No Denying It: I'm Pregnant. Week 34

I am so pregnant. I'm so pregnant that when I drop the soap in the shower, I circle it like a sumo wrestler in the ring, trying to determine the best position in which to crouch down and pick up that slipper little sliver. I am so pregnant that I have to push back the driver's seat in the car to make room for my belly even though my legs are just as short as ever. I am so pregnant that I often think twice about picking something up because it's just so much less work to just leave it on the floor. I'm so pregnant that I literally roll myself out of bed every morning and at least twice at night for bathroom breaks.

But I still love being pregnant and I know there will be things that I miss about it when I'm not. There are a lot of magazine and internet articles out there telling you what you'll miss when you're not pregnant (it's strange how there are so many things out there telling you how to feel), but I'm sure I can come up with my own list now, and one after Jooner arrives.

My list for what I'll miss when I'm not pregnant:

• Being given license to eat what I want when I want without guilt or the need to work it off
• Feeling him kicking, punching, and doing whatever it is he does in there that I can feel
• Being excited about and happily rubbing my sizable belly
• Being given license to wear flip-flops to work (I don't know if I have license to do that now, but I'm doing it!)
• Clear skin (if it goes away once Jooner is born)
• The anticipation

There are a lot of other things that could go on this list, but those are the biggies. Those and being lazy without feeling guilty.

There may be a lot of things that being pregnant may prevent you from doing, but going to a beer festival isn't one of them. Last weekend we made our way to Ypsilanti and partook in the 14th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival. I sampled their water and a nice cup of root beer. Others chose to use any of their 15 beer tokens on beers brewed from around the state.

My belly as a billboard for some select MI breweries

I had plenty of fun as the DD. I can only imagine what kind of party it will be when I can sample some of the beers.

On our way into the festival. It looked like people had camped out in line to be the first tasters to the sold-out fest.

Deciding which tent to go to first

I imagine Octoberfest being like this. But with much much larger tents, more people, and of course more beer

Taking a break by the river

We attended the fest with these jokers

If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking out the summer beer fest or any of the other fests sponsored by the Michigan Brewers Guild. They have a fall festival in Detroit this year and I think a winter festival up in Marquette. Am I asking you to take the advice of a pregnant woman and go to an alcohol-fest in the mitten? You bet I am.