The Good. The Bad.

As my pregnancy waddles towards its end, and I'm finally starting to look, act and feel like a pregnant person, I'm noticing aspects I'll miss ... and things I can't wait to say goodbye to.

The Attention

The Good. More people than ever hold doors and elevators for me. If, for some reason they don't hold it and then, seconds later, notice my belly, they seem genuinely sorry.

The Bad. I have to anticipate questions and conversations with complete strangers about my pregnancy every time I buy food, baby gear, clothes, eat at a restaurant or go to a meeting at work. I've learned to have a list of answers about how I'm feeling, when I'm due, where I'm delivering, etc., etc. ready in my head at all times.

The Belly

The Good. Baby kicks and movement constantly entertain me. Even though he's been a busy baby for a couple months now, I still feel proud of him and stare at my stomach every time he moves.

I have to brag that I've been clear of a single stretch mark, and the line that goes down the center of most pregnant bellies has decided not to develop. For this, I say, Thanks Mom!

The Bad. The belly gets blatantly stared at. It doesn't fit into very many shirts, pants or even dresses. It knocks things over when I underestimate its size. It pushes my other organs up against my lungs and makes it hard to breathe. It makes rolling over in bed an all-out project.

My Youtube Vids

The Good. I've gotten an incredible amount of support, advice and compliments from my fellow Youtubers. The amount of attention my vlogs have gotten has truly amazed me.

I've loved knowing that a lot of people value my opinions and want my advice. I think every girl should be told she's pretty by complete strangers a couple times a day while she's going through pregnancy, it makes me smile, even on rough days. It's really nice to know there are girls out there going through the same things I am, and 99% of them assure me that I'm a lot smaller than I actually feel.

The Bad. There have been some negative comments about my videos - which I immediately delete - from people who harshly criticize things I say. (Strangely, these critics don't have any videos of their own, but that's beside the point) While I don't let these things bother me, I want it to be known that my videos are about how I feel and what I'm going through, and if I were to stop and think about every little thing I say in them, I wouldn't have anything to talk about and would lose all that's candid and genuine about my vlogs. If someone doesn't like the way I speak and act in my videos, he/she shouldn't watch them. That said, Matt and I get a good laugh from the "I hope you have a miscarriage" comments. Red hot rant, over.

Food

The Good. Eating anything I want has been fun, I haven't done it in a few years. I discovered so many things I never would have if I wasn't a participant in the preggo smorgasbord.

Starbucks' pecan toffee bars taste just like pecan pie. Coldstone's butterscotch pudding ice cream - I can't decide if the texture or the flavor makes me crave it. The water ice shop two blocks from my house has the best strawberry banana water ice. Friendly's has buffalo chicken tenders that are so good, I have eaten there four times in a week, despite the lengthy food service time. I won't be a bit surprised if the baby comes out demanding buffalo flavored milk. Bananas will never be eaten without peanut butter again.

The Bad. I swoon a little when I see people having some of my favorite things ... sushi, multiple cups of coffee, or eggs cooked over easy.

The Weight

The Good. For the first time in my life, I know how it feels to weigh more than 120lbs. As a kid, I was picked on for being super skinny and wished every day I could be a larger, normal weight. Now I really appreciate all that comes with having a flat stomach and bony arms and legs, and I can't wait to have mine back.

The Bad. Since my body isn't used to this new weight, my thighs burn when I walk too fast. I really miss wearing my wedding rings.

Stop reading here, boys. My biggest challenge has been finding panties that don't pinch and cut into my thighs when I'm trying to fall asleep. I've even snipped a few victim pairs around the elastic edges with scissors for relief; yesterday I caved at Matt's suggestion and bought some actual maternity underwear. While I think they're the most comfortable things ever created, I probably should have gotten a larger size. Sigh.

Baby Gear

The Good. Buying, opening and setting up brand new things for the baby has made these last few months feel like it's been a whole year of Christmas.

I can't even imagine how exciting it's going to be to actually have a baby who's going to use all this stuff. Looking at and talking about the things we have is fun as it is!

The Bad. Figuring out what's the best - and most affordable - on that wall of diapers, bottles, pacifiers, car seats, mattresses, toys, etc. is baffling. Does the nipple on the bottle really make a difference? Yes, it does, and you need to figure out why and if that reason is suitable for a baby you haven't even met yet.

Lists of questions and decisions come along with every single baby item. I can't even tell you how many times we walked away from a decision on an item because we were so confused.