Livin' On A Prayer (Whoa, We're Halfway There)

Sing it, you Bon Jovi fans - cause at nearly 20 weeks along...Whooooa, we're halfway there, whooooooa, livin' on a prayer! 

That's right, this third pregnancy is already at the halfway mark!  The baby is as big as an heirloom tomato and as long as a banana.  (Why, again, are all the sizes compared to fruits and vegetables?  I never understood this.  Can't she be as big as a bearclaw or as wide as a pizza slice?)

It seems all I get these days are wide eyes and dropping jaws when I reveal I'm not due until the middle of August.

On average, I would say 3-5 times a day I get asked one of the following:

Are you sure it's not twins?
Do you think you're due date is wrong?
Do you think you'll really make it until August?
How will you survive the summer?
But, again, are you very sure there is only one baby in there?

Yes.  Yes, I'm sure.  Yes, there is only one baby who is coming in August 2015.  Yes, for heaven's sake, yes.  (And this is the point where I smile instead of right-hook their face.)  Then, they abruptly follow up with a disclaimer:

It's cause it's your third baby.
It's cause you're built small.
It's cause it's a girl.

Huh.  I thought it was CAUSE I'M PREGNANT.

People, you are all so silly.  Trust me when I say that no one is more aware of how enormous I am more than ME.  I understand that your eyes immediately drift from normal-eye-contact to belly-staring-awkwardness as soon as you encounter me.

But, please, for heaven's sakes believe me when I tell you the facts about my own body instead of instantly second-guessing whether I am delusional, in denial, or grossly under-educated in biology.

This belly's got a long way to go.  It's gonna grow.  It's gonna take over my balance and most of my brain.  It's gonna be in the way, knock things over, and freak you out if a bit of it peeks out from under a too-small shirt I'm unwilling to part with yet.  It's gonna catch crumbs, hit the steering wheel, and hoist up my boobs (which aren't getting any smaller either, by the way).

I'm cool with it.  I'm loving it (most of it).  I'm dealing with it as well as anything - living on a prayer full of fear and grace that will get me from one day to the next.  One week to the next.  One month to the next.

If my growing being makes you wonder about the miracle of life, ponder the intricacies of anatomy, or stand in utter shock at the awe of how I seemingly defy the laws of physics - go for it.  Gawk away.

But please, gawk in awe of the Creator.  Give that jaw-dropping glory to He who is weaving the unformed before your very eyes.  Bug those eyes out at the God of the Universe who takes the time to build cells into a heart, brain, kidneys, and little fingers with prints as unique as a snowflake.

Now, that is something that will forever amaze me.  That, my friend, is something we can awkwardly stand looking astonished together, with gaping mouths wide open.

Twenty more weeks.  Hallelujah, bring it on.