Pros and Cons

So people keep asking me if I just love being pregnant. "Isn't it great?" they say. Well, that got me to thinking about the pros and cons of being pregnant. I tend to focus on the cons most days, so this is a good exercise for me.

I'll do the cons first:

1. I have to remember to cross my legs when I sneeze or blow my nose.
2. I have to stop breathing in order to bend over and tie my shoes.
3. My timed mile went from 6:20 to 10:00 and my max distance from 23 to 2.3.
4. My bladder is constantly under pressure.
5. The baby takes up precious stomach room.
6. My lower right rib gets no peace.
7. During meetings and seminars, especially after lunch or some coffee, my belly takes on a life of it's own. Not only is this distracting to me, but also for my neighbors.
8. I can't go grab a drink with my friends after a long week.
9. I have gained 25 pounds that I now have to lug around with me everywhere and I can't wear my favorite pants
10. I can no longer see my entire body just by looking down.

Okay, so here are some pros:

1. As it pops out, my belly button is finally getting clean.
2. I have a good excuse to "go lie down for a few minutes" when I get sick of writing or doing research.
3. Since I can't drink a beer, I have a good excuse to order dessert every time I go out.
4. No one can judge me for running slowly.
5. I finally have cleavage.
6. By lugging around 25 extra pounds everywhere, I'm surely gaining some muscle somewhere, right?
7. I have a new found love of baking. I can't stop baking things and they're all really yummy.
8. People buy me ice cream.
9. I have CRAZY fun dreams. You know, the long adventure kind that make you feel like you're in a movie.
10. I have a cute little girl kicking around inside my belly.

So, I guess if you take it all together, being pregnant is ok. I both love it and hate it. But when you consider that once the baby is born, I get to have something I didn't have before, then I'd say it's worth it. Of course, I'm sure somewhere down the line you'll see a list of pros and cons for having a baby in your life...

Oh, and here's a little time lapse series of the growth of my belly over the past few months. Amazing that your skin can stretch so much!