As I am firmly entrenched in the third trimester of my third pregnancy, I can't help but reflect on my experiences this go-around. However, since it has been three years since the last time I was pregnant (there has to be something symbolic about all these threes!), and I have been realizing that there are a lot of things I forgot about the whole adventure...

• You feel like crap for the first several weeks months. My new term for this period is "hot garbage." (If you've been there, you know what I mean.)
• You are tired. All. The. Time. 
• Your husband questions the second dinner/bedtime snack you suddenly can't go without. Fortunately for my husband, this mistake was only made once.
• Your maternity clothes are cuter than your regular clothes. At least in my case. I'm not quite a candidate for that TV show What Not to Wear yet, but I'm probably not that far off.
• Your hair is thicker and more luxurious than it will be at any other point in your life and your nails are strong as...well, nails, so at least you've got that going for you.
• You suddenly have cleavage. See, there are benefits to being pregnant!
• If you choose not to find out the gender, people can't help but guess. The evidence for these guesses range from the way you are carrying the baby to heart rate, although my all-time favorite was the woman who predicted my first child was a boy because my nose didn't grow. I had a girl, so I'm not sure what that says about my nose...
• You worry just as much about EVERYTHING the third time around.
• Your sense of smell rivals that of a dog. In fact, you can smell the neighbor's dog three houses away.
• Varicose veins. My legs currently look like a topographical map of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. I am embracing it this time, though, and have invested in some super-sexy thigh-high compression hose and some equally cute compression running socks (In all seriousness, these things are amazing, and I may keep wearing them for long runs and long plane/car trips.)
• It is necessary to immediately locate the bathroom upon arriving anywhere.
• You feel ravenous but can only eat a small portion of food...just to be hungry again less than an hour later.
• The increased blood flow means that any time any time you floss your teeth or blow your nose, it looks like the aftermath of a knock-down-drag-out fight.
• Feeling the baby move is just as magical as it was the first time.
• A restful night of sleep is no longer a guarantee. Wait, that hasn't been the case since my first child was born...
• Being out of breath after walking up the stairs means you can count it as a work-out.
• Feeling like a warrior for trying to do all the things you normally were able to do...yet at the same time wishing that someone else would just take care of all the chores so you can sit on the couch (I'm looking at you, husband).

I jest and I complain, I complain and I jest, but there is a reason we pregnant ladies eventually forget all of these things. Regardless of how you became a mom, the journey is always worth it.