Things I Love, Things I Hate, Part 2

This is a follow up to my initial "Things I Love, Things I Hate" posting (August 23). This time I'll list the things I hate first, so I can end on a happier note.

Things I Hate

Need for sleep. I'm tired of being tired - I'm ready to have a nice, flat belly I can sleep on every night (another reason I don't want a C-section). My belly is too big to sleep on. When I lie on my side my shoulder or my back hurts. I'm not supposed to lie on my back (something about circulation and cutting of the baby's supply of oxygen - scary!). I've tried a variety of pillows in a variety of positions. What's a girl to do?

Superhuman sense of smell. I know I mentioned this in Part 1, but it really deserves a second go-round. Today I went to heat up part of my lunch in the microwave on the second floor of Comer and just about threw up all over myself. Someone had left their lunch in the microwave - it smelled like he or she had disemboweled a cow and tried to cook it in the microwave. Now, normally working with students and professors from around the globe is an enlightening experience, but dang, can some of the food those folks bring in smell funky. Now, for all I know, my Campbell's Soup at Hand can be just as stinky to them as their intestines-and-rice combo to me - but I seriously doubt it.

Carefree-No-More Freakouts. Commercials for cruise lines. Stories of alcohol-fueled freshman year hijinks. Pictures of camping in the Rocky Mountains. These are all things that remind us: Holy crap! We're never going to have fun again! No, I know that's not true, but gosh darn it, it's a little frightening thinking that our lives are about to change forever and suddenly we'll have this precious little human at the center of it all. When it comes time to plan our vacation, we won't be asking ourselves "where would it be cool to go explore this year?" Instead, we'll be asking "do you think airplanes will let us carry on a Pack 'n Play so we can go visit/crash on the couches of family members in Virginia?" We're about to have to acquire some serious compromising skills.

Things I Love

Personality possiblities. I love to think about all the different personalities my baby may end up with (but hopefully not all at once - I don't want a schizophrenic after all). Will she/he be quiet and pensive? Or cheerful and rowdy? If baby gets Andy's ADD and my OCD, what kind of life is he/she in for? Maybe the kid will get lucky and get Andy's charm and sensitivity, my knack for logic puzzles and celebrity trivia, and our combined passion for animals and wildlife. I think that would be a pretty fantastic little kid.

Party in my belly. I love, love, love feeling baby rockin' and rollin' in my womb. It's especially fun when it's strong enough that other people can see it. When it's wiggling all over the place, it's telling me two things: "Hey momma, I'm here and I'm doing great!" Most of the time baby is only super-active during early afternoon. Sometimes he/she moves at night, but rarely. Except at 3 a.m. last night when Domino tore a shelf off our foyer wall (don't ask how) and Sullivan got very upset and did his mean bark. Andy and I got up to make sure everything was ok. Apparently baby wanted to join in on the fun because she/he began rolling around for a while. But even in the middle of the night, it thrills me to no end.

Celebration of Me! How often in your life does everyone in the world want to know how you're doing, how you're feeling, and what your plans for the future are? Friends, strangers, people that don't like you - they are all curious about these things and aren't afraid to let you know it. You get to have baby showers and devote entire blogs to yourself! You get to be vain and talk about yourself - but because you're carrying around a fleshy watermelon and waddle when you walk up the stairs, people think your selfless and a pseudo-hero. It's great!