IF PREGNANTS COULD RIDE ROLLER COASTERS

I haven't been on a roller coaster in a LOOOONG time. And for a girl who grew up at Six Flags Magic Mountain - that's a sad confession! So use your imagination today, and go with me on this...

Picture it. You've waited F-O-R-E-V-E-R to try out this amazing roller coaster. You've been excited since you first entered the amusement park and saw the track. The wait time could have been a bit of a deterrent. I mean, 9 months? Don't they make a fast pass for that?! But still, you'd heard that this is one of the greatest adventures you'll ever experience...

The Mommy Coaster!!!

And so you got in line. That was the fun part, yes? Height requirement? Nope. Only requirement? A climax all its own ;)

Some of us might not have even known we were getting in line though, huh? SURPRISE! You get to ride the Mommy Coaster!

And here you are. In line. Waiting. You wait and you gestate. You wait and you gestate and you see others ahead of you that have gotten on the Mommy Coaster already. Some multiple times, in fact.

Some riders love it and throw their hands up in wild abandon. Others cling for dear life and close their eyes tight. Others just go with the flow of every turn and curve. And then there are those who puke their little guts out and wonder what in the world they were thinking getting on the Mommy Coaster in the first place. Perhaps riders go through some or all of these emotions, but it's hard to tell as a bystander simply watching it happen from a distance.

So here I am with 37 days left till Scooter's big 0th Birthday and my first ride on the Mommy Coaster. I feel like I'm already getting in that hot seat though.

I'm strapped in and starting up the climb toward that first huge plunge:

Labor & Delivery. (dun dun DUNNNN!)

And I find myself looking around as all that I used to know is getting smaller and smaller below me and further and further behind me. And then comes the second-guessing. And the inevitable thought blurr right before any big life change.

(click click click)
I don't know if I'm ready for this.
(click click)
Is it too late to go back to being a newlywed?
(click)
I hope my baby's head isn't huge...
(click click click)
I miss the old Kim with two non-swollen feet on the ground!
(click click)
You mean my boobs are gonna do WHAT after baby comes?
(click)
Help!
(click click)
Holy Crap.

(Insert Saved By the Bell Time Out)

Now everyone knows that once you're strapped in and climbing that hill, there's not much you can do to stop the ride. In fact, theres N-O-T-H-I-N-G you can do. You got on board the Mommy Coaster 9 months ago by holding onto your honey and now its time to hold on for dear life.

So as I finish this upward climb toward that first drop - I've got a decision to make. I can't do anything to get off the ride now. (And honestly, I don't want to.) But I CAN choose HOW to ride...

Will I bury my head in John's chest and close my eyes the whole time?

Nope. (well, not the whole time. lol)

Am I gonna puke?

Maybe...I make no guarantees.

Will I scream and make ridiculous faces with every new turn and surprise?

You betcha!

Will I simply give in, throw my hands up, and enjoy the ride?

That's the goal.

Wish me luck! And to all those who hope to be in line for the Mommy Coaster, those currently in line, those in line AGAIN, and those experiencing all the different turns and twists after that first huge drop...let's all agree to throw our hands up and enjoy the ride together. And if you're having a rough day on the Mommy Coaster - I'll buy you a funnel cake. Ok fine, even if you're not having a rough day I'll buy you a funnel cake. I mean, have you seen that first plunge of labor and delivery? If that doesn't deserve a funnel cake - I don't know what does!

(TIME IN)