Free Advice from the Pregnant Lady ;)

I just  came across this post that I wrote a few months ago and never published, so hear it is...

It has been a long time! And since my last post, much has happened in our lives.

Last October I had a miscarriage. It was horrible and devastating. It still hurts. I still cry. I'm thankful I have Jesus. What more needs to be said?

In January, I started a new job and found out I was pregnant again...life has been crazy ever since! I work from home for our homeschooling community. I love it lots, although it has kept me very busy! And I am now almost 29 weeks pregnant with an active, healthy boy. Praise the Lord.

My 3 1/2 year old has started reading (on her own, no pushing from me), and my 5 1/2 year old is as smart as ever!

A few days ago when Shelby was showing her Daddy some "worksheets" she had done that day, she grabbed a marker, sounded out, wrote and then read the word cat. Again, all on her own, without any prompting from me. She's 3. And she amazes me.

This morning while having some wake-up time on the couch watching cartoons, Paul randomly says to me, "Mom, what is 120+120?" Me: 240. Paul: What's 240+60? Me: 300. Paul: Oh, so 5 minutes is 300 seconds! Um yeah, do the math, it took me a few minutes to do it, too. He's FIVE ya'll.

So, that's a brief update on the fam...now to the real reason for this post:

I am a big pregnant lady. I'm not big all over, but my belly is always large and always low, pretty much sitting on my lap. I'm not really sure why. I've never gained more than 30lbs during any pregnancy, but I think it might be because I am so short and my torso is small. I also have big babies and a large diastasis recti. Whatever the reason, people never fail to want to let me know just how huge I look to them.

It.Is.Annoying. And rude. And this uncomfortable, hormonal pregnant lady has had all I can take. So here's some free advice, albeit probably unwanted, from this Momma to anyone who wants it.

Think before you say something to a pregnant woman. I know, I know, it is hard, and something I honestly struggle with, too. But really, what good can come from saying to someone, "You look like you just swallowed a watermelon."? None. Trust me.

I've never met a pregnant woman who gets joy out of a stranger telling her she looks like she's "gonna pop." Balloons pop. People don't. What in the world were you hoping to get out of a comment like that? Plus, I'm still months from my due date. So, no, I'm not close to "popping."

And my favorite comment from a total stranger from this past week, "You have GOT (emphasis hers) to be due any day now!" Actually, no. I still have 12 weeks. But thank you for letting me know that I look even bigger than I already feel. Again, think people.

I'm not having twins, I did not just drop, I'm not about to go into labor, and especially if you are a complete stranger...my uncomfortable, large belly is really not your concern.

Also, it always cracks me up when people try to guess the gender of my baby because I carry low. People have guessed both ways, that I must be having a boy/girl because I carry so low. Well, I have had a boy and a girl, and now am going to have another boy. My belly looked the same every single time. I carry low. It's who I am. It is not because I am carrying a [insert guess here]. So please, just stop. I'm tired of having to patronize people when they make comments that they obviously think are so adorable. It's not adorable. It's exhausting.

I realize that this little rant may sound trivial to some of you. But I can't go out in public at all now without someone making some sort of comment about my belly. And I'm honestly growing weary. I'd sort of like to avoid the public altogether, because they apparently believe I am pregnant for their amusement. After the first 20 or so comments, it just becomes draining. Pregnancy is hard enough for me physically. And it is hard emotionally, too, when seemingly every stranger I meet has to comment about the size of my belly and I have to smile and pretend to be amused.

I am beyond thrilled to be pregnant. I have a much deeper understanding now of what a true miracle and blessing it all is. But even still, the comments are getting old. Pregnant women are emotional and vulnerable. They need affirmation and encouragement and a genuine smile. No one, pregnant or not, wants to hear how large they look.

Let It Go

We have all been a bit under the weather for days. And we've been trapped in our house for so long now that I honestly forget what going outside feels like. Our area has set some record low temps and wind chills in the past month and had lots of snow (with more on the way, eek!).

Anyway, our inability to get out of the house, coupled with attempting to get back into routine, and my grumpiness at how messy my house had become, led to a bleak start to the day. Nothing was going right, I had so many things to do and couldn't get through any of them. The kids were bickering and grumpy and bored, the dogs were rowdy, and everywhere I looked I saw a mess...like I said, bleh. We attempted some schoolwork, but that didn't go well either.

So I had a  moment.

A little bit of clarity, maybe.

We put the schoolwork down and my to-do list away.

The kids picked out books, we put the dogs outside to play, and we sat on the floor to read together.

Paul asked if he could finish where he left off reading in Hop On Pop. I had planned to read to him, but how nice it was to see him excited to read to me. So we started on page 17, where we left off last time, and he read until page 34, then decided to pause for later. It is so neat to sit and watch your little guy read a book on his very own, sounding out the words as he goes. And so rewarding when you realize you taught him how to do that!

Then Shelby brought several of her current faves for me to read to her. When we finished those, she asked about reading Green Eggs and Ham. So we all went upstairs, the kids got ready for naps, and I read them Green Eggs and Ham and loved every minute of watching their excited faces.

Outwardly, it doesn't look like I accomplished much today. Literally everywhere I turn in my house I see a mess or something that needs organized. I have a to-do list that has not gotten much checked off of it. But I also have peace in my home. Happy kids.

If you are having "one-of-those-days," I would encourage you to drop the day's agenda. Sometimes you just have to let it go, forget it all and sit and read or play with your kiddos.