The baby bump has arrived…

So, the news of the day is that I’m starting to really show and I’m going to be honest, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. It’s like a combination of being tremendously happy, mixed with feeling all out of sorts mixed with, wow, I look really silly.

It really is a roller coaster of emotions and when I’m happy, I’m really happy and kind of want to show off the fact that I’m pregnant. I want to be like, “Look at me and my baby bump,” and be all proud about it. It’s completely foreign and strange for me to feel this way because I’m a person who doesn’t care all that much about physical appearance and what I look like. I mean, I wear hooded sweatshirts and jeans whenever I possibly can and my husband Dave practically has to beg me to let my hair down since I would rather put it in a pony tail to avoid having it all in my face.  So, to actually have moments where I want to show off what I look like is not something I’m used to and something I probably never will get used to.

Now, when I talk about feeling all out of sorts, I mean just feeling off and all over the place. For example, my balance is off a bit and I find that it can be hard to bend over and tie my shoes. Seriously, this happened to me the other day. I saw that my shoe was untied, bent over to tie it, and almost fell over due to the fact that my weight shifted awkwardly and my body didn’t respond well to it. It was a funny sight to see and if you would have seen it, you would have laughed your butt off. I was chuckling inside myself. I also have to find different ways to do things that were pretty easy to do pre-baby bump. For one, lifting boxes or anything pretty much is not easy like it was before. So instead of carrying things around at work, you can now see me using a cart to get things from here to there. At home, I just ask Dave to help move stuff around and he’s more than willing to do it. What a guy!

The baby bump itself is a bit uncomfortable at times too since I was somewhat in shape before my pregnancy and didn’t have a lot of extra “stuff” around my belly. Now to have “stuff” around my belly is just odd and something that I simply have to adjust too as I know it’s only going to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. What has helped me get over those uncomfortable moments is to just get up from sitting down and walk around. Or, loosen my belt buckle a notch or two if it feels way too snug.  And, there have been times when I just said the hell with it and unbuckled my pants. Too much information, I’m sure, but that’s where a rubber band comes into play. You can rubber band the buckle on your pants so you can wear them longer when you’re pregnant instead of jumping right into maternity clothes. I also bought a belly band and plan on using that soon. Just to note for the record, I haven’t given in yet and started wearing my maternity clothes. I know that day is on the horizon, but I’m still too in love with my regular jeans and they still kind of fit. So, I’m not going to put them away until I ultimately have to! When all else fails and I feel completely bloated, out of whack, and all crazy like, I turn to my fuzzy lounge pants and throw the regular pants aside. I realize that this is something that I can only do when I’m at home, but there have been times when I’ve felt like doing it at work. Hmmm, maybe I should suggest implementing a sweat pants day at work just like casual Fridays? Now that’s something to think about.

My fuzzy lounge pants! Thank goodness Dave gave them to me for Christmas!

Okay, I got sidetracked a bit there, but what can you do? Moving on, I want to briefly get into the looking silly part I touched upon at the beginning of this blog post. For me this happens when I realize the clothes I have on are a bit too small. For example, the other day, I was wearing a shirt that fit perfectly fine everywhere else, except in my belly region due to the fact that my belly bump was basically bulging out from under my shirt. This is when I feel completely silly and even a little embarrassed. When this happens, I typically go home and throw the shirt, or whatever article of clothing that it might be that is too small, in the pile in the corner of the bedroom that I now call the too small to wear pile. The pile is starting to grow and I think I’m going to need a box so I can store it all until after I’m pregnant. I have purchased some looser fitting clothes to get me by for a bit, yet as I said earlier, the day is coming when I’m going to have to bite the bullet and start wearing the maternity clothes I got. That reminds me, I still have to blog about maternity clothes shopping. Well, that post will be next, I promise.

All in all, I’m sure that every pregnant woman goes through the roller coaster of emotions that I’ve been experiencing with my new baby bump. The roller coaster is totally worth it though given that my baby bump means that I’m going to be a parent soon and that when my waistline grows, the child inside of me is growing and getting stronger like he or she should. Honestly in my life, I haven’t experienced a more warm and fuzzy feeling of happiness than that, knowing that my husband and I have created a life that will be a part of this world in five months or so. Pretty awesome. Life is pretty awesome.

With those uplifting words, I'm going to end my post and until next time, it’s Carla the pregnant tomboy signing off.

PS…I realize I got a little emotional there at the end, but it’s all so very true. :)

PSS…This post was inspired by my Aunt Ellyn, thanks for bringing up the baby bump!