No makeup, yoga pants, loose shirts. Best kind of life.

I go back and forth on how much to share about my pregnancy here. Everyone’s journey down this road is a personal one. But at the same time, it’s also a highly social experience. People seem genuinely interested in how you’re doing, how you’re feeling, what you need, and so on (that or they’re really good actors).

As a somewhat introverted person, I’m never quite sure how to answer or what to say, but that of course doesn’t mean that pregnancy-related thoughts don’t swirl around my head on a daily basis. So, I’ve compiled my top ten observations so far. If no one else reads them, at least I’ll have them here to look back on years from now, when I’m sitting at my desk wondering how it all went by so quickly.

Ten Things I’ve Learned About Pregnancy (Six Months In)

1. Pregnancy is ten months long, not nine (40 weeks = 10 months). That was news to me. Granted, the first two weeks are basically a freebie (spoiler alert: you’re not technically pregnant for them), but still, it’s ten! Which brings me to point #2.
2. Ten months is kind of a long time (two months short of year!). It’s also kind of short (a whole human gets made!). This perspective changes on a daily basis. One day you’re like “Holy crap, I can’t believe I have seven more months to go…” and the next you’re all “Ahhh, I only have two more months to figure out what the hell goes on a baby registry and how to find a pediatrician…”
3. Everyone’s pregnancy is different. Some love it, some hate it, some are sick, some are not—it’s kind of a crap-shoot and I don’t think you can (or should) judge anyone else based on your own experience. Personally, I’ve loved being pregnant so far, but I’m also not totally surprised that I do. I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was about four (my mom will fondly recall that I’d have her write out exact feeding and changing schedules for my dolls…) and as crunchy as it sounds, I feel honored to be a woman and to have this opportunity.
   

   My dreams are coming true, people.

4. That said, totally weird things happen to your body when you’re pregnant. Seriously, pick the strangest thing you can think of, type it into google with “+ pregnancy” and the answer will be “yes, this is common” and the solution will be to “wait until you’re done being pregnant.” Itchy skin, varicose veins, crying uncontrollably when someone on Homeland dies, you name it.
5. If the amount of time I spend staring at my own belly, as well as other people’s bellies/babies on Instagram, is any indication of how much time I’ll spend staring at my own kid, I will likely be 100% unproductive at all other things in life come birth-day.
6. Picking out a name is both fun and exhausting. You realize how many names you associate with specific people (and therefore reasons why you can’t possibly name your kid that), what biases you have toward various letters of the alphabet, and how two people with two different accents (that would be your mom and dad, kid) can say the same exact name in two completely different ways. That last one is usually quite entertaining.
7. For the most part, you put your hands on your belly in public to make it clear to everyone that you are indeed pregnant and not just hitting the burgers and fries really hard. At 6+ months, I am still waiting for my belly to officially “pop,” so I find this especially helpful in convincing people that there is in fact a baby in there.
8. You eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and basically have zero qualms about it. Before becoming pregnant, I thought perhaps I’d become even more virtuous once that positive test popped up, but no. Your body knows what it wants and can handle, and there is absolutely no way you’re going near a salad if you don’t want to. This was very freeing for me. While I’ve continued to eat healthfully, I also haven’t been hard on myself for wanting toast three times a day (I’m looking at you, first trimester) or a brownie at 3pm. General balance is fine by me.
9. The best place to go for advice is your mom-friends. The internet and its 50 million reviews and 25,000 baby wraps are great and all, but asking like-minded friends is really the Cliffs Notes version of all that. (On that note, thank you friends, mom, and sisters for always replying to my texts.)
10. If you’ve picked a good spouse/partner, you become even more thankful for him (or her). Especially when he talks to your belly. ❤

Three more months!