The Shackletts: Dear Caroline,

Dear Caroline,

As I prepare for your arrival, I am reminded of all the little "perks" of being pregnant. I would hate to forget all these little reminders of my time carrying you, so I thought I would make you a list. (One day, I hope you are lucky enough to experience these, too... for better or worse.)

1a. Hello, boobs. From the very beginning of pregnancy, I have had boobs. It's pretty cool considering the other 28 years of my life I haven't had them. Score.

1b. Hello, belly. With the newly added boobs, I also had to welcome an ever expanding waistline. Unlike my pregnancy with Andrew, you showed yourself in my midsection VERY early. (Thanks for that.) A gut at 10 weeks translates to maternity jeans much sooner than I had hoped. The even larger gut at 32 weeks means that I can't see my feet. Perk?

2a. Shiny hair. Before people even knew that I was carrying you, they complimented me on my hair saying how healthy and full it looked. Score.

2b. Shiny face. Awesome. I now understand why people say pregnant women look "glowing"... People say that to because if they say you look like a greasy slice of pizza, they would get punched. Perk?

3a. Forget your worries. With each little kick, roll, or nudge, I am reminded of the miracle in my belly and am anxious to meet you. From the outside, anytime someone sees my bump, I get to gush on and on about your and my plans for you. Score.

3b. Forget everything else. I have read articles by doctors (with perfectly fine degrees) that say being pregnant does not cause a brain drain or forgetfulness. All of these doctors are men. With Andrew, I caught myself driving away with the gas pump still in my tank, losing everything from my keys to my mind, and one day showing up to work with my underwear on inside-out. With you, I caught myself in a new predicament that made me write this post today. I wore two different shoes to work. Perk? From the reaction I got, I guess it was a perk for all the teachers and parents who saw my feet today.