Things people may have told me before pregnancy that I probably didn't listen to

Now that we're officially in to our third trimester of pregnancy (how'd we get here, by the way?!), it's becoming much more real that in a few short months, we'll be bringing our baby home from the hospital with us. I literally cannot wait to see what this baby looks like, feels like, and acts like. But in the mean time, there's plenty to do to keep us busy (like hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow!)! 

I've been spending some time reflecting the past few weeks about what people told me about pregnancy before it personally applied to me. I've gotten all sorts of advice, but not all of it has come true (for example, no stranger has tried to touched my stomach in public, nor has anyone who doesn't know me asked about the baby or when we're due). The following list are things people probably told me before I got pregnant, but I didn't really take them to heart. So, I'm passing them along to you just in case you want to listen now! 

1. Your back will hurt. All day. Every day. From about 24 weeks on. I had no idea how much carrying an extra 20ish pounds right on the front of my stomach would impact my back. Holy cow, does it ever. My back throbs most of the time whether I'm standing up or sitting down. Laying is good, but laying down to teach high school English just isn't really conducive. So, alas, I attempt to hold my body up and let it throb! 

2. Feeling your baby kick will be the most amazing, incredible, life-affirming thing you've ever felt. And although you want to meet your baby so badly, you will never want to NOT feel that feeling. I love feeling the little flips and kicks that I have zero control over. Our baby has super active periods during the day, and it's so fun to feel him/her in there! I can't imagine not feeling this once s/he is here! 

3. People will have all sorts of opinions and advice for you, and not all of it will be positive. God love people, I know they're just trying to helpful, but sometimes I don't want to hear the horror stories or see the gawking at the amount of weight I may have gained that week! I'm choosing to wear the rose colored glasses just a wee bit longer!

4. Everything will shift. All the time. One morning, you will have a belly button. Then, the baby will shift a little, and suddenly, my belly button is flush with my stomach. Twenty minutes later, the belly button is back! And it's not just the stomach! Weight shifts up and down on the hips and back and bum! There's just a lot of shifting that happens! 

5. Every moment, even the uncomfortable ones, will be a major blessing. I can't tell you how thankful I am to be pregnant. I know I am so incredibly lucky to be carrying this baby and that there are so many women out there who want so badly to be in this situation. So even on the tough days when my back aches and I'm exhausted and I wonder if I can really do this for another 11 weeks, the answer is a resounding YES, because I am so blessed to be this child's momma.