Commentary by Danielle Pelkey

The North Jefferson News



Ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing the end of an era.

Well, in my personal life, I am ending an era. My second pregnancy in two years is quickly coming to a halt.

I have now been pregnant for over 36 weeks and I feel as though it will only last a few more weeks, days or hours.

I have reached a stage in my pregnancy that beckons the question, “What were you thinking?” You should just see the looks that I get when I walk through the grocery store with a toddler on my hip and a huge baby bump on my belly.

We are still in the process of adding a room to our house, so our little baby Anna doesn’t have a bedroom at the moment. Oh, don’t worry and don’t call DHR, she has a crib and a mattress and even new sheets and a car seat.

But a room of her own is a luxury she will not obtain until she is probably a few months old. I’m sure this situation bothers me much more than it bothers her. There are literally nights that it keeps me awake. I lay in bed thinking of things that can go wrong, things that can go right and everything in between. One of my biggest concerns at this time is that my mom and dad are heading to India at the moment and will be gone for three weeks.

Of course I’m completely convinced that my daughter will stay in her proper place until her Nana and Pappa return to our country, but I’m not sure she is convinced. I may be the only ginormously pregnant woman to want her baby to stay put until her due date, but I have good reasons. Apparently, I am a “momma and daddy’s baby” that needs her family surrounding her during these huge life-changing moments.

Speaking of huge, have I mentioned the size of my stomach lately?

There is at least one person per day that comments on the size of my mammoth sized stomach. If it is not a family member, then a complete stranger will surely pick up the slack.

I have gained a substantially large amount of weight with this pregnancy. I wish I could blame it on swollen ankles and back to back pregnancies, but if I’m being completely honest, I’m fat because I eat too much and I love it.

I haven’t eaten more than I did before I got pregnant, but I do exercise much less these days. I feel like my nightly trip to the restroom is equivalent to a mile-long jog. I mean, I am carrying a lot of weight on those ankles and calves.

All in all, I must say that my pregnancy, once again, has been a total blessing and I have thoroughly enjoyed almost every moment of it. I could do without the sickness and the aches, but if the ends justifies the means, then by all means, let’s have this baby.

If you see that my columns have stopped for a few weeks, then you will know that Anna has been born and I was sleeping when I should have been writing a column.

That’s the life of a new mom.