On being pregnant at Christmas

I'm only writing this because I was surprised to learn that Christmas is different when you're pregnant!

Christmas Food

I didn't think this would change that drastically for me (I don't eat ham), but eating on Christmas was still trickier than I thought it would be.  My Christmas lunch consisted of green salad, snow peas (which I love) and boiled potatoes followed by fruit and jelly.  Being predominantly vego and gluten free always limits what I can eat, but what I hadn't taken into account was the whole dressings and other cold meats factor.  These days I do eat a little white meat (cravings following breaking ankle) but being knocked up, can't eat it cold.  And being polite, I didn't want to ask for a microwave just to eat something that I didn't need to.  After having the mayo speech given to me a bazillion times I was afraid of all salads (except those that were nude, or dressed by my mum) which limited my limited fare even further.

Dinner was easier as our family are slightly allergy-centric (there were gluten free Christmas mince tarts).  I made a dessert and main for this meal (an AMAZING nut loaf which I will be making annually henceforth), so knew I'd have food regardless.  I had plenty of options, all vegetarian.  But as a lapsed long term 'proper' vegetarian, this suited me just fine.

The best thing about restricted eating, is I didn't get the dreaded Christmas Bloat.  On the way home, Murray was complaining about 'Food Sweats' -  I suffered from no such ailment.  Following Christmas dinner I felt full and happy and still-able-to-breath-cos-stomach-not-compressing-lungs.  

Christmas Presents

Again, I never thought this would alter with only being 17 weeks pregnant at Christmas, but I was wrong.  I was spoilt.  There were a few extra little gifts from 'Santa' including a notebook to help my baby brain and an AWESOME t-shirt with 'Private Property Please Don't Touch' on it (Auntie Santa's rule).  And the foetus got some very thoughtful presents too!  I felt so loved by my family.

And although we didn't get unwrappable presents from Murray's family, what we got was just as awesome.  Great chats with his cousin and cousin's wife on things pregnancy (and not TMI with opinions), and a big offer to lend us some essential (and expensive) baby things.  Which means that we hardly have to buy anything now to prepare for the arrival of this kid.  Which means so much less to stress about.

I had feared that my interactions and gifts would take a slant toward motherhood, and was so grateful that on the whole they didn't - my immediate family treated me exactly like normal and bought thoughtful things for me.  Many things around pregnancy make you feel less like an individual and more like a vessel.  Not just in terms of your body, and the obvious life-style changes required (because you do become a vessel), but in terms of how people perceive you, how your stomach (it seems) becomes public property and how your way of thinking is questioned.  Some normalcy, especially in a time where you are dealing with many people who unintentionally challenge your right to be an individual, is probably the best gift I got this Christmas.  

Christmas Crash

Despite the fact that recent Christmas's are simpler logistically than they've ever been, at the end of our two day Christmas blitz I was suffering.  On Christmas we only had to go to two houses.  I didn't have to cook full meals, and we were home by 10pm Christmas night. 

By Boxing Day I was screwed.  Boxing Day is when we traditionally spend time with Murray's mum's family.  We were home from brunch by 2pm (after a quick Boxing Day shopping errand).  I almost fainted during the errand, holding onto my purchase as a means of propping myself up.  On arriving home I napped for as long as possible before heading over to Murray's parents to Skype his brother in Canberra (first Christmas away from home) and exchange gifts.  We couldn't even stay until 9pm when catch up was to begin, so we missed talking to Alan which was sad.

Christmas Future

The scariest thing about Christmas was the realisation that in choosing to become parents, we are now naturally a part of a different social group within our families.  That in itself isn't that scary.  The scary part is realising that this means, like all the other parents in our generation, that we need to consider all the other children in the family (our 'child's' peers) at Christmas.

Within our families, that's a huge realisation.

I've never thought about how much time, money and effort our cousins have put into thinking about all the kids at Christmas time, and this realisation has given me so much more appreciation of them.  Within my extended family, we have thirteen children in the next generation.  In Murray's family, there are another eight.  If we spent just $10 on each child next Christmas, that's an extra $220 to budget for next year, and an extra twenty two little (or not so little) people to think about.  It's a big deal.

It's a big deal because not only do you need to think about Christmas time, but also birthdays.  Birthday's mean not only buying presents for each child through the year (doubling extra spending to $440 PA on a tight budget), but also REMEMBERING each birthday.  This is yet another excuse to create an Excel workbook - I'm going to have to spreadsheet this stuff otherwise we'll be totally screwed.

I'm not even a parent yet and already working out there is WAY more to this parenting thing than I ever thought about before.  I am grateful for this Christmas realisation now, when I have time to budget (and spreadsheet).

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So that was my Christmas - over all, pretty awesome.  I am so grateful for our family, and the little traditions we have.  And although some aspects of next Christmas will be different, I'm sure most things will be much the same, and that's a relief.