Thanks for the double chin, Santa!

This weekend, I had my first baby shower!  It was amazing and made me cry.  I will spare you the video of my trying to give a thank you speech near the end of the shower where I did not put more than two coherent sentences together.  A big SORRY goes out to my Speech Team coach, Mr. Harris, who would've been most disappointed in my attempt to separate my emotions from the content of the speech.  It was no 1st Place Tippecanoe County in the 6th Grade Drama Division effort, that's for sure!  Oh, Little Matchstick Girl, you were the high point of my competitive speaking career.  I digress.  So, the shower was beautiful and I've never felt more love toward my little growing family as I did that day.  It still is crazy to me how much love you can feel towards someone (eggplant in this case) that you've never even met - who's not even born!

But...(you knew there was a catch right)...I just got around to looking at the photos my wonderful sister-in-law took at the shower, and egad, all those women who were telling me how beautiful I looked must be blind!  Like, they must seriously be in need of an eye exam and a stronger glasses or contact prescription STAT because poking out where it wasn't invited in all of these pictures is none other than.....my dreaded double chin.  That double chin and I have a long history just like the number on the scale that will not be discussed.  Just so this isn't a long post where I whine the entire time again, here is a picture of me practicing to be a mom at the shower holding the most precious little elf of a girl:

You can see double chin rearing it's ugly head in this photo, and also notice how B is not the only one attracted to my larger bosom.  Little girl was very interested in holding onto the twins as well!  Here's a cute one of the parents to be:

B is sooo cute!!!  Ok, cute overload is done.  Let's get back to the elephant in the room.

So, basically, I can trace back my obsession with the shape of my face and the number of chins that face has to my father.  For those who have met my father, you probably remember his easy smile and laugh, his kindness, and his amazing hugs (seriously, you haven't lived until you've hugged that man!).  You also may remember that his head looks a lot like Charlie Brown's in that it's quite round.  In fact, the story goes that when my mother told my grandmother that she was marrying my father, my grandmother made a comment about how all of their children would have round heads!  Well, grandma, you were only 1/3 correct, as I am the only child that received this blessing.  I actually always loved that I shared this characteristic with my father - who wouldn't want to be like him - he's adorable!  It's just that for some reason extra weight loves to hang off that pretty much non existent chin of the round faced person. 

So, here is my Christmas wish.  Extra weight, I have been lucky to see you mostly settle in my belly bump area until now.  You are slowly creeping into other places now where you are most unwanted. Please, be directed to my chest area where you were collecting so beautifully before, and leave my little chin alone!

xoxo
AK

p.s.  Baby, you are the size of a two pound rump roast right now!  Your nostrils are open and you're practicing taking breaths in and out.  You're growing up so fast, and I haven't even met you yet!  So far,you seem to prefer the sounds of the nightly news over The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, so your father and I are both overjoyed.  Somehow I feel more responsible for the world that we're bringing you into than I did when it was just your daddy and I.  We're watching the debates and keeping track of issues that are important to us and having real conversations about what it all means.  You are making us smarter, baby, and we love you for that!