Alisha's Little Corner of the World: Likes & Dislikes

First off, I would like to say that after experiencing pregnancy and childbirth I have a new appreciation for just how amazing the human body is (especially the female body). It's mindboggling that such a perfect little person can be created without any conscious direction and that the body knows how to deliver that baby even if you don't have a doctor or midwife there to tell you what to do!

But I digress. Since Paxton arrived 2 weeks ago, I've been thinking a lot about what I miss about being pregnant and what I like about not being pregnant anymore. So here is my list.

Fist off let's do what I miss (because me whining is always more fun!):

1. Being "just pregnant." I'll explain this one. Before I got pregnant, I was overweight. However, as soon as I got pregnant, I went from being overweight to being "just pregnant." I pretty much got to eat whatever I wanted for the whole thing without worrying about what it was since I was fairly lucky and only gained about 45 lbs through my entire pregnancy (apparently Paxton has the metabolism of a teenage boy already).   But now I'm not pregnant anymore so I'm back to being overweight which really is no fun especially since it's Christmas and all of my favorite fattening foods are everywhere! This brings us to my next point.

2. My pregnant belly. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to see my feet again without bending over and being able to shave my legs on a regular basis, however I'm not a huge fan of what has been left behind. I enjoyed having my big belly and "rock hard abs" that I could rest a bowl of whatever snack I'd found on. But now I have to deal with every woman's nightmare ... the pooch. Or as I call it, the "Dun-lop," because it dun-lops over my pants! I did think it was pretty neat how small all of my stretch marks were the morning after Paxton was delivered, but once I moved from my super fashionable hospital gown into pajama pants, I discovered this new fabulous tummy of mine. I would like to return it and am even willing to take back my pre-pregnancy one (which was not so fabulous but was better)! Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to exercise and watch what I eat like everyone else I know since I can't afford to have a plastic surgeon fix me. Boo-urns. But on the bright side, I can procrastinate a little using the "I just had a baby" excuse and getting rid of the dun-lop can be my New Year's goal!

3. People listening to me. While I was pregnant it was all about me and people paid attention to pretty much everything I did which included what I was saying. But, I have discovered that when Paxton is around, people now tend to tune me out even when I am answering a question that they asked! I was expecting that once Paxton was born that it would be all about him, however it is definitely worse than I had imagined. I find myself not finishing sentences a lot now because I realize halfway through that no one is listening to me because they are cooing at my baby instead. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I know his cuteness is pretty distracting, but why would you ask the question if you don't care what the answer is? Maybe they're just trying to distract me by asking questions so I don't feel left out now that it's all about Paxton ... (DISCLAIMER: This is not applicable to all people, but it is applicable to quite a few.)

4. Feeling Paxton move. This was one of my favorite things about being pregnant. Towards the end it was sometimes a little uncomfortable since things were getting so crowded in there, but I miss feeling him rolling, stretching, and jabbing me from the inside. It was kind of our thing to do together.

5. Being able to just run out quickly. I used to be able to shower, get dressed and do my hair and make-up all in a half hour. But now I have to make sure that I'm ready as well as Paxton (we'd never get anywhere if I let him get ready by himself!). And if we're going somewhere for dinner I have to make sure that Jay's ready as well. This is due to the fact that when we first got together I quickly realized that Jay could not be trusted to pick out his own clothes (most of the time he was ok, but every so often he'd throw me a curveball. Maybe he was testing me ... hmmm). And then once we're all dressed and groomed, I have to make sure that I have everything that used to occupy my purse (or the "black hole" as Jay christened it) is in the diaper bag as well as making sure that the diaper bag is fully stocked! Everyone tells me this will get easier so I'll keep you posted.

6. Not crying for no apparent reason. I had the most uneventful pregnancy in the history of man (this could be true, but it's probably an exaggeration). I didn't have morning sickness, mood swings, ridiculous cravings, or really any of the "classic" symptoms we all know and love thanks to tv and movies. I only cried while watching tv once and that was because we were watching a "Dogtown" episode about the Michael Vick pitbulls. It was really sad and I probably would have cried even if I hadn't been pregnant at the time! Now that I'm not pregnant, however I cry a lot. It's not "baby blues" or anything. I just seem to tear up a lot more than normal when I think about stuff involving Paxton and how much we love him. Maybe that's just a part of being a Mom that I'll have to get used to.

And now moving on to what I like about not being pregnant:

1. Not having to pee every half hour to hour! I think this is self-explanatory.

2. Being able to sleep for more than 1 to 2 hours at a time at night. Paxton currently sleeps for about 3 hours at a time during the night. Sometimes he'll even go for 4 hours! Everyone tells me that this will change as he gets older so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

3. Not having to worry about going into labor while at my parents' house for Christmas. My worst fear was that my water would break while we were opening presents out in Raymond so I'm glad that one is behind us.

4. Being able to see below my boobs. My belly got so huge that not only could I not see my feet anymore, but I also couldn't see our dogs if they were right in front of me. This was a problem since they like to be right beside us most of the time. I'm also enjoying being able to maneuver more easily between things like chairs and tables since I'm a little skinnier.

5. People don't give me dirty looks when I get up on a chair or lift something over 10 lbs. I am quite independent so it was hard for me to ask Jay and others for help while I was pregnant.  It was also really annoying for me when I did ask for help (usually from Jay since he lives with me) because when I ask for something to be done I usually want it done asap since that's when I would do it myself. So when my wonderful husband says, "Yes I'll do it" and then proceeds to do something else (with intentions of getting around to whatever I asked about later on) I get really frustrated and just end up doing it myself. (This will probably be an ongoing problem that isn't solved by the end of pregnancy. But it makes it easier for me to attempt to do everything myself now that Paxton is here.) So now I can climb on chairs to reach high cupboards, lift bags of dog food, etc without people getting mad at me!

And the best for last:

6. Cuddling with my little man! I know I said before that I miss being able to feel Paxton moving on the inside, but it's so wonderful to be able to hold my little snuggler in my arms! I'm enjoying the cuddly phase where he just curls up over my chest and sleeps. I try not to hold him too much while he's sleeping since I want him to sleep in his crib at night, but I do indulge every so often!

I am so glad that Paxton arrived safely and that he is healthy. When people asked me if I wanted a girl or boy, I replied "I don't really care as long as it's healthy and has all of its parts where they are supposed to be." That really was all I cared about, and we are so blessed that Paxton is healthy and happy (at least I think he's happy. He sleeps a lot so it's kind of hard to tell.). I'm also extremely happy that Jay has taken to being a Dad so easily. He is such a proud Daddy.  All he wants to do is show off his son and he just beams when he gets to. It makes me melt whenever Jay holds Paxton whether he's feeding him or just hanging out with him. Now we just have to work on the diaper changing ...

Life may not be perfect, but it's good!