Milestones

Helen and Barb at Muddy Waters

Another milestone. Well, actually two milestones. At 14 weeks I’m now officially in my second trimester. (Milestone #1) And to celebrate I met my friend Helen for dinner at Muddy Waters in Prescott, Wisconsin. We sat out on the back patio and enjoyed the cool, dry air after weeks of temps in the upper 80’s with high humidity. When I walked in she was seated at a table out back, and I snuck up behind her and squeezed her shoulder. “Oh my God,” she said. “Look at you. Already showing!” Her face lit up and she did what she always does: made me feel loved and appreciated and beautiful.

Here comes milestone number 2. I was wearing a maternity top. My first public appearance in maternity clothes. It was actually kind of fun to be transformed from aging fat girl to cute pregnant woman, all by the clothes I was wearing. I felt different. I don’t really need maternity clothes yet, but my friend Sarah just gave me two huge boxes of clothes. I tried them all on Tuesday night, and there were so many cute things I couldn’t wait to wear. I like how I look and feel in them compared to the way I look and feel in my regular clothes. Before I got pregnant I was a size 8, and now the size 12s I had from before I lost all my weight are starting to dig into my abdomen. I have to wear the pants below my belly to get them buttoned. I’ve been enlightened by many about the rubberband trick, but that hasn’t been necessary yet.

I’m still not out of the closet at work (waiting for my annual performance review with my boss---I’d rather he gives me my raise BEFORE he realizes I won’t be around for 3 months next year) so it’s getting kind of uncomfortable. But hopefully soon I’ll be able to tell my boss and start wearing cute top after cute top. There are many advantages to having friends who went through this first. I am so blessed… to have a friend like Sarah who listens and makes me laugh and reassures me when I cry and makes me feel like I’m normal no matter how insane I act…. and to have a friend like Helen who reminds me of how strong I am and how much I am going to love the life I have with my little boy.