We got married last Monday. I know what you’re thinking… where on earth did this come from and when was there even an engagement announcement? This will singlehandedly be the most life-changing fortnight of our lives with our nuptials followed closely by the D-Day of our baby boy. I’ve finally got a finish line in sight and I’m not going to lie, if I could sprint with these swollen blobs I call feet right now – I’d be Hussain Bolt’ing it into February 1st.
So why did we choose to get married on the down low?
Well firstly, we didn’t have the time to organize anything lavish with everything that’s happening in our lives. I told myself that the last month of my pregnancy would be breezy, relaxed and the time to catch up on all the things I enjoyed doing. That didn’t happen obviously because there’s just no rest for the wicked. I sleep an average of 4-5 hours a night and I can’t imagine that improving once our bean arrives.
Secondly, weddings are damn expensive. I should know, I’ve done it once already and regret every cent we spent on it! Not because it inevitably led to a somewhat amicable divorce (which still stings a little when I have to fill in my marital status as ‘divorced’) but it opened my eyes as to how monumentally wasteful weddings truly are. With our lifetime investment in this little bean on its way, blowing tens of thousands on a wedding couldn’t be further from what we want right now.
Lastly – I hate weddings. That’s right – hate. It’s a strong word but I just don’t enjoy them, period. Of course that isn’t to say that if my best friends were to get married and asked me to be part of the bridal party that I’d tell them to take a hike. After all, I still have a heart (or at least half of one).
There were only five of us in that registry (including our celebrant) and surprisingly it was still a beautiful moment for us. We laughed, giggled, joked and smiled our way through the entire 15 minutes that was our marriage ceremony. We didn’t even have wedding bands prepared and we only decided to pick up a small bouquet of flowers on the day spontaneously. The icing on our non-conventional wedding cake was that Chris had to go back to work for a leadership event which went overnight and I had an event myself to go to. So we went our separate ways for the night. Romantic right?
I know I said in a previous post that I was sh*t scared of giving birth but now that I’m in my final days, the fear has now abated and I’m growing restless to meet the little man. The dread that I was feeling a few weeks ago has now turned into a yearning for labour to come. I’m currently lying in bed, A/C blasting, Netflix on, ice-cream in hand as I bask in all my pregnant glory in my underwear for the final few days. The day is finally here and I can finally start sharing with you as we accumulate our fair share of stories of two clueless ducks muddling through child wrangling.
For all the new mom-to-be’s our there, the last week of pregnancy means:
- Overwhelming urges to clean and get everything in order – military standard of cleanliness because I run a tight ship.
- Feet are swollen beyond recognition and no amount of foot rubs and soaking will help.
- The belly is stretched so far to its limit that it feels like the child is trying to claw, kick and squirm his way out from whatever exit he unearths.
- The toilet breaks are frequent and so are the false alarms.
- Dancing, bouncing and doing anything physically possible that will assist gravity in bringing this baby out – even if it makes you look ridiculous like this:
- Exhaustion is an understatement and sleep is for the weak because you remember all the things you still have to do.
- Birthing dreams become more and more frequent because the thought of labour literally consumes you. You will desperately look for any sign of labour during these days – or at least I have.
- You start planning all the cocktails and wines you’ll have and even consider having a glass of champagne straight after the birth.
We’ve tried our best to get a 3D shot of the little man’s face to share but unfortunately he hasn’t been the most cooperative when it comes to the photo-opps. So I will leave you with the only clear shot we do have – and that is of his big balls. Ha! We’re going to make excellent parents right?!
Who else is counting down with me?
Remember to check out all my other posts on pregnancy here.
