These pictures
are from a hike I did last weekend in Glacier to Firebrand Pass with Amber. It was an amazingly beautiful day. Possibly my last good hike of the season. To quote from Game of Thrones: "winter is coming." While hiking and walking feel pretty good, I might be done running until after I give birth. Everything is just off and it's painful to run. I think it's round ligament pain. I don't especially have anything to prove so I will just back off. It's a little bit of a bummer, especially since I am not really supposed to downhill ski this winter either, but I'm sure I will figure out a way to keep my mind and body entertained. I have some projects I should do before the baby comes in March (I will probably find an excuse to not do them, they are the horrible cleaning types of things) and cross-country skiing will hopefully work out for me.
Impending parenthood is certainly getting more real. My belly is visibly expanding and I can feel her move (it's a girl!), especially late at night. This "realness" is prompting all kinds of feelings and thoughts, especially hopes and dreans of what the future holds for my daughter. Namely, that she will be a confident and self-assured person who can stay true to herself and navigate this world with grace and while having fun. It's a tough world and women still face all manner of nonsense. I hope I can prepare her well for anything she might face and, above all, that she readily learns critical thinking.
It's a strange thing to feel love for a complete stranger who could not even live on her own outside the womb right now (I'm 20 weeks). Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's instinct, who knows. I would not have ever imagined feeling this way about someone who is not yet really quite someone (Ted likens her to a baby bird or perhaps a lizard).
It's an exciting time. March can't come fast enough. When I next return to hike in Glacier I will likely be a mom. To a human. Mind blown.
