Being pregnant over the winter has had it’s advantages. I haven’t ever felt hot. Wearing flat boots and other stable footwear isn’t frowned upon. Big sweaters and leggings are everyone’s go to outfit, whether they are pregnant or not. And, aside from my Aqua Zumba class, no one has needed to see me attempt to squeeze into a bathing suit.

I’m delighted that I will be welcoming my tiny baby in the spring. Truly, I am. However, being pregnant in the winter does have a couple of drawbacks. Especially if one loves snow as much as I do.

So here are the Top 5 Reasons Why Being Pregnant In the Winter Blows.

5. You can’t go ice skating. Having a twenty pound basketball-like uterus really throws off ones balance. Falling on hard ice wouldn’t be ideal, even for non-pregnant folk. So that’s off the list. Good thing I stink at ice skating.

2007- Bank of America Skating Center

4. Say “see ya later” to sledding and snow tubing. I LOVE sledding and snow tubing! I could honestly do it all day, frozen toes and all. The problem is, rushing down a hillside at super sonic speeds isn’t what my OBGYN would call “safe behavior.” Plus, getting off the couch is currently a challenge. Getting out of a snow tube…may never end up happening.

Snow tubing at Yawgoo Valley

3. You feel completely useless when there is shoveling to do. Shoveling driveways is a serious pain in the rear. Well, for most people it is. But for this winter lover – any excuse to be in the snow for extended periods of time is a fun one! I was one of those high school kids that would go door to door charging $5 to shovel people’s driveways. Now I’m kicking myself in the butt because I realize most people hate shoveling, and I could have charged a lot more. I now need to wait for others to shovel me out. I feel as useless as the broken shovel below.

Broken shovel. *sad trombone*

2. Making a snowman is way too hard. Bending over to roll a ball around in the snow seemed like such an easy task in past years. Now, I can’t even touch my toes in my prenatal class during our squatting exercises. How the heck am I supposed to make a snowman? To make things worse, when I walk by neighbors’ snowmen, I feel like their coal toothed grins and creepy stick hands are waving at me, smiling and saying “you can’t do this!” Those snowmen are jerks.

With our 2012 snowman.

1. Your snow pants don’t fit. Like, not even close. And if you’re brave enough (or get crazy cabin fever like myself) and decide to go for a walk in your non-fitting snowpants, you’ll spend your entire time picking up and pulling up your pants. My pants fell so low during my walk that I felt like a fifteen year old boy from 1997, bustin a sag. Fortunately, my winter jacket goes down to my knees. Otherwise my neighbors would have had quite a treat.

This was the one moment they were above my hips
But guess what? This time next year, I’ll be zipping Itty Bitty up in his own snow pants. My hubby and I will be able to take him around our neighborhood in a sled. In a couple of years, I’ll help him make a snowman, and teach him how to ice skate. In a few more years, he will be helping me shovel our driveway, and may even do it for me when I am unable to do it on my own.
That doesn’t blow.
What’s your favorite winter memory with your young kids?