On Being Pregnant

I guess I could be writing more about being pregnant than I have, but the truth is, I feel like I'm still adjusting to this life phase. Between being sick at the end of the first trimester and suddenly gaining my energy back at the beginning of the second--which has led to a flurry of shopping and comparing prices at every baby store in the Chicagoland area--I haven't had much time to actually ponder the fact that I am, as they say, with child. Now that I'm approaching week 19, feeling movement and seeing a larger roundness in my stomach, I am at the beginning of acceptance.

Part of that acceptance is recognizing the fact that sometimes you just feel frumpy when you're pregnant. But that goes with the territory, right? As I dressed today, I realized that I had donned my first complete pregnancy outfit. Gap pregnancy jeans. Check. Cool long-sleeved graphic t-shirt with hood. Check. I thought I looked pretty cute, but then I realized that the jeans, so loose when I purchased them in a fit of early pregnancy excitement in August, were already snug. And I even bought a size up from my regular size. It dawned on me that I will probably need to buy another pair in a month or so, and this depressed me a bit. Another depressing thought hit a few minutes later. Pregnancy has already forced me to crack the 130's (don't judge--we all have different body types!), and today I already weighed in at 139.6. A horrific thought entered my head: I will soon weigh 140 pounds, and I'm not even half way through pregnancy. So, it stands to reason that I can expect to hit 150 in the not-so-distant future. AHHHHHHH!! A depressing set of thoughts, indeed.

But I guess God knows when I need a boost. I was without a car today, so in the afternoon I took the El downtown Evanston to do some shopping. As I walked my pregnant-belly self down the street looking for a shop, a handsome man on a bike passed me, giving me a glance that made me think we had somehow met before. I didn't give it much thought and had walked another block when I heard a voice behind me say, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" I turned to see the man on the bike behind me. Holding out his hand he said, all in one breath, "Hi, my name is Phil. I noticed you when I passed by earlier and just wanted to say hello. I think you are very attractive and didn't want to let the opportunity pass by. Do you live in the area? Are you single?"

Taken aback by his guts (nerve, cajones, boldness) I politely told him that I was taken (and didn't he notice I am 4 1/2 months pregnant??!). Poor Phil didn't get a date, but he gave me something even better...a moment of un-frumpiness!