Confessions of a pregnant woman...(updated)

Ok, so I have to admit that there is a reason why I have yet to post any pictures of myself on this blog. At this point I have started seeing my belly bulge almost overnight, and I am starting to feel all-around HUGE. I've had a couple people comment that they didn't know I was "that far along" (whatever that means--but I can't say I like that), and I think that the general public is now considering my belly public property after the woman at the Chinese restaurant reached out and grabbed my stomach after saying "Woah! You weren't like that the last time you were in here!" I mean, am I really that big??!! I'm dealing with a lack of self-confidence right now. I know it's all for a good purpose--a handsome little boy whome I love already--but it doesn't make all the weight gain easy. As women, I think we program ourselves to think that weight gain is a bad thing and now I'm trying to cope with the inevitable gain that comes with being pregnant. It's way more difficult than I thought it would be. Is it bad that I can't wait to go to the gym and work out like I used to?

Don't get me wrong...I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. I have been very blessed that morning sickness was just all-day nausea (which I am kinda used to with all the stomach issues i've had in the past). I'm actually proud to be pregnant and want people to notice--because I'm so excited to meet our little guy. What I don't enjoy are the times when someone comments on how big I am "already", or when I look at a picture of myself and I don't look the way I used to. I love my belly because I know who is inside, but sometimes (at the wrong angle) it can look absolutely huge and I FEEL huge. It's that feeling that I don't enjoy.

I HAVE learned some interesting things about being pregnant though--some more serious and others that just kind of make me laugh:

1) There are a lot of things that people don't tell you about--daily heartburn, constipation, severe leg cramps that wake you up in the middle of the night.

2) NEVER take prenatal vitamins on an empty stomach unless you want to be miserable.

3) Morning sickness is an all-day thing and it stinks. (Praise God that I'm over that hump!)

4) Your body truly never will be the same again and that can be very difficult to cope with, even if you think you'll feel different when you're pregnant some day...

5) Your belly DOES all of a sudden turn into seemingly public property, and it's incredibly awkward when perfect strangers reach out and grab your belly. (Can you say 'awkward?')

6) Pregnancy has made me incredibly thirsty, and I drink a lot of water. This is good, except that it turns your body into one huge water-logged blob that makes me feel like I look chubby.

7) Feeling your baby move for the first time is by far, the most incredible feeling in the world!

8) Having your husband feel the baby kick for the first time may be even more incredible because you can finally share in the pregnancy experience.

9) I have learned to be incredibly thankful for a husband who still thinks I'm beautiful even though I don't feel that way.

10) You have to learn to control your cravings! Just because you want broccoli does NOT mean it's a good idea to eat an entire head of it in one sitting. I learned THAT the hard way. Talk about painful!

11) Even a person who never cries will become suddenly overly-emotional during pregnancy and cry for absolutely NO reason while her husband sits next to her absolutely baffled.

12) Sleeping gets very difficult with a tiny human kicking you in the ribs....though it can be a bit humorous as well.

and finally...

13) Dogs DO know when you're pregnant and get incredibly clingy. It's a weird phenomenon that I've recently discovered.