Halfway

I'm more than halfway through my pregnancy now. I'm feeling like it's time to mark the milestone with a photo, so I don't forget what was happening at this stage (at least with my body):

Seems fitting to capture the time of year, too, with the tree...

Brett took this impromtu picture of my belly (below) when I was pregnant with Jack. I remember it was after having dinner with his parents one summer night. I must have been about seven months along here:

Round, round, round.

I love that picture. A few months after it was taken I decided to frame it. I had it sitting on my fireplace mantel, trying to find a spot for it in the house, when the pizza-delivery person showed up. It was a woman, a mom. She saw the picture and just beamed. "I remember those days," she said. "I wish I had taken a picture of myself like that when I was pregnant." A memory of our short conversation reminded me to take the opportunity to do it again.

Round, round, round. There's something freeing about being so round. And being OKAY with being so round. And having people say "You look so cute!" BECAUSE you are so round. (And getting rounder by the minute.) In the morning I'm carrying a balloon; by evening I'm carrying a bowling ball. I like my mornings.

Jack loves the idea of having a brother on the way. For the first three months of the pregnancy he asked, "Is the baby coming today?" every day. Now his latest baby-on-the-way commentary runs more like this:

"I'm sooo happy Tie-Dye is coming. He can play Star Wars guys with me, and he can do light sabers with me, and he can do drawings and paintings with me!"

Yes, Jack has given the baby a name. Tie-Dye. Over these past few months he has also wanted to name the baby Toothbrush and Flash. I'm glad Tie-Dye stuck.

So, halfway. Halfway to an end. Halfway to a beginning. I am so, so looking forward to both!