Commentary By Danielle Pelkey

The North Jefferson News



Well, it’s official — I look pregnant.

This past weekend I took on the whole role of a pregnant woman by pulling out my old maternity clothes. I don’t know if everyone is aware of this fact, but maternity jeans are the most comfortable and yet hideous article of clothing you could ever slip on your body. They have a huge piece of cotton cloth at the top that reaches over the entirety of your belly. This is fine if your shirt is long enough to cover it up, but I have a few of my favorite shirts that I can still fit in that aren’t quite that long.

It can be embarrassing, but there comes a time in every pregnant woman’s life when she just gives up on looking perfect. I gave up on this the first few weeks of this pregnancy. I was too sick to care about hair or make up and really never cared much after those few weeks were up.

As I sit here thinking of the weight I have already gained and the weight that is sure to follow I have mixed emotions. If I weren’t to gain weight, then that would be a sign of a bad pregnancy. But on the other hand, if you gain too much weight, the odds of you ever getting your old body back are horrible. So, it’s a Catch-22.

All of the regular pregnancy symptoms have crept up on me. My ankles are already swelling and my belly seems to be getting bigger by the minute. My hair is amazingly thicker and growing, but remember, I don’t really care about hair and make up right now. I could eat all day long and never find the perfect food that I’m craving.

One thing that I’ve found in this pregnancy is that your 1-year-old does not care if you are pregnant. She will still kiss you with a drooling mouth and wipe her nose on your arm. There are still poop diapers that need to be changed and dried food that needs to be peeled from the high chair at supper. These things are precious if you’re not pregnant, but they are stomach-turning if you are pregnant.

I do have some good news to share about this pregnancy though, we just found out that we are going to be blessed with yet another little girl in our family. Although the name has been a topic of concern, we are happy to announce that we are sure her last name will be Pelkey. That is the only sure aspect of this child’s name that we have ironed out.

Having another girl is a blessing because now we don’t have to worry about changing up the nursery or buying new clothes. Hand-me-downs worked fine for myself and they will work fine for our new baby. I can’t imagine being one of those mothers who needs for their children to have the best of everything. I want my children to be content with the things that we have.

We may not have a lot of money and our girls may have to share a bedroom for a little while, but we are giving them all of the important things in life. We will try our best to fill our girls with respect for others, respect for themselves and more importantly than both of those, a respect for God.

If I can get these points across, then I will consider myself a good mom and a successful role model for my children.