taking these final (bonus) days of being pregnant to reflect on the last 9 months and what a journey they’ve been. ⁣ ⁣ my first trimester was the darkest and hardest time of my life. moving through perinatal depression and constant nausea, still hopped up on IVF meds, and trying to navigate the mental shift from being someone struggling through infertility to someone moving through a pregnancy. it was pure numbness and fear. ⁣ ⁣ the second trimester was beautiful. i remember those first moments feeling the clouds begin to part and the sun starting to shine through again. i would be hit by intense moments of realization of what was happening where i would be so filled up with joy and gratitude that it would overflow and tip me back into pools of grief from our years of yearning and loss. lots of healing tears and disbelief. experiencing the reality of it all set in was one of the happiest times in my life. ⁣ ⁣ the third trimester has largely been a string of walking past mirrors and exclaiming “WHAT!?” out loud as i saw my new reflection looking back at me. 😂 utter disbelief of what my body (and hers!) are capable of, and the slow dawning on me that somehow—and SOON!—this little person has got to find a way OUT of my body, and an entirely new chapter of life will begin. it’s been a time of dumbfoundedness, trying to wrap my head around it all. excitement and confusion and fear and beauty. ⁣ ⁣ jesse and i have been soaking up our final days as just the two of us, while super aware we have had more of these days than most people ever will before becoming parents—nearly 20 years of just us two! they’ve been the most incredible adventure ever, and we’re so ready and excited for this next adventure to begin.