Decaffeinated

I'm sitting in front of the fireplace drinking my daily cup of apple cider trying to remember what its like to not be pregnant...not too successfully.

I have actually been pregnant for over a year. My husband and I decided to start trying in September of 2011 and we never had a problem getting pregnant. Unfortunately, we did have problems carrying to term. We lost our first one at about 6 weeks in late October '11. The second one, we lost at 14 weeks in February '12. Then I got pregnant again in April and thankfully this pregnancy has been textbook and healthy. So, as a result, I have literally been pregnant for almost 17 months straight!

Because of my history, I have taken all of the "pregnancy don'ts" to the utmost extreme. I have deprived myself of caffeine, deli meat, tuna (my favorite), bagged lettuce, soft cheeses, and so on. My mother mocks me as this list has grown substantially since her childbearing years. And perhaps I am a bit paranoid...but I figure why not go through these nine months playing by these somewhat harsh rules with a clear conscience. Little did I know how hard this would be! As a former "3 cups of coffee a day" girl, caffeine was perhaps the hardest addiction to give up. I tried decaf for a while, but it was like cheating on my husband with the class loser. I have since resorted to hot apple cider. It satisfies my need for something warm in the morning and is different enough to keep me from missing my dark roast:)

I miss my body too. 17 months of pregnancy has not been good to me. I cant remember what it's like to wear pants that do not have an elastic waste. And it's been months since I have actually had defined ankles! And despite what ANYONE says about oils and creams and other such remedies, there is absolutely no way to prevent stretch marks. I have them in places that didn't even stretch!

All in all, it's been a long haul for our little family. This is something we have wanted for so long. And I really have enjoyed feeling this life growing inside of me. I am, however, very ready for it to be over. And among all the things I look forward to...I really can't wait to enjoy my first postpartum steaming cup of real "hi-test" coffee:)