Baby 101

Being pregnant has taught me:

• that the process of carrying a developing baby will always amaze me. It happens everyday, everywhere around the world, and yet it still feels like a miracle.
• that baby hiccups are endearing and fun, even at 3 am.
• that pregnant women become public domain. People feel comfortable saying things to pregnant women that they would never dream of saying to someone else. They also feel free to touch pregnant women without asking.
• that my husband is more patient than I could have imagined.
• that everything I do becomes about doing what is best for our child.
• that the "pregnancy waddle" isn't necessarily permanent, nor is it always from hauling around a bigger belly. I'll just leave it at that.
• that one day you'll be doing things like you've always done them. Then one day you wake up, and you suddenly have to find new and inventive ways of completing mundane tasks (like putting on socks, tying shoes, shaving legs, bending down to unload a dishwasher....or giving a urine sample).
• that it's possible to be excited and terrified of becoming a parent...simultaneously.
• that "it takes a village"...and we've got a pretty amazing village. Munchkin has an awful lot of folks anxiously awaiting his/her arrival, and they are ready to love on him/her!