The last couple weeks I've struggled with watching myself grow and put on more.... fluff. Well, fluff and water now that I am swelling beyond belief. When you see another pregnant women struggeling with the same thing, your first reaction is to remind them they're pregnant and growing a baby. I did this a lot with friends and couldn't understand why they were so worried or shocked at their body transforming. I now realize how hard it is when you're the one growing. It's sooo annoying when people remind you your growing a baby and this is to be expected! Especially when you see other people who's bodys only show their pregnant in their belly. Why can't mine do that? My face and hips showed I was pregnant less than months in! I decided to keep working out through my pregnancy because I didn't want my body to get carried away gaining weight. Truth is, your going to gain what your going to gain weather you like it or not. It's hard seeing your old body stuck in the new one that's being taken over. When you think of how people view you, you image that they see you as your oldself. This isn't the case for people meeting me while 8 months pregnant. They never meet me before so hopefully they've Facebooked me to see this isn't anywhere near what I used to look like.
I know a lot of this seems shallow but it's a true feeling that a lot of people go through.
With all this going on, maternity pictures were something that I'd go back and forth on wanting to do. One day I'd be excited and the next I'd be having a minnie meltdown. Finally I decided I just needed to do them because one day, when I get my body back, I'll want to see these and remember. Our friend Meghan is a wonderful photographer. She had taken our engagement pictures last spring and they look amazing. I never questioned her ablility, I was just worried about picking myself apart in the picture. 
Yesterday was the day! We went to Skull Valley since Meghan had lots of ideas for that area. We wound up driving down a frontage type road that eventually turned into a dirt road. We followed some train tracks to see where the best scenery would be to use them in our pictures. As we were driving, we came across a beautiful old ranch. It had a long dirt driveway with huge trees that made a conopy over the drive. It was PERFECT! Meghan is pretty bold and decided we should just ask the family if we could use their driveway and pastures as a back drop for our pictures. It was better to ask then get caught bare belly in front of their home. It payed off because they were more that happy to let us use their land. Meghan shot some great pictures in front of their driveway and then we moved to the train track and a broken windmill we found. Any ideas Meghan had on poses I was happy to try. We had driven all the way out there, so I'd better make the best of it. I laid in weeds and on a train track. It's amazing how hard its become to get up, let alone lay down on the ground. Pain is beauty...... right? 
Your feelings are completely normal, Danielle! It's just as huge of a change mentally (and emotionally) as it is physically, and it's hard! You won't believe me now, but when that belly is gone, there will moments where you miss it like crazy and you will be SO glad to have these pictures to remember these precious beginnings of your family of three. Time goes by so fast!
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