7 Days

I have 7 days until little Stanley is due.

Finding out I was pregnant feels like years ago. YEARS. Yep, that’s what pregnancy feels like for me… forever. I don’t know if its the anticipation of labor and finally meeting our little man, or the anticipation of being able to figure out life with a little one, while trying to gain some of my old self back, or a mixture of the two, but they’ve both contributed to the fact that I AM READY for him to be here. As ready as I can be.

Pregnancy is/was hard, at least for me. It wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. I was extremely active before getting pregnant, teaching group fitness at multiple gyms, training for triathlons, running obstacle course races (mainly Spartan Races) and getting trail runs and hikes in on the weekends. I loved being busy and active.

Pregnancy changed everything for me. My body suddenly rejected everything I once loved to do. Everything became extremely difficult… except sleeping. Ha.

My body had become foreign to me, and I felt like I was placed in a strangers body. I was suddenly lethargic, nauseous (oh the nausea!), and not motivated at all to exercise. And when I did exercise, it was so different. My endurance had disappeared, I was winded from the get go, and it was extremely discouraging. Everything I had worked so hard for was suddenly replaced by this new body that was too busy building a healthy baby to keep up with my expectations.

Expectations. There in itself, was my underlying problem. I had really high expectations to be this super-active super pregnant lady, unfazed by the common pregnancy symptoms everyone else regularly experienced and talked about. And boy did those expectations go out the window. I had NO IDEA what being pregnant was all about.

That isn’t to say I am not super thrilled at how my pregnancy has gone. I have had zero health issues, no complications with baby, and a healthy heartbeat and active little boy in there for the past 9 months. I really have no room to complain. BUT, once you pass week 36, the window for any and all complaining is open… so I’ve heard. 🙂

I’m ready to start this new chapter of mommy-hood, even if it is the most terrifying uncharted territory of all time. I’m ready to experience the outdoors with my little one, and maybe get back to where I once was physically… eventually. I’m not in a rush, but lets be real, I want to at least be able to walk for longer than 20 minutes without feeling like I just ran a half-marathon.