Maybe it was the restless night of sleep last night that made the circles under my eyes larger than normal or the fact that I threw up for the third time this week this morning that contributed to my slightly swollen-looking cheeks, but for the first time this pregnancy–every time I looked in the mirror today, all I could see was CHUBBY FACE.
Maybe it’s the fact that I just started wearing maternity clothes this week (I’m currently 28 1/2 weeks) and so there’s no hiding the reality that I’ve crossed over from “Oh, I could still fit into my normal clothes if I wanted” to “there ain’t no hiding this belly if I tried”…and that’s a bit scary…
Maybe it’s the fact that I eat 8 meals EVERY DAY, including two FULL-SIZE lunches and two FULL-SIZE dinners, and I’ve just been waiting for all those calories to catch up to me and to wake up one morning and realize I AM LITERALLY A COW.
Or maybe it’s the fact that, for the last 2 months, I have–unashamedly–had a cheeseburger NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DAY–usually for my second lunch, but sometimes for my first dinner.
Whatever it is though, today I felt B-I-G.
We were just getting ready to head out the door when Brian told me how beautiful I looked, especially being pregnant. (He’s so good at affirming me all the time, totally unprompted, and though I’ve always been thankful for that trait in him, I’m starting to realize how incredibly blessed I am to know that no matter how chubby I get, I really do have this man who just adores me all the time. He has seen me at my WORST this pregnancy, and if he can genuinely look me in the eyes when I have vomit splattered all over my face, mucus dripping out of my nose & mouth, and pee running down my legs–all at the same time–and tell me he loves me then, then I’m convinced chubby cheeks are not going to scare him away…) But tonight I took the opportunity to press him a little bit…
“Really? I feel like my face is starting to look quite chubby…”
“Oh, well, you do have two full-sized marshmallows stuffed in your cheeks, don’t you?”
And the ensuing laughter, believe it or not, caused me to forget about my chubby cheek fears and we headed out to a concert in the juvenile prison headed up by my dear friend Chrisy.
We were lovingly greeted by one of our friends who immediately noted the flip-flops I was wearing (it’s about 45 degrees out) and very innocently asked, “Oh, do your shoes not fit you anymore?”
Ha! Chubby cheeks, and now apparently chubby feet.
“No–they do,” I said with a little smile, frantically trying to figure out a way I could prove that to her in that very moment. I seriously glanced at every person’s shoes around me, trying to see if anyone looked like they wore a size 8.
Suddenly, images of me violently ripping shoes off people’s feet and awkwardly bouncing on one foot (me and my unbalanced, chubby pregnant self) as I tried to jam the coveted “size 8” onto my own chubby foot, frighteningly flashed through my head as the words “ugly step-sister” scrolled through my brain. My feet cried out to me from within, “YOU ARE CINDERELLA!!!” I wanted to believe them, but could find no proof.
After snapping back into reality and quickly realizing how illogical my little daydream was, I simply explained (trying to stay calm and not sound too defensive), “I just got a pedicure today which is why I had them on in the first place, and I figured I’m so hot all the time anyway that it seemed to make sense to just keep the flip-flops on for the night…”
Are my feet chubby, too?? I couldn’t help but stare at them the rest of the night in wonder.
Shortly thereafter a perfect stranger came up to me and said, “When’s your baby due?”
“March!” I said with a smile.
“Whoa, you still have a ways to go!”
“You’re telling me….” I responded.
“So are you having twins or something?”
WOW. Chubby cheeks, chubby feet, and now apparently–chubby tummy. All in one day.
“Nope…just one in there,” I responded. And then my chubby feet and I walked away.
It’s currently 10:00 pm. I just finished my second dinner, which happened to be (drum roll please)…a cheeseburger. I’m closing out my Chubby Bunny Day with a gingerbread cookie (or four…oops) and the knowledge that my husband adores me and many of my friends constantly affirm how cute I am. And if they’re all just making it up to make me feel better…well, I’ll always have my cheeseburgers.
🙂
