How You Can Tell I'm in My Final Days of Pregnancy...

When I bypass my entire shoe collection to grab my rubber flip flops...
and I actually wear them to church on Sunday morning with no shame. The week before it took me five minutes and several precarious positions to put on my Greek strappy sandals. It took me even longer to take them off. I have not put on a 'real' shoe again, and most likely won't until after Caroline gets here.


When I start showing traits of an Ape...
I am now picking up Camden's toys, my clothes, etc. with my toes because I'm too tired and uncomfortable to bend down. I'm getting really good at it too. Camden tries to do it too, but he's just not coordinated enough yet. Aaron make fun of me, but I can tell he's jealous of my mad toe skills.


When I feel I need to hide my pregnant belly behind the check out counter at Target...
Everyone in public feels they need to comment on my pregnancy, and I usually don't mind it. Last month the Barista at Starbuck's asked me 'When are you due?' When I told her, she immediately started pouring extra caramel all over my drink saying,"Oh honey, you're way too small! You need some extra calories!" I should have been a little upset about her unsolicited comment, but instead I uttered a "Bless you!" as I gazed at all of that lovely caramel she was drizzling over the top of my drink at no extra charge. That was last month. I'm over the comments now and just want to be left alone, so...
The other day I was at Target and went to check out with my only purchase... Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream. Before the check out girl could see me, I hid my belly behind the credit card stand. I didn't want to be asked when I was due or be forced to respond to some comment about pregnancy cravings - I just wanted my ice cream! I rushed home from Target, grabbed the remote and a spoon, and plopped my happy self on the couch. Minutes later Aaron comes downstairs and immediately remarks, "Wow, just going to eat it straight from the carton, huh?" Can't a pregnant girl eat her Ben and Jerry's and watch The Devil Wears Prada in peace?!?


When I begin to have conversations with my 'regular' clothes...
The other day I caught myself muttering to my Anna Sui dress from Anthropologie. I expressed my undying love and promised that some day very soon I could throw out those old maternity clothes and never leave 'her' alone again. I got even more sentimental when I was hanging up a pair of jeans I had loaned to my sister these last couple of months. I actually petted them and stared at them longingly for a few minutes before I turned away. In my defense, they really are AMAZING jeans. They are Seven for All Mankind, and I found them at a very cool consignment shop on the University of Washington campus for $25. They are well worn and SO comfy. Those jeans and I did not get to spend enough time together before I got pregnant, and I'm eager to get to know them again.


When I begin to panic about having a daughter...
I know the pregnancy hormones are in overdrive when I begin to think I might not be qualified to have a daughter. For example, braiding hair... I'm not good at it. I never was. By the time my sister went to kindergarten she could french braid her Cabbage Patch Doll's hair in record time. She was meant to be a mommy to girls, and now she has two of them. I can't even do a normal braid, much less a french braid.
I'm also concerned about those Disney Princesses. I don't like them. I know the day might come when Caroline will want to be a princess, and she'll think that wearing one of those ill-fitted polyester dresses will make her a 'real' one. As a good mother I will have to swallow my pride and get her one, and I'm just not prepared to do that yet.

When I'm already planning my 'first' meal...
It's sad when I've already run through the sushi take-out menu more than once to decide what I want to eat after I have Caroline. Aaron is already on 'sushi alert' as soon as I feel up to eating something. My menu for that evening includes a tuna roll wrapped in masago, two pieces of Salmon sushi, and a cucumber roll as a filler. Mmmmm....