My baby girl Little C is celebrating her big 3rd birthday this week! I am no different than any other parent when I wonder where the time went. I remember my pregnancy like it was yesterday.
It’s hard to believe that 3 years have passed since I gave birth to Little C in Japan. I clearly remember my ambivalence about having a baby in a foreign country. I remember interviewing friends who had babies in the local Japanese “ladies clinic” about their experiences. I remember going to prenatal appointments and trying to understand the doctor’s thick accent and gesturing with the nurses who spoke no English. And of course I remember the joy I felt when the doctor handed her to me for the first time. Little C is my blonde-haired, blue-eyed Japanese baby.
My pregnancies with Big C and Little C couldn’t have been more different, which seems appropriate because their personalities are on opposite ends of the spectrum. As they say, hindsight is 20/20, and I can look back and pinpoint aspects of each pregnancy that foreshadowed certain personality traits.
As I gear up for the headache of a Barbie themed Chuck E. Cheese party, I can’t help but think about how my little girl came to be and how I should have paid more attention to those signs that Little C was going to be payback for everything I ever did to my parents. Here are my…
Top 10 Ways My Pregnancy With Little C Foreshadowed Her Personality
10) I never cared for spicy foods until my pregnancy. (THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO HER SPICY DISPOSITION.)
9) In utero, Little C didn’t seem to be a big fan of sleep and she didn’t let me sleep a whole lot. (SHE GAVE UP NAPS ALTOGETHER SHORTLY AFTER HER 2ND BIRTHDAY AND SHE STILL DOESN’T LET ME SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT.)
8) My morning sickness was never in the morning but in the late afternoons. (4 PM IS HER WITCHING HOUR WHEN I CAN EXPECT BLOW OUT TANTRUMS AND NAUSEATING CLINGINESS.)
7) She moved around in my belly constantly. (THAT GIRL RARELY SITS STILL. SHE HAS 2 SPEEDS: ON AND OFF…NO IN BETWEENS.)
6) She was breech for so long that my doctor was ready to book the C-section I was adamently opposed to. She finally decided to turn around right before the deadline the doctor had given me. (THAT GIRL IS THE MOST STUBBORN CHILD IN THE UNIVERSE.)
5) Because we lived in Japan, I ate a lot of fish during my pregnancy, and yes (go ahead and gasp), I ate raw sushi. (SHE WILL EAT ANY STRANGE FOOD YOU PUT IN FRONT OF HER, AND 1 OF HER FAVORITE FOODS IS SALMON.)
4) I had some complications during the pregnancy that put me on full alert whenever I had to undergo routine testing. (LITTLE C ALWAYS HAS ME ON FULL ALERT! SHE’S ALWAYS GETTING INTO TROUBLE AND KEEPING ME ON MY TOES.)
3) She didn’t feel like greeting the world so I had to be induced. (SHE INSISTS UPON DOING THINGS WHEN SHE WANTS TO AND ISN’T TOO THRILLED WHEN SHE’S TOLD WHAT TO DO.)
2) I exercised throughout my pregnancy, mostly running and walking when I could no longer run. I even walked/jogged a 5k when I was 7 months pregnant. Regulars on my workout playlists included P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, and Madonna. (THIS PREDICTED 2 THINGS: SHE LIKED THE WALKING SO MUCH THAT SHE DECIDED TO WALK WHEN SHE WAS A MERE 10 MONTHS OLD, AND SHE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THOSE FEMALE POP STARS, INCLUDING LADY GAGA.)
1) I had no pain meds during my labor and delivery. (WELL, THIS DOESN’T REALLY FORESHADOW ANYTHING. I’M JUST THINKING THAT MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE DRUGS TO MELLOW HER OUT A LITTLE!!!)
What aspects of your own pregnancy predicted something about your child’s personality? And if you don’t have kids, has your mother told you any stories about her pregnancy that fits with your personality?
This post is so cute!! I have a lot of time reconciling the fact that babies outside of the womb are the same babies as inside, and it's so funny to hear about how their personality traits are evident even before they're born 😉
Awww… Happy (almost) Birthday Little C! What a sweet, yet entertaining post!
First off, Happy B-day to Little C! This post reminded me of how I feel about our oldest. My pregnancy with him definitely foreshadowed his personality. I had to be on bed rest for pretty much my whole pregnancy, and to this day I think God was trying to tell me to rest up because he only has two settings: On and Off.
LOL! Loved this top 10 list! All my babies have been the same in belly as out. My lists could go on and on too…remember..I have 4 chickens running around my house. Your little C sounds just like my Emma-Kay. She will be 3 in Oct, and she is too smart for her own good!
My mom would suck the juice out of the lemons and only during her pregnancy. I love to eat sour things, like sour worms, and skittles. My mom can't handle it anymore.
Oh wow! This is very informative, as the birth of my first baby is nearing! I am predicting a sweet-toothed little boy who likes his space…We'll find out soon enough 🙂
I love this post! So cute 🙂
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Oh my gosh! Little C sounds so much like Little Butt. I've always said her speeds were stop and run. I had to be induced (her time line). She eats sushi like a champ (it's almost always what I was craving when preggo). She started walking at 9 months (but so did I). She's stubborn and full of attitude. I think our little girls would either be BFF's or kill each other! LOL! Thanks for sharing! And happy birthday Little C!!!
Haaaa!! I LOVED this post. Happy bday little C. What a firecracker she is. I'd love to hear more about your birth in Japan too sometime. PS I'm totally impressed that she will eat salmon!! That's awesome for a just turned 3 year old.
I agree with your theory…totally. Ours arrived in this world when he wanted to (not on the doctor's schedule or mine)and has exercised his independence since day one (he's now 30+ and still "exercising")!