I absolutely LOVE being pregnant, I really do. I love everything about it: bonding with the growing life inside of me, feeling all of her movements as we go about our day, daydreaming about what she looks like, and most of all my big, round, robust belly. Yes, I love my belly as it grows from the little bump, to the round basketball, to the HUGE ripe watermelon that it is at 36 almost 37 weeks, I love every part of it, emerging stretch marks and all.

What I don’t like is the crazy comments that come from the mouths of strangers that I can’t bring myself to believe are actually well meaning. I mean do people really think about what it is they are saying before they open their mouths to say it?

I have been thinking about this my entire pregnancy and I have been meaning to write about it, but I never did, because I thought it was just me being cranky, hormonal, hungry, and pregnant, but I have heard some things in my late pregnant state that are just ridiculous and now I am convinced that I am not the crazy one (this time that is!).

So here are my top 5 comments that I hear almost every day and remember, maybe I AM sensitive, but goodness, I am chock-full of estrogen, give me a break:

Are you having twins? – Now, this might be understandable when you are in your 9th month, but I have been hearing this since I was 6 months! When I kindly say no with a very hard to create smile on my face, they then say “Are you sure?” or one time this man said “Triplets? Quadruplets?” On Thursday, this young lady actually chased me down to stop me and ask me was I having twins and when I said no and probably gave her the glance of death because it was like 95 degrees outside, she apologetically said “Oh, well, um, sorry, um, you look good though.” WHAT?!

You must be due any day now – OK, now this one is also more tolerable now that I am 37 weeks, but hearing this everyday from let’s say around 26 weeks is a little bit annoying. I can’t possibly be THAT big.

You look like you are about to BUST! (Usually followed by a “ha ha ha!”) – Now this one is probably highest on my “OMG, I can’t believe you just said that to me” list. How in the world do you say this to someone and expect her to take this kindly? I just don’t get it! Firstly, the visual is horrible, I just picture my happy little belly exploding and my sweet baby just flying into space…that’s definitely not the serene vision of birth that I have. Secondly, how BIG is someone/something that it is just about to bust? This one I hear every day without fail. Crazy!

I KNOW you’re hot! / You look HOT! - Why this one annoys me, I can’t really put my finger on it, but it does. Maybe because it is July, so yes I am hot, but isn’t everyone?

Finally, here is the craziest one I ever heard…

This lady POINTED to my belly and said “that looks like it HURTS!” I don’t even have words for this one…

So anyway, I just had to get that off of my chest. People, if you encounter a big, huge, watermelon-bellied, hot-looking, pregnant mom that looks like she is overdue with twins and her belly just hurts like heck for her to carry it, please just smile at her and tell her “you look great mama, keep up the good work!” or something like that and save her from running to her nearest chocolate stash to keep from going crazy…on you that is!

HOT mama who is about to bust although I am not having twins (at least not according to my doctor and the ultrasound tech),
T

OK, so yes, I have seemingly dropped off the earth for the last few months, but I am back and I am bigger and better than ever (and please let me emphasize the BIGGER part!). Let me explain…it goes something like this:

Mommy finds out she is expecting her 2nd baby in late July 2008

Mommy immediately goes into preparation mode for new baby while maintaining her crazy life as mommy, wife, entrepreneur, daughter, friend, everything-to-everybody-except-myself…meaning Mommy is cramming 36 hours into 24 hours while being X weeks pregnant and has no time for anything

Mommy is sentenced to bed-rest by her loving doctor (I guess I needed a vacation?) in order to prevent another premature birth

Type-A, anal-retentive, perfectionist, over-prepared, and over-zealous Mommy-in-panic-mode gets everything on her perpetual To Do list done (including packing 2 very large suitcases for her all-expenses paid trip to the luxurious hospital birthing suite, yes 2 suitcases and working on 3, I know I am crazy, you can say it) and now…

I am back and I am waiting patiently for Baby Girl to arrive!

Oh how I have missed writing and oh how many stories I have to share from this crazy journey that has landed me at 36 weeks, but hopefully I have yet a few more weeks to go and we can definitely play catch-up. I promise you, it will be a riot…

Oh yes, and please remind me to tell you about these suitcases. I absolutely need everything in there, I tell you! Yes, even the bags of dark chocolate Raisinets and Haribo Gummi Bears for energy in labor and the 2 iPods with duplicate playlists with 2 types of speakers AND headphones just so I can be sure that I have my birth music…are you calling me crazy again?

How I’ve missed you all…

Signing off with some Braxton-Hicks,
T

Benjamin has always been the type of baby/toddler that is very happy and content when Mommy is around, but never really wanted to stay and hang out with anyone else. OK, that is an understatement…Benjamin would kick and scream and tear the house down if I even thought about going anywhere without him for one second, so I always included him in everything that I did and that was fine for us. Lately, he has been fine with hanging out with Daddy and Mom-Mom (my mother-in-law) for short periods of time and I think it’s a result of him beginning to attend Montessori school for several mornings each week and also the natural maturity and independence that comes along with turning 2. Of course, I am OK with that, whew, I actually get to eat a meal with two hands and use the bathroom in peace every now and then, and oh goodness, I can take a leisurely shower…this is heaven! I always said that I wouldn’t mind leaving him with other people as long as he is happy and he is so, I am too.

OK, so yesterday evening I had a Junior League meeting and I decided, what the hey, let’s see if Mom-Mom is around, because at the last meeting that I took him to, he was running around the place yelling and screaming and chasing after this dog that was there (someone brought their puppy) and saying “pup-py, pup-py, PUP-py” about 45,668,797 times and frankly, I think I was the only one who thought this was cute (although if the puppy is welcome, I can’t see why the obnoxious toddler isn’t welcome, but I digress) so I wanted to spare everyone of the Benjamin experience. I, being the prepared mother that I am, took him over to Mom-Mom’s house with a thrown together bag with his pajamas and favorite Lightning McQueen bubble bath and some random cars and left him for a fun evening with Mom-Mom.

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Hi Divas! It’s July and the summer is getting haute-er! Whew, if we are going to survive summer style redefined (by motherhood, that is), then it’s time for us to go back to basics and learn our ABCs: Accessories Before Clothes. Now, pre-Benjamin, I may have said clothes make the outfit, but as time marches on and being a mommy becomes crazier every second, I have learned to appreciate the power of a killer accessory. So, for busy moms suffering from extreme fashion frenzy, no worries, the accessories antidote is just what the fashionista ordered! (more…)

Whether planning for a play date or a family trip to an amusement park, you want to look great and feel good about their appearance. Too often, though, mommies sacrifice their personal sense of style as they strive to accommodate the needs of their children. No more! With summer right around the corner, I am going to highlight several style tips to help you unleash your “inner diva”!

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I knew the day would come, but I thought it would be later than sooner. For some, sooner is better than later, but for me, I wanted it to be just right. For 18 months, Benjamin and I have been securely attached. He goes where I go, if he can’t go, I don’t go and that is fine with me. Benjamin is the epitome of the attached child: very loving, very engaged and social, very curious, extremely happy, always smiling…many have said that they have never seen a happier child… very intelligent, very INDEPENDENT, despite what “they” say. Yes, Benjamin has had everything he needed in order to build a solid foundation: his mommy and her undivided guidance, attention, and patience…until now. (more…)

10…9…8…

Here I am on New Year’s Eve, doing my yearly ritual of watching the ball drop in Times Square with my husband (from the comfort of my home…one day I am going to be bold enough to go) and rocking my sweet little baby to sleep (yes, he was still awake and trying to hold on long enough to ring in the New Year) thinking about 2006 and all that is to come in 2007.

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Wow, the holidays are upon us already!  I always love this time of the year.  Thanksgiving and Christmas brings out the best in people: giving thanks, sharing with the less fortunate, reflecting upon the blessing of family and friends and all that really matters in life.  It is always such a refreshing time.

A few days ago, Benjamin and I were playing in his playroom listening to music as usual and I started thinking about what I am thankful for this year.  Of course, the old faithfuls flew through my mind: “I am thankful for health and happiness and family and…” Then, Aretha Frankin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” came on and I immediately picked up the nearest wooden block and started singing my heart out (I LOVE that song!). 

As I listened to myself sing “Looking out on the morning rain/I used to feel so uninspired/and when I knew I had to face another day/Lord, it made me feel so tired/Before the day I met you/Life was so unkind/You’re the key to my peace of mind/You make me feel/You make me feel/You make me feel/like a Natural Woman…”, I realized what it is I am thankful for… (more…)

The funniest thing happened to me last week when Benjamin, Greg, my mother-in-law Patricia, and I were at the Philadelphia International Airport preparing to fly to Mexico.  So, you know they have this new security thing where you can’t bring liquids on the plane (which is such a pain, because I have a strong affinity for water…nursing mommies, do you know what I mean?) and they have a checkpoint set up to check your carry-on luggage for liquids right before you go through the security screening (great, another checkpoint, thank goodness for my sling!). 

We stopped at the checkpoint table and the security lady asked me if I had any liquids.  I told her about the 2 containers of baby food that were in my carry-on bag.  She said to me “That’s IT?!” with a surprised look on her face.  (more…)

So, we finally get to Mexico and of course, we had to fill out the obligatory immigration forms.  Now, I take these things seriously, because I am always so scared that they may not let me come back to the US if I fill it out incorrectly.  I started filling out the form, ho hum, and I get to the part that says Occupation.  I stopped for a minute and said to myself, “what in the world do I put here?”  Then, I said, “well, what IS my occupation?  Hmmm…”  (more…)