Fifteen things I want to remember about pregnancy...

15.  Brains don't always function during pregnancy.  I heard people say this and I laughed when they said or did off the wall things.  But, it's TRUE!  I feel like I am functioning at 80% and the simplest words are sitting on the tip of my tongue but my brain can't find them.  I now make lists.  If it's not on the list, I promise you, I will forget about it. Also, because of this, any spelling and grammatical errors from this post and any others are forgiven.

14.  Walking, even if it's just around Target, Home Goods and IKEA all in one day is hard. It was hard for me to imagine the possibility given I have worked out this entire pregnancy.  Normal errands are actually quite exhausting. The belly is heavy, your pelvis is moving, it hurts and frankly, if the baby dropped out onto the floor you wouldn't be surprised.  I am not complaining, these are facts it doesn't stop me from moving.

13.  I love that people already love our baby.  Our friends and family have been so amazing since the second they found out we are growing this little family.  It makes me very grateful for all the goodness and support we have in our lives. Blessed.

12.  A husband that rubs his pregnant wife's feet and does everything he can to protect his baby makes him a really incredible man.  Ben has been protective of me from day one.  He watches me like a hawk at the gym, he isn't afraid to tell me when I am pushing my body too hard and he is willing to fill in when I can't do things myself.  I love the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look on his face when I am doing crazy things like jumping up and down trying to reach something while 9 months pregnant.  He loves his baby, turns out there is nothing more attractive.

11.  People stare at pregnant people, a lot.  I wonder what they are thinking.  The other day a nice retail associate told me I was the cutest pregnant lady he had ever seen.  It was so kind of him.  I will choose to believe that all the people staring are thinking the same thing.  It's either that or WHOA - no wonder she waddles and walks so slow.... look at that huge belly!

10.  A baby that kicks your ribs and shoves his hand around your side is amazing.  The movements, the feelings, the awe and wonder that it's even possible to feel this growing baby is out of this world.  I cannot describe what it feels like to have a person knocking on your stomach from the inside, I can only tell you it's the most phenomenal feeling I have ever felt.  When it ends, my heart will break a little.

9.  There are times I wake up in the middle of the night certain I have suffocated my baby.  There are so many sleeping rules - Don't sleep on your back, don't roll onto your tummy, the right side gives the baby the most oxygen - yada yada.  Usually I wake up on my back and a little shutter runs down my spine while I worry the baby will never move again.  Then he kicks my rib and I fall back asleep.  I think he knows I need him to tell me he's okay.  You can't control your body while you sleep, sleeping rules are the worst.

8.  The belly makes a good shelf for things like cell phones, cups and an arm rest.

7.  Believe it or not you sort of get used to the big belly you have grown, some days you wonder how it's even possible you lived without it.  Then you see a picture of yourself pre-pregnancy and you remember.  How in the world were you ever that small, you wonder.  Then you kick yourself for never allowing yourself to believe you were skinny.  You were.

6.  Speaking of the belly, touching it is inevitable.  I can't help it.  I touch it all the time.  I can't decide if its because I am in awe that a living person is in there or if it's because that living person is constantly in motion.  Either way, I touch it and I don't mind if you do too.  It's fun and a little bit crazy.  Besides when that living person is on the outside I hope that I will still touch my belly and remember this magical time.

5.  Eating can be fun.  Some days you look at the belly and think, "You know what baby, you can eat only bean burritos today if you want to."  And that's okay in my book.  Give yourself a small amount of leeway, now is not the time to be hard on yourself.  (I may regret this one - talk to me post baby)

4.  Now that we touched on eating, also note, heartburn is not fun.  Not at all.  I feel very bad for people who struggle with heartburn throughout their entire pregnancy.  My heart has been on a constant burn for the last week.  Horribly bad, let's pretend it's burning with love and not acid.  That makes me feel better.

3.  Keep moving.  I know I said walking is hard.  I don't take that back, it is.  But if the alternative is sitting around, doing nothing and getting swollen, I will take the hard walking.  When I sit, or miss a couple workouts in a row my feet swell.  Being swollen is not fun, so I am going to keep moving.

2.  Take pictures of the belly.  Holy cow, even cell phone-blurry-no good pictures are amazing to see the growth and progress made over the last few months.  The time flies, your mind forgets, the pictures don't lie. Take pictures.

1.  Live in today.  This one has been the hardest.  You anticipate and wonder about tomorrow.  But today is perfect, today I have a wonderful husband who I get to spend time with all alone.  Just me and him - plus our crazy dog.  I am trying to remember to live in today, love what is happening now and soak up every single second of time that I get with this little family before it changes.  The change will be amazing, but the life as we know it will be left behind.  I want the best of memories from this stage.