Well, Besides the Obvious, of Course...

... I mean, besides the obvious joy of having my two beautiful girls to hold in my arms and enjoy and share, I have to point out some of the simple things I've taken pleasure in since becoming unpregnant:

1) My feet. Not my Wall-E feet, but my feet. Unpedicured and nasty, but as bony, tendon-y, and knobby as I remembered them. And I can reach them. And they're always in full view.

2) Sleeping on my stomach. Truthfully, for only short periods of time and only right after feedings, but to lay flat on my tummy with my face smushed into a pillow to ignore the sunlight streaming in the window at 6 am is bliss.

3) When I turn sideways in my shower, I don't have to brace myself for the inevitable shock of either my belly or my back hitting the cold shower curtain because, yes, front-to-back I was as wide as my shower.

4) For that matter, I can now access the toilet in our downstairs bathroom without having to stand on my tiptoes, lift my belly up and shimmy past the sink.

5) I can wear more than 2 outfits.

6) No longer am I isolated in bed by a fortress of pillows to support my various body parts; I can snuggle up with my hubby again (when I'm not laying on my stomach, of course!) which is awesome!

7) I can drink copious quantities of liquid without worrying about it pouring back out of my mouth when I bend over, I can retain said liquid in my bladder for hours, and I only visit the restroom a few times a day instead of multiple times per hour.

8) When people look at me in public, it's with a smile because they see the 3 cutie kiddos I tote, not with either sympathy at my grossly overpuffed frame or revulsion at my swollen legs.

9) ALCOHOL.

10) I can play with Jack again - I can chase him around and crawl on the floor and build train tracks (without fear that my belly will knock Tidmouth Sheds across the table while I'm trying to affix the Sodor Water Works to the end of a line...) and follow him into his play house when prompted.

11) The Jackson Brian Dance Parties in our kitchen before dinner no longer threaten to bring down the house from the shock waves of my chunky body dancing around. I can bop like an idiot to "Smooth Criminal" with my tot and not fear the consequences to anything other than my own dignity.

12) An innie. Outties that aren't supposed to be outties hurt.

13) Stairs don't exhaust me.

14) I no longer grunt and groan when I get off the sofa or into the car or bend down or stand up or move in any way for that matter.

15) I have already done the birth thing so I don't have to spend any more time wondering and worrying about how it was going to happen and whether or not I was going to end up with a C-section.

16) And I'm no longer obligated to publicly discuss things like my cervix or how sex helps me go into labor... with people like my husband's Captain. I can resume my life as a fairly private person who doesn't discuss my reproductive system with strangers.

And with that, I am off to take a shower and shave my legs before Jack wakes up and while the babies sleep in the pack 'n play.

Good luck to all my preggo friends with the last part of their pregnancies! The end, my dears, is in sight - you'll make it! It's so wonderful to be done!