i’m thinking the title of this post would serve as a decent tagline for a blog. not mine. i like my tagline. but for you? or you? take it. it’s up for grabs, mommybloggers!

seriously though, my uterus is ENORM. fo realz. my doctor’s appointment this week taught me about the “trend” amongst those of us blessed mothers who birth larger than average babies. apparently with each subsequent pregnancy, the wee fetus gets competitive and *may* outgrow their previously born sibling. at this stage in the game, pickle is outweighing what her brother weighed. she is just over 5 lbs and in the 89th percentile for size. according to my doctor, she is “showing the vital signs of a full term baby,” though i am at 32 weeks (full term is 37 weeks). and… with me at 32 weeks, pickle is measuring in at 34 weeks. so, carry the 2 and divide by pi, and she is 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

what does all this math and gestational discourse mean? i dunno. there was talk of her arriving early. there was talk about the beating that her long and large body is inflicting upon mine. there were words like macrosomia thrown about. but all i could focus on was being told what a healthy baby i have growing in my body. and that, my friends, is something to celebrate.

(now, before you go all ZOMG YOU HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES AND PREECLAMPSIA AND YOU’RE MORBIDLY OBESE AND HARMING YOUR FETUS because you clicked that link above and freaked yourself out, let me assure you, i am none of these things. i did not have gestational diabetes with jackson nor do i have it now. i am not currently showing signs of preeclampsia. and i am not morbidly obese, though what i have seen in the latest victoria’s secret commercials may show otherwise. EAT A SAMMICH, LADIES! anyway, what i am is larger than the average chica. and, as we well know, paul is larger than the average sasquatch. thus far, i’ve gained just over 18 pounds with this pregnancy, and aside from sciatic nerve pain and recent migraines, this has been a fairly uneventful pregnancy for me. sometimes BIG babies happen, my friends. and you bypass purchasing the newborn clothes.)

in other news, i think it’s safe to say that i’ll never look at another pickle jar the same way ever again. and i’m ok with that. while skyping with my family a few nights ago, i learned that there is a jar at mom and dads’ house reserved for teeny slips of paper that have names on them. names that my parents and my brother have submitted as possible pickle names. they cannot stop guessing what paul and i have chosen to name miss pickle. and when they told me this, my heart SWELLED with delight (and not just because i’m certain that none of them have the name right).

something incredible about pregnancy that i don’t think i took note of when i was pregnant with jackson is the occasional PAUSE that you’re given. as the one who is carrying the beloved fetus, i am finding moments in my day where i PAUSE and gain a bit of perspective, a lightbulb turning ON, perhaps a warm-fuzzy, the shedding of a single tear, because it hits me that what is happening in my body and the subsequent reactions and behaviors from others is so beyond the cool things one can imagine for oneself.

(yes, i realize that is the longest run-on sentence in the history of all non-sentences.)

i had one of these moments of PAUSE when my silly family told me about their pickle jar. the extent of their involvement and excitement in preparation for meeting this little lady hit me like a mack truck.

i had one of these moments of PAUSE a few nights ago, when i watched paul and jackson have an in-depth conversation about superheroes and jackson had the realization that SIBLINGS ARE EVERYWHERE.

“that’s loki. he’s thor’s brother.”

“THOR HAS A BRUDDER?!?!?!”

“yeah bud.”

“MOM! THOR HAS A BRUDDER!”

these moments of PAUSE are coming more frequently as this pregnancy is coming to a close. perhaps it’s because we are saying hello to pickle in the near future… perhaps it’s all of the emotions and hormones and FEEEEEEEELINGS. either way, i am grateful for those moments. they bring about a sense of contentment that i want to remember forever.

in other news, i’ve been mentioned as a funny mom, alongside many other funny moms. if you peak over at my right sidebar, underneath where it says “NOT SANTORUM,” you can click on the little “vote for me” badge and show me some love once a day until march 21st. it’s always nice to be recognized for the silly stuff you do. thanks to circle of moms for the nod.