was having twins. As of right now, I am measuring quite small, I'll have you know. So small that they may have to make Roz get here sooner than her due date. But nothing is for sure.

4.) Not being able to Run.
I am a runner. I normally run 5-6 days a week for 45-60 min. at a time. I have no desire to do a marathon and I have all the respect in the world for my friends who do marathon. I love running because of the way it makes me feel and so I can eat more. I purchased a book about running throughout your pregnancy and planned to try it. I got somewhat through my 7th month, however I was not continuously running at that point. By about month 5, I had to put myself on a regimen of running a block, walking a block, running a block, etc. Some days I could do 5 blocks, walk a block, etc. Now, I walk about 2-3 miles after which my sciatica hurts so badly I don't think I will ever be able to sit or stand without screaming (again, mother nature's way of preparing me for labor and post-labor?!). The only upside is that ANY exercise I get makes me FEEL like I'm running- I can actually feel endorphins kicking in and what not. But I really can't wait to get on a running schedule. And heck! I'll have my own built-in running partner once this is over!

Well, there's much more I will/will not miss, but those are the highlights. Stay tuned for perhaps the pros and cons of Labor! Or, we may just save that one for ourselves.