Pregnancy Dreamin'

So I had this dream that I could finally have a "classy" and "enjoyable" pregnancy now that I'm not in school and am not working full-time.  I figured that being pregnant in the spring/summer/fall would give me the opportunity to wear cute maternity ensembles.  I thought that during this pregnancy I would have the time to follow all the rules and eat all the right snacks.  And I dreamed that I could do all this while sitting on my back porch watching my toddlers run around the back yard.

Unfortunately, I'm discovering that this pipe dream is never going to be my reality.  Instead of being fashionably "with child," I'm well on my way to looking like a pregnant Jessica Simpson's twin sister.   Instead of enjoying healthy foods, I'm eating whatever doesn't make me sick.  And instead of enjoying my afternoons with my kiddos on the porch, I'm actually spending most afternoons curled up in my bed praying that my children don't do anything crazy while I nap and fight through my nausea.

And of course, I don't even look remotely cute in my maternity clothes.  There's nothing fashionable or cute about being short and pregnant.  Even the cutest dresses make me look like I'm either wearing a tent or am wearing something made to fit a girl 2x smaller than me.  It's very frustrating, and also expensive.

I've always heard people say that "every pregnancy is different" and that you never know what to expect.  But the truth is that every subsequent pregnancy is partly predictable--if you were sick with the first one, don't expect to feel great with the next one; if you gained lots of weight with the first 2, you can bet you'll gain that much again; and if you couldn't eat something with the previous pregnancies, don't kid yourself into thinking that you're over whatever made you sick the first few times around.  The bottom line is that pregnancy is this amazing miraculous time where this little life is growing inside of you.  But it's also a 10 month period where you can expect to feel lousy and fat. 

Thank goodness there is a light at the end of my day-to-day survival period.  In only a matter of months, I'll get to hold my newest bundle of fun and joy.  And as is always the case, when that day comes, I'm sure I'll forget about all my shattered pregnancy dreams.