Shout Out

I'm almost done being pregnant. Dangerously close to the end. My last baby, my last pregnancy. Finished. I couldn't have done it without help. You know those things you are grateful for but are glad that you will be done with? Those are the things that I'm thankful for today. Those things are:

• Tums: heartburn=unpleasantness. I never experienced it before pregnancy and/or after my other pregnancies. I'm glad that I managed to buy only 2 bottles of smooth dissolve fruity chalky Tums for the duration of this pregnancy. But I'm even happier that I will not be using the rest after I'm not pregnant, cause I hate Tums as much as I hate heartburn.
• Ben & Jerry's: this was my one persistent craving. I lost track of how many pints of chocolate fudge brownie I consumed in the last month or so. And I don't care that each one is over 1,000 calories. I'm growing a person, now isn't the time to starve myself.
• Maternity pants: When I was pregnant with Alana I was extremely opposed to full panel maternity pants. I thought they were frumpy and horrible. Instead I opted for low rise maternity pants or these really uncomfortable ones that were adjustable and had buttons in the side that cut into my hips. I've since seen the error of my ways. Low rise pants fall down. Especially when you sit down and your belly has dropped. That super stretchy elastic panel in pants is your friend. Not all of them are designed for comfort, but the right ones will keep you happy and keep your pants up till you have a baby. And help you not feel giant by allowing you to still wear them instead of trying to squeeze into your pre-baby pants. Don't even attempt to try them on for at least 3-4 weeks. Its not good, its just depressing.
• Dairy Queen: for as much as I love Ben & Jerry's, which is a lot, I love Dairy Queen 1,000,000 times more. I just flat out love soft serve ice cream. And while with regular ice cream I like rich and chocolately flavors, when it comes to soft serve I opt for lighter and fruiter options. Like a good old Hawaiian blizzard, which has always been my favorite. Or a chocolate-vanilla swirl cone. Or a Arctic Rush float. I stopped by the same DQ almost every time I went to the doctor. Partly cause it was hot outside and I was hungry, partly because the DQ where I live lost its franchise and became generic and disgusting Benson Ice Cream Shoppe. Gross. Maybe someone will bring me a blizzard when I'm in the hospital. Hawaiian, no coconut. They would then become my favorite visitor.

While I won't miss heartburn, there are things about pregnancy that I will miss. Things I want to remember. Baby kicks, a handy belly shelf for holding bowls of food, anticipation, a hard belly that is supposed to stick out, thick hair and clear skin, the ease of pregnancy compared to taking care of a newborn, the excitement that my girls have about getting a new brother. Then there are things that I won't miss. My limited maternity wardrobe, inability to bend over, inability to sleep on my stomach, driving to Tucson incessantly to go to the doctor, dumb questions from people about my weight and/or comments that are not compliments.

Knowing when your baby is going to arrive is strange. You wait your whole pregnancy with this vague idea of when and you set your sights on the date, that goal, and then in reality that day is just a date that you probably won't have your baby on. Knowing your delivery date and your baby's birthday are way different than your due date. My due date is 4th of July, but by then I'll have a baby boy to hold. And I'll probably still want to go and get Dairy Queen.