Ode to the belly

We are still waiting on Mia to arrive. I've done everything I need to do to prepare for the baby. There isn't a speck of dust in my house. The dog is even clean. I even finally gave into Randall's pleas to tidy up all of my products in the bathroom. Big shout out to Jenn G. for saying that she puts her blow dryer away every day. So, now I have a basket for all of my lotions, powders, solutions and hair products, and I will say, it's really pretty but a real pain. I digress.

As I inch ever closer to d-day, I've taken a bit of time to reflect, and there are a few things I will miss about pregnancy. Most of all I will miss the belly. So many great things come along with the belly. You automatically have a conversation piece. When in doubt, talk about the baby. Of course, there are the kicks that remind you of the little person growing inside. These kicks even let you know that you already have things in common, such as Mia and I get really fussy when hungry. Then, there is a pro to the belly that maybe only I have experienced. One morning recently, I was putting in my contacts, and the thing most dreaded by contact lens wearers happened. I dropped one. I searched the vanity, the floor, no contact. Then, I looked down, and to my delight, there was the little sucker safely atop the belly. The belly had saved the day!

There are a lot of things I will not miss about pregnancy. One of which is the belly. I can't bend over or stand for too long. The worst is when you reach for something, and you realize that because of the belly, it is just out of your reach. You call for your go, go, gadget arms to no avail. One other con of the belly just happened for maybe the fourth time tonight. Randall and I were at the mall last night, and walked into a store. As I passed the sales girl, the conversation went something like this:

Salesgirl: **looking directly at the belly** "Whoa!"
My face: "No you didn't."
Salesgirl: "When are you due?"
Me: "Tomorrow."
Salesgirl: "Please keep control of your water."

Yes, that did happen.

So, from here out, every day could be my last day with the belly and the first day with my new daughter. For all of the good and all of the bad that has come with the belly. I will always miss having Amelia so close to me and being able to protect her from everything. So, I guess I will just have to do the best I can at protecting her from every bad thing as most parents do. And I will just make sure to throw in plenty of hugs to keep her close.