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.
10 comments:
Aw, she's a girl. :)
I am so excited for girls who are being born today, especially to outdoors women. They are going to have the great role models some of us, ahem, older ladies never had.
And she will learn to ski when she's a toddler which will make it so much more awesome for her (I hope). Assuming she likes it. I can teach her climbing and all kinds of awesome mountain sports.
Hormones, indeed. Good stuff:) Enjoy this feeling!
This is SO exciting, Danni!!
Congrats! I have 3 boys myself and let me tell you parenthood is the best/longest Ultra of them all!
It is so exciting, you and Ted are going to be great parents. You both have adventurous spirits which will be so good for her. Not to mention your incredible capacity to love and LAUGH - such great models for her. Lucky little thing.
Oh, Danni, I'm so happy for you. Your words were just beautiful, and I hope your daughter gets to read them someday.
It is mind-blowing, isn't it? So much of it all seems so cliche from the outside until it's happening to you, and then BAM. Very real.
As for your unsavory cleaning projects, maybe you can hope for some nesting hormones to kick in just in time. For me personally, that felt like a very real phenomenon. Like, if I could've bottled that nesting energy for future use, I could've become the most productive human ever. Oh well.
So happy for you.
And now I just realized a side benefit of all this -- we can come visit some day in the distant future when our children are more manageable, and you and Ted will know all of the cool, kid-friendly hikes and slopes and everything to do. Except the only problem is that your daughter will be an expert toddler and our kids will be older but more clueless!
So very exciting. Congratulations! :)
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