我的肚子 (My Belly)

I am 35 weeks pregnant.  It has been way over 100F for the last month.  My feet are the size of small boats and feel like they have been beaten over and over.  And admittedly, I have *maybe* increased my intake of chocolate and ice cream just a bit.  But if another person, Chinese or otherwise, asks me if I am carrying twins or tells me how big I am, I may lose it.  I have only gained 25 pounds so far and have been pretty content with that.  But twins!!!  Come on people.  I know Chinese people are small and have small babies, so I keep telling myself that is all they have to compare it to.  And I also know that Chinese people in general have no filter, so they just say what comes to mind.  Indeed, my belly is big.  But my body is supporting a growing child, obviously a very large growing child.  But to be honest, I am particularly proud of that.

If you think about everything that has happened in this belly of mine over the last 9 months, it is no surprise that my body is starting to rebel in other ways.  Some days I am housing an acrobat, others a hiccup machine that could easily become an alternative energy source.  But there is a true miracle inside my big belly that to me has been a constant reminder of how amazing my body is, how amazing God is.  Everything just happens.  The heart developed and started beating all on its own.  Fingerprints have developed that will forever ensure this child is unique from the other 7 billion people in the world.  The baby can hear Eric and Sophia scream “Good night baby shu shu!” every night and see the Darth Vader flashlight they insist on putting on my belly.  The baby is given constant access to food and at this point just continues to grow bigger until he or she is ready to meet this very excited family.  And all of this without true intervention of my own or even my doctors for that matter.  

So, yes…I am very pregnant and have a big belly to show for it.  And soon, sooner than I think I will be ready for it, I will be rocking a third miracle in my arms, most likely of the big variety.  But third time in, I am proud, prouder than I ever have been at what my body is capable of doing.  I can finally truly appreciate what is happening without feeling self-conscious of what my body has transformed into.  Bring it on big belly!