There I go again with the misleading titles. I apologize--I'm simply referring to my belly-button...not the entire pregnancy. (She's still kicking away inside of me, and we'll have an appointment with my doctor this afternoon to see if our tentative plan to induce tomorrow is still on).
Also, before I go any further, I wanted to thank you for all of your suggestions on what else I should be packing for the hospital. I really appreciate your feedback!
I don't have any pictures of it--because really, who else out there would really want to see my belly button? And to be honest, maybe it hasn't exactly "popped", but rather has flattened out like a cute little star. I had an "innie" to start with, and the skin above the belly button now protrudes just enough to give the image that it "popped". I know that some women complain about the contortions that their belly-buttons (and the rest of their bodies) experience in pregnancy, but I love it!
I love it not only because it demonstrates all the growth that is happening inside of me (yes, both physically and emotionally), but moreso because it reminds me of my mom, and my connection to her. My belly-button--whether an "innie" or "popped"--symbolizes the love and care that she showed for me when she was pregnant with me, just as I am now doing for our Baby Girl. It physically connected me to her for 40 weeks (well, 43 weeks to be honest, since I was three weeks late), but the emotional connections are so much deeper than that. Sure,we had some rough patches (especially in my teenage years), but as I've grown (especially through the losses), I've learned to appreciate her more and more. In the 31 years since I've been (physically) detached from her, she has helped me to develop into who I am today. And it all started with an umbilical cord, attached to my belly-button, linking me to her for years to come. And now, she'll soon get to meet her granddaughter--this precious Baby Girl who is now linked to me.
Today's blessing happened early this morning, when I couldn't sleep. My grandpa sent all of his loved ones his "autobiography" detailing his life--from his birth in the family home in 1925, through his marriage to my Grandma, and on to what he has learned as he has aged. It was just so touching to reflect on his life, and how much he loves my Grandma, my dad, and his grandchildren. I'm so grateful that we'll be celebrating Christmas at home in Northern California this year so that I have the chance to introduce our Baby Girl to him and my Grandma.
k your title made my heart jump! LOL don't do that to us! that's a really sweet insight on our belly buttons - Mine was partially in and partially out and have always thought it was something unique that I had from my Mom :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing your grandpa did with the autobiography - now all of the family can share in the memories and know exactly how the family came to be :)