Let me begin by saying that I’ve always been one to take time and pride in my appearance – clothing, shoes, the way my hair was styled. Well, lately, it’s been a totally different situation. For the past few months, I’ve been cherishing every moment of sleep; because at night, I seem to get little of it – from restroom breaks, night sweats, along with the constant acrobatics from the little one growing in my belly – going to bed is a challenge. So, as long as my clothes match, I’m good.
But besides the lack of sleep, I’ve been coping with forgetfulness. While heading to work, I sometimes accidentally miss an exit or get in the car with one route in mind, only to end up driving somewhere else. For example, over the weekend, one of my cousins had a baptismal dinner in her honor. With my parents in the car with me, we headed to my cousin’s house…I’m driving along, and all of a sudden, my mom says, “Aren’t we going to your cousin’s house for dinner?” I keep driving and say, “Yep; that’s where we’re headed.” Then my mom points out that I’m heading to my aunt’s house instead.
Another “forgetfulness episode” happened while I was preparing for work. Making sure I had everything packed for work, I hopped in the car and opened the garage. Just before I turned on the ignition, I got the oddest feeling that something was not right. As I looked into my rearview mirror, I saw my face looking back at me, with an uncombed head of hair. Thank heaven I noticed it before I pulled out of the driveway!
Moving on from the forgetfulness, another pregnancy moment involves my dreaded foe – flatulence. I cannot avoid it; flatulence sneaks up on me when I’m alone or amongst a group of people. At church this past Sunday, it happened several times while I sat in my pew. I was unfortunately in the middle of the pew and knew if I ventured walking past those on my row, I might cause a malodorous scent to follow behind me. So, I sat there and quietly “tooted,” and hoped they didn’t catch a whiff of my toots. I don’t believe they did; or, they kindly sat there and endured the torture with smiles on their faces.
When it comes to embarrassing sounds, there is one more that has invaded my once normal world – a growling stomach. Sitting in an all-day meeting with several others this past weekend, it happened. Before the meeting, I had only eaten a granola bar and when noon rolled around, I was famished. Well, as the pastor was talking to our small group, my stomach made a LOUD and LONG growling noise. All conversation immediately stopped; and all eyes were on me. I softly and innocently said, “The baby must be really hungry, huh?” The group began to laugh, and a few minutes later, the pastor thankfully gave us a lunch break.
So, what have these experiences taught me? Simply put, I go with the flow and laugh at myself along the way. In a few months, I’ll be holding my little girl in my arms; and I know with all of my heart, each embarrassing moment will be worth it.
Chandra Cleveland is a Senior Communications Specialist for Texas Health Resources who is expecting Nandi to enter the world in June.
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