Things they don't tell you...

As has been well established, this is pregnancy #4. The first time you're pregnant, you never quite know what to expect. It's new, it's surprising, it's an adventure. The second (and subsequent) time(s) you are pregnant, you experience, "Oh yeah" syndrome.

This syndrome is the remembrance of all the weird, unwonderful things that you experienced the first time around...things that people may or may not have told you, but that you honestly forget because they aren't really painful or embarrassing or tacky (like the Freak-Me-Out spotting in the first or second trimesters; that darn uncontrollable vomiting that makes you wet your pants; the irrepressible flatulence and/or drunken sailor-like burping (so disgusting!); ...or even the HIGHLY annoying PMS-She-Witch-like quality your life takes on). You tend to let those things fade from your memory, but you remember them...vaguely, and they do tend to factor in when one considers additional pregnancies.

No, I'm talking about things that aren't life threatening, but bug you to no end: like how your eyelashes stop curling like they used to...or, my most recent outbreak of "Oh yeah" syndrome: "skin tags". With each pregnancy, I've developed these little annoying things...they don't hurt and they are often teeny tiny, but it annoys me that they are now on my body.

For those of you not plagued with these, let me enlighten (from Skin Changes During Pregnancy if you want to do you more of your own research on such interesting topics)

What are skin tags?
Skin tags are tiny, floppy growths of skin that can occur anywhere but more often are found in or near the armpits or breasts. They are harmless. If they cause discomfort and do not go away after pregnancy, they can be easily removed by your health care provider with freezing, tying off with a thread or stitch, or cutting off.

Yep...mine haven't necessarily gone "away after pregnancy." And I have them in the MOST bizarre yet visible places...like near my eyes!!!! HELLO! NO, no weird little skin tags...go hide near the arm pit, thank you very much! NOT on my face. sigh. Not only are they tiny and floppy, they don't care where they sprout up.

I guess I have to tack some of this to my genetic make-up. On the plus side of being descended from good German stock,
I have great birthing hips and a favorable cervix (I've been told this by several OB-GYNs...I try to take it as a compliment because, well, it sounds like it should be one). On the negative side, when NOT pregnant with extra estrogen producing little feminine babies, I am one of the hairiest women I know and my legs get 5 o'clock shadow when shaved. AND I get skin tags. Nice. I guess this means Frau-hood is just around the corner. (I wanted to get a picture of a stereotypical German Frau, and all I found was this picture...hmmmm...maybe Frau-hood won't be so terrible. She kinda looks nice. And at least she hasn't given up reading.)

Happily, I am experiencing a great pregnancy for this last go around. I am blessed and I readily acknowledge that. I just wanted to record that I also dealt with some "ARGH!" things whilst incubating the last of my offspring. And as I tell my daughters, sharing with friends is one of the best ways to keep them.