On Being NOT Pregnant

Last night, as I flopped on the bed, tummy first, I thought to myself once again, "It feels so great to NOT be pregnant anymore." And it does. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have a horrible pregnancy. I actually enjoyed being pregnant, unlike many women I've talked to. I had some mild nausea during the first trimester and those last few days were no picnic, as you already know if you've read my blog posts this summer, but other than that, being pregnant had a very magical, awesomeness to it. And I use the word awesome in the sense of "being filled with awe." Because I was so often in awe of the fact that a little human was growing inside me. To get to feel her kick and hiccup and to hear her heart beat. Awe.

BUT, I much prefer having her outside of me now, and getting to watch her kick her legs and see her hiccup (though she doesn't like that much!) and putting my ear to her chest to hear her little heart beat. Plus a million other things I couldn't do before, like kiss her cheeks and smell her head--why do babies heads smell so good? It's not like I even bathe her that often! ;)--and watch her play with her tongue and work so hard to hold her head up and turn toward me while she is having tummy time...

Also, I am no longer pregnant. And that, too, is a wonderful feeling. It's kind of like after you have had a cold for a long time. It's not a major sickness, and for the most part, you can live life normally, albeit uncomfortably. But when that cold is gone, wow, you remember just how good it feels to be healthy again. Just simple things are not so hard anymore.

Here are a few specific things that are "not so hard" now that I'm not pregnant:

• bending down to tie my shoes (only really difficult when I was sitting down, but still...)
• seeing my toes (and painting my toenails)
• going to the bathroom, which I only have to do occasionally now, instead of every 15 minutes
• lying on my stomach
• lying on my back and being able to breathe at the same time
• getting out of bed (which I still have to do more often than I would like, but now that I have ab muscles that are starting to work again, it's a definite plus)
• sleeping in general; not waking up with an aching back and aching hips and trying in vain to find a comfortable position
• wearing my engagement/wedding ring (shout out to you, Michelle Taylor, for reminding me of the beauty of this)
• eating a full meal without feeling like my tummy is going to pop
• regulating my body temperature (this morning, I put on a hoodie in this "cooler" weather, and I LOVE it!)
• eating undercooked meat and undercooked eggs and unheated deli meat and having a glass of wine
• being able to hug my husband and not feel like there is a basketball in between us

Will I be pregnant again someday? I hope and pray so.
Am I enjoying the time until that time? You bet!

P.S. Feel free to add to this list. I know I am forgetting some.