What's been going on.

The past week and a half has been intense, painful, busy, impatient,  energetic, emotional, nerve-wracking and exciting. And it’s not only for the reason you’re probably assuming. I haven’t  been able to get all my thoughts out in an organized manner, so instead I’ll spew them in bullet form.

• People will ask what gender your baby is and not believe you when you tell them you don’t know.
• It’s ok to support the mentality of the Gaza incursion while feeling guilty and sad about deaths of innocent.
• When it rains, it pours… No family visits for almost a year and then everyone comes at once. And then it (actually) rains that whole time.
• It’s ok to feel like four years is a long time when you’re surrounded by people who have been living here for ten.
• People will assume everything you are feeling has to do with being pregnant; you’re hungry/tired/energetic because you’re pregnant, not because you’re human.
• There’s a big difference between charedim in Israel and charedim in the diaspora.
• There’s a big difference between living on ‘this’ side of Israel and living on the side of Israel that is getting pounded daily.
• ‘Friendly’ fire… what a strange name for a painful concept.
• Some people will offer really good perspectives and advice on pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent, no matter what their core beliefs.
• It’s ok to pick and choose with whom you are willing to discuss the Gaza war. There are certain friends and enemies for whom you are just not willing to convert conversation into debate.
• Sometimes after you’ve accepted the fundamental differences between you and loved ones, you discover that maybe they are not so fundamental after all.
• Not feeling festive, even though it’s a holiday time, is perfectly fine when your country is in a state of war. That also goes for Inauguration Day partying.
• Amidst everything else, you can find a kind of comfort in the movement in your belly, which no one else can give you. You can be intense, impatient, energetic, emotional, and excited about soon meeting someone. You can sorely miss someone you’ve never met. You can confide in them when everything around you is just too complex.