things i'll do after the baby comes out

I’m sure many mothers will agree with me when I say that being pregnant has its ups and downs. You’re given priority in queues, offered seats in the metro and/or bus, bosses and colleagues don’t give you too much stress at work, you can eat early before the official lunch break or nibble on some snacks at your desk, you can ask the company drivers to drop you off at home after work (err, ok, I admit...even when I wasn’t pregnant I would ask our drivers to drop me off if they weren’t busy), etc. On the other hand, there’s so many things that can make you miserable like the frustration of not having anything decent to wear that can fit because your tummy keeps growing, having to decline or limit your intake of yummy desserts (and other foods) because you fear getting gestational diabetes, waking up several times in the middle of the night to pee (and then not being able to go back to sleep), going through a roller coaster of emotions...I can go on and on.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy I’m pregnant. As I mentioned months ago, we planned this baby. I’m just getting antsy of waiting for the little one to come out and the daily struggles I have to endure until then. That’s why I’ve prepared a list of things I’m going to do after I deliver. Of course I know I won’t be able to do all of them right away; I’ll have to wait until my body is ready, which will most probably take a few months...but, I will do them! Even simply for the reason to help me feel I’m back to my normal self. And here they are:

• Get a mani-pedi and have my hair styled and cut. Just because my hair is so long already and I want a new look. Of course this means that I need to have my hair rebonded again.

• Eat at the Cheesecake Factory in Dubai Mall. I looooovvveee cheesecake! But since Hubby is always reminding me to limit my intake of sweets, I’ve had to give up lots of cakes, ice-creams, and pastries (although once in a while, I get to sneak a few bites and spoonfuls during special occasions).

• Go on a desert safari. It’s been more than 6 years since I went on my first and only desert safari here in the UAE, and I want to experience it again. Although I don’t know why I thought of it now when I’m pregnant instead of before when I could have easily done so. Anyway, hopefully, Hubby and I will be able to sneak a date and go on a safari sometime during the winter season.

• Go on a date with no one but myself. Back in the Philippines during my early working years, I would often go to Makati, SM Megamall, or Festival Mall in Alabang all alone on weekends. Sure I had friends and colleagues who I could have asked to go with me, but I liked that I didn’t have to think of anyone else but myself. I could watch the movie I preferred, eat at any fastfood restaurant I wanted, stroll around the mall and shops without caring if someone was getting bored or tired, or just sit and people-watch to pass away the time. After the baby comes out, with all the crying and lack of sleep I’ll have to bear, I’ll definitely need some alone time.

And that’s pretty much it. It’s not a long list; just a few things that I want to do but haven’t been able to for the past 9 months. It may seem selfish, but hey, I’m only human, and I think that I need to reward myself with these simple pleasures once in a while, right?