i haven’t really said much around here about my pregnancy. in fact, i don’t think i’ve mentioned it since i announced it. however, as wedding season, 2013, and the last bit of my pregnancy all come to an end, i felt the need to do a little post.

pregnancy has been interesting. i consider myself lucky in that i have had a really great pregnancy. with the exception of a few days here and there, i have had it fairly easy. at least compared to many of the stories i hear from fellow mom friends! i really had no expectations of how i would feel during my first pregnancy. would i like having a belly? would i be nervous? would i be one of those women who was strict on all the pregnancy rules or one of those mom’s who was flexible with them?  i have really had  so much fun having the belly. in fact, now that i have just about a month left, it’s a little bittersweet knowing that i only have a few more weeks with it. i’m going to miss it for sure…and dressing the belly has been an adventure in itself. having said that, as bittersweet as it is to be losing the belly, i am also looking forward to having my old body back….mostly because i want my old wardrobe! to have a whole closet full of items to choose from vs. a few items that friends have awesomely loaned me.

i think if you asked me what my favorite part of being pregnant has been, i would say that there have been a few. finding out boy or girl was by far the most exciting day ever. i was so anxious leading up to that day, just wondering what was in there (girl!). probably the most surprising thing to me was just how much fun i had learning about all the baby “stuff” out there…registering for all this stuff and actually decorating the nursery with my husband. i never in a million years would have thought that spending hours researching car seats, cribs, and diapers would be my idea of fun. in fact, if you had asked me last year, i probably would have said that sounded like a terrible idea of a friday night, but apparently things change. decorating the nursery was a project in and of itself, one which i didn’t make any easier by taking forever and ever and ever (and everrrrr) to make decisions on, but now that we are done….i am absolutely in love with it! i didn’t know i could love a room so much! i hope to take some pictures of it soon.

i was suprised how many people were interested in how my workout routine has changed! on the subject of excercise, i feel fortunate that i have been able to be active this entire pregnancy- and have loved it! i have run, done crossfit, and really did not have to change very much…at least for the first 7 months. i was very surprised when all of the sudden i fell in love with running again. though every week i was running slower and slower (and at times questioned if i was going to pee my pants!), i really enjoyed it which is not usually the case for me. i even had a great 5 mile run with my husband at 6 months and did a Turkey Trot 5k at 7 months. It wasn’t the prettiest of runs, but i felt thankful that i even was able to. the subject of working out while pregnant is controversial of course, everyone has their opinions on whether you should, how often, and how hard you should workout, but my doctor’s not only approved of everything i did, they highly encouraged that i keep up my normal fitness routine (yes, too include my crossfit lifting!) for as long as i felt comfortable. i had no problem dropping anything i didn’t feel comfortable doing (such as box jumps…too clumsy as it is!) and just ignored the funny looks at the gym when i continued to lift, run, jump rope..etc…so all in all i am incredibly thankful that i was able to keep that part of me, if only for my own sanity.

of course it hasn’t been all easy the last 9 months. there have been plenty of moments of self-doubt, loss of patience, and uncertainty. i am equally nervous as i am excited about this next chapter, but i do think the excitement started to outweigh the nerves as i got further into my pregnancy. i feel well prepared from my mom friends on what is to come, yet i still have moments of “what was i thinking?!”. i am surprised by the hormonal changes, which i realized i secretly thought weren’t that big of a deal before getting pregnant. i never experienced the surge of hormones and emotional highs and lows in the first trimester that everyone kept talking about. however, in this last trimester, i now completely know that it is real and have surprised myself at just how big a role hormones can play which you have zero control over.

i have become a dairy fanatic, going through milk so fast in this house we are always buying gallons and gallons of milk to keep up with my obsession, along with yogurt. in fact, i am writing this post at 3am with a tall glass of cold milk next to me (insomnia has been another one of my recent symptoms). i have also developed a huge sweet tooth in the last trimester that i don’t know where it came from. i have always been a salty person, and now i dream about cakes and pies and chocolate. i actually made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting at 8pm last night. the week after thanksgiving i couldn’t sleep, so i filled a bowl up with whipping cream at 3am, and literally whipped up a fresh batch of whipped cream….while laying in my bed watching friends reruns. in that moment i though to myself “i am officially the pregnant woman stereotype.. laying in bed with a huge bowl on my belly and literally whisking whipping cream to put on top of this enormous piece of pumpkin pie that i am about to devour at 3am”. the sugar cravings are crazy and now i understand how all those “sweet tooth” people feel!

so as my first pregnancy comes to an end, it has been quite the journey. i have learned so much and have never been more thankful for friends and family. i still can’t believe it’s almost over, it feels like yesterday i was staring at a pregnancy test, speechless, and trying to wake the husband up to tell him. nine months later, i think i am still in shock that i am actually pregnant. i am so excited for what this next year holds ahead for us, and to see what this whole motherhood thing is all about :)