Oh...the changes I've been going through...

My Stomach

Suddenly I looked down and after 29 years in exile, my belly button was poking out!

"Hmmmm, I wonder if I got a hernia from lifting those boxes when we were moving??" was my first thought.

A baby being inside my stomach didn't occur to me at first, because my tummy seemed to have popped out literally overnight. To be honest, it was the size of my belly button that also threw me off. It was so big that you could see it through my clothes which seemed to be a HUGE tell-tell to people that I was expecting. With my protruding belly comes a daily need to grease myself down like a fried turkey in shea butter - because I am trying to prepare my skin for stretching that has only just begun.

My Pooch

Next, around my 16th week, my pooch began to feel like I was always riding a bike. My pelvis bones were beginning to soften and stretch and sometimes activities such as walking were uncomfortable. Out of no nowhere I would feel a sudden pain in my crouch and out of an unconscious reflex, I would grab my crouch like I was Michael Jackson to try to make it go away.

My Legs

One day, I was running late for work so I threw on a summer dress and ran out the door. Just as I was closing the door, I was horrified to see that my legs looked like they belonged to Chubaka! My leg hair was so long that you could have french braided it! I was so disturbed.

My Back and the Casaba Melons

Then came my back...actually it wasn't my back -- it was the two casaba melons that were putting stress on my back. By this time, my "girls" were pouring out of my DD (yes, those are two D's) bra cups but I was resistant to buying new bras until my 5 month because I suspected that they would only continue to grow and grow. Pat is afraid that one day I will just fall over. Most days, as soon as I come home from work, I fall out on the couch and unhook my bra to set my runaway breasts free from captivity...which brings me both great relief and happiness.

After weeks, no months, of feeling like I was carrying two twins on my chest, I finally bit the bullet and went to J.C. Penny's to get my maternity bras. When the lingerie department manager came in my dressing to measure me all she kept saying was, "Girl...I can't believe you are able to hold those things up! You are full of milk!" Just as I was about to get mad, she started to sing "JUST THROW SOME E's ON IT..." and I couldn't do anything but laugh.

I've began to put aside my previous notions of how "normal" feels because nothing about this experience could meet those old standards. Yet, I'm beginning to embrace it all because with 4 more months to go, my only choice is to give in - let go - and enjoy the ride.