shay, the professional photographer who shot this picture is a friend of the family -- normally i never would have let such a picture be taken. shay has, in fact, been asking me for a "pregnancy pose" for over seven years, but my vanity has always prevented me. why i waited until a pregnancy with twins to finally break down and allow her to photograph me and my swollen belly seems to defy all reason. of course, it was mother's day; i was an easy target. anyway, she has entitled the picture "barefoot and pregnant."
i look at this picture and all i can think is, "i can't believe i ate the whole thing." good heavens, i've never been so huge in my entire life and i promise you that it is a monumental exercise in humility on my part to post this ... this ... well, this is what it looks like to have two humans vying for space in your womb. i don't know how i can stand upright without toppling over. no wonder bedrest is just around the corner. really, it's there -- just beyond the belly.
i tell you, being pregnant with twins has been a real struggle for my claustrophobic personality. i'm finally moving into the portion of the pregnancy that it's safer for onlookers to nod and smile and keep on moving on. don't ask me how i'm doing. unless you really want to know. which, believe me, you don't.
at this point, i'm just trying to get through this with my sanity intact. i'm leaning heavily (no pun intended) on my sense of humor. i said something off the cuff the other day and a barely pregnant woman gasped, "you shouldn't be so glib about the miracle inside you!" i almost kicked her in the shins.
if i didn't have my sense of humor, i think i just might be a basket case. i want desperately to be a "what would Mary do?" sort of pregnant lady, but i'm just not cut out for it. at times it scares me -- yes, actually scares me -- that i am "stuck" with this beautiful but frightening belly for another five weeks (Lord willing) and it isn't going to end without i be ripped open from stem to stern and have two human beings grabbed outta my guts before i'm stapled shut to hold my all my insides back in place.
and until then, i cannot stop moving towards alien proportions. absolutely alien. and, speaking of aliens, just the other night i was dreaming that an alien was fighting its way out of my belly. no kidding. and when i awoke, i discovered that babyB was just trying to sleep horizontally. not gonna do it.
Here's to brave ladies with big bellies! Doesn't mean our brains have atrophied, just our hearts are bracing for the decathlon that is 2 new babies with a husband and 2 others. Bravo. You love them before you know they're even there, and you love them even more -- to the point of sacrificing everything from sleep to sanity. Here's to the Mama's of Texas!
I think it is a beautiful picture of a beautiful person. And I don't know a single person who doesn't agree.
So there.
If you don't mind my saying so, you look beautiful. I often wonder what you shy young ladies of the Catholic blog world actually look like. This picture could be a poster advertising motherhood, and it would melt even the hardest heart.
Wonderful, beautiful picture, momma. :) I hope you have her take an after shot with you and the babies. The photographer who took my son's graduation pictures have several before and after pregnancy shots displayed in his studio and they are all excellent.
Wunderbar smock! You rock!
Smockmomma is so beautiful and so humble! You've left out how amazing you are. While I'm 4 months pregnant with one baby and already look haggard, you always appear glowie and calm. Plus you're just pure sweetness. You may not be a "What would Mary do?" person, but I know she's proud.
Gorgeous, Smock! As MamaT says, and we know she's always right! Don't we? Yep, we do.
I just want to tell you, your insides will not fall out. I was so sure the dinky staples holding me together would snap like little twigs but they didn't. Oh and you must count how many they used when you get them taken out. You know, it goes back to the war wound theory. I was so proud of my 36.
Beautiful picture!
That is just such a lovely serene picture of you and your babies.
You are doing a great job!I can't wait to see your babies in your arms!
That is beautiful. I love professional pregnancy portraits, I've wanted to have them done every pregnancy but so far I haven't. I should do some later in this pregnancy.
What a gorgeous picture of you and the babies. It's just perfect!
Whenever you get too hung up about the size, just keep thinking: "THREE souls in one body!" That is kinda cool. And, as I had twins, too, remember the growth is all temporary. Believe it or not, you will have a waist again. (And this from someone who refused to get on the scale except facing backwards for the last three months! I still have no idea how much weight I gained. Ignorance, bliss, worked for me!)
And if you're still freaking out about how big you are for these last few weeks, go hang around someone expecting triplets. Or more! ;-)
I think you look gorgeous!!
Oh, I think you look RADIANT! Hang in there, lots of us are sending you sympathetic thoughts, and keeping you in prayer until the babies arrive! >
From one twin momma to another - You look MAHVELOUS!!
y'all are so sweet. thanks for your kindness and especially your prayers!
Oh - you look like a mother SHOULD look - protective, confident, glowing, and absolutely serene. A kind of "Don't Mess with Me or My Babies" look. I love it. And you do look beautiful, too.
And btw - everybody knows pregnant woman are quite sexy. Even though sometimes it's the LAST thing we feel like... ;-)
Blessings to you as you await their births.....we'll all be praying.
Bravo Mrs. Allen.
What a beautiful picture. You radiate joy and patient waiting. May it be true even at 4:00 a.m. I think I'll often remember this when I'm meditating on the mystery of the Visitation.
Oh, what a wonderful picture!
What a sweet picture!
Dear Smock,
What a truly glorious picture. Thank heavens you gave up your vanity and gave the world and a photographer a truly magnificent gift. This is a picture for a poem. Thank you.
shalom,
Steven
what a gorgeous picture! I wish I could post it in my office.....
The midwife who attended my two home births had a set of twins (babies 6 and 7). Baby A was vertex, Baby B was breech, and she did have a hospital birth for them but it was a natural birth.
She showed me a picture of her at the end of her pregnancy with a teacup on a saucer balanced on top of the baby shelf. (she ultimately had 10 children total)
I loved everyone's comments. I especially liked the one from Momma T. A friend like that is a true gift from God.
Usually pregnancy photos make me head for the hills (it's a long, boring story) but you look really, really beautiful. The twins are lucky already.
I finally get a glimpse of you, and you won't even look at the camera.