The Reality

The reality is, I don't have time to post. I don't. I am not good enough at multi-tasking in this early stage of parenthood, especially in the middle of the holiday season. I truly want to share everything about my pregnancy, like where I registered (Amazon.com and Buy Buy Baby) and where I got my maternity clothes (mostly Gap Maternity) and what I craved (tomato soup). But, I barely have time to pee these days. So, something has got to give...and keeping up with NSB seems to be that thing.

It is as temporary hiatus. A pause. Once I get into the swing of things and the holidays wind down, I will be back. I love to write. I love the dialogue we have on NSB. So, I will be back.

Talk to you later and happy holidays. What an amazing year this was. I am so excited for the joys that 2013 will bring.

A Revealing Method

It's time to start sharing now that we all know I was pregnant for nine months this year.  I'll start from the beginning.  So, how did I reveal to my husband, family and friends that I was pregnant?  Before I get to the answer, let's look back at my post from June 2011 about all the exciting ways that one can reveal that she is pregnant.  Here is a brief summary of that post:

• Online Method - blog about it, tweet it, post it on Facebook, make an online photo album with your sonogram photo, send an email, Evite everyone to a party featuring your baby bump
• Phone Call Method - no explanation needed
• Creative Face-to-Face Method - a dinner party, a colorful (think pink or blue) cake, a t-shirt with a message, etc.
• Revealing Gift Method - a mug for your parents that says "I love Grandma/pa", a t-shirt for your husband that says "#1 Daddy", etc.

Check out the post for a full post (here) with awesome (might I say) suggestions.

So, which of my awesome suggestions did I take?  None.  Well, none when it came to the biggest and most important reveal - my husband.  I just walked out of the bathroom completely stunned and said, "I think I'm pregnant."  To which he said, if I remember correctly, "What does that mean?"

The conversation then proceeded with me explaining that I used the pregnancy test (like I said I would five minutes earlier).  I waited the appropriate amount of minutes for an accurate result.  I looked at the pee covered stick.  There were TWO pink lines.  Then I repeated, "I think I'm pregnant."  This time he said, "You are pregnant."  It wasn't a could be, might be, "think" situation.  I was or I wasn't, and I was.  Pure joy.  Then I took another test, for good measure. 

I will never forget that exchange.  I will never forget that day.  So, the lesson quickly became - it doesn't matter how one reveals her pregnancy.  It's unforgettable no matter the method.

Being Thankful

Today's post is a late tribute to Thanksgiving.  I hope you had a good one.

During pregnancy there are so many rules.  There are prenatal vitamins to take and foods to avoid, ways to sleep and clothes to wear.  The list of to dos is dwarfed only by the list of not allowed to dos.  And on top of all the guidelines dictated by science, there are wives tales that further instruct.  All these rules create so many (too many) opportunity for worry - Am I doing this right?  Did I remember to do that?  Should I do that?  One's mind can really get away from her.  Mine certainly did at times.

When my worries became overwhelming, I coped by being thankful.  It worked...usually.  I tried to forget the lists of dos and don'ts and, instead, make a list of thanks.  Sometimes the list included milestones, like reaching a big ultrasound.  More often the list included just everyday things, silly things.

Some sample list items:

• No one ever told me to lay off desserts.  In fact, my mother encouraged me to eat ice cream...all the calcium.
• I got some cute and comfortable hand-me-down maternity clothes from friends.
• I bonded with other pregnant friends and mom friends in a way that I couldn't before I experienced pregnancy for myself.
• At least once a day, a stranger would congratulate me.
• My hair was shiny and thick from the prenatal vitamins and the hormones.  And my nails were stronger than ever.
• No one ever commented on how big my butt became.
• I got a seat on the subway...most of the time.
• I had a legitimate reason to discuss baby names whenever I wanted.

This list, as cheesy as it was somedays, was a great tool.  Realizing that I was eight months along and no one had even joked that my ass looked as pregnant as my belly was a great distraction from all the do's and don'ts.  Yes, there's a lot to worry about during pregnancy, but there's also a lot to be thankful for.   It's just a matter of finding those small moments of sweetness or comedy.  When you do, it's amazing how easily they can overpower the big moments of worry.  

Were you a worrier during your pregnancy?  Do you think you will be?  How do you/will you cope?

My Surprise Baby

Now that the cat's out of the bag (aka the baby's out of my bump), I have so many pregnancy stories to share.  I have thoughts on baby showers and registering, cravings and maternity clothes, and everything else from the pregnancy test to reaching (and passing) my due date.  But before I get to the sharing, I should explain why I didn't post about my pregnancy in real time.

When I learned I was pregnant at the beginning of the year, I wanted to wait to spread the news until I passed the twelve week mark.  It's a traditional milestone and it felt like the right milestone for me and my husband.  It was such a joyful, awesome discovery that we wanted to enjoy it between the two of us for a bit.  So, we did just that.  Then we told only immediate family and a couple close friends and let it settle some more.  Then, at twelve weeks, we told the rest of our family and friends and enjoyed a whole new round of excitement.

It finally seemed like a reasonable time to post my fantastic news on NSB. But, it didn't feel like the right time. Even with the news making its way through my social circles, I wasn't ready to share it with the public at large.  So, I decided to wait until it felt right and ignore what seemed reasonable.  Turns out it didn't feel right until last week.

From the start, my pregnancy felt like an immensely personal experience.  My reaction to that feeling was to keep it intimate.  I didn't share baby bump photos on Facebook and I didn't leave away messages on Gmail about my morning sickness (which I had).  I instinctively wanted to keep social media away from my belly.

Many, perhaps most, women shout out their pregnancy from the rooftops, which includes Facebook and online announcements.  I get that.  It's the reverse of what I did, but it equally expresses the true awesomeness of being pregnant.  For many, being pregnant is simply too amazing to contain.  For me, keeping my pregnancy amongst family and friends made me feel like I was preserving that awesomeness.   So, despite the fact that I constantly publicize my personal joys and junk on NSB, I pulled back and let this personal joy stay personal. I hope you forgive me for pulling a fast one on you.  Now that my beautiful baby has arrived, I'm ready (at last) to share and discuss.

My Next Stop

Some of you know why I took a hiatus and some of you may have guessed.  Some of you are just annoyed that I haven't posted in two weeks.  Well, the wait is over.   I'm back.  And, I'm a mom.  That's right, I'm a mom.  My hiatus involved giving birth to my first child, recovering (ouch) from said birth and mostly staring for endless hours at the perfect little person who was one day in my belly and the next in my arms.  There has also been a lot of poop, but we can discuss that on a later date.

For today, I'm just excited to share that I have officially reached my next stop - baby.