{"id":12194,"date":"2016-04-18T03:12:59","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T07:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/verastic.com\/?p=12194"},"modified":"2016-04-15T15:55:37","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T19:55:37","slug":"listen-mother-show-weekend-im-emotional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/verastic.com\/site\/personal\/listen-mother-show-weekend-im-emotional.html","title":{"rendered":"The Listen To Your Mother Show Is This Weekend, And I’m Emotional"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other day, we were in church and I saw a beautiful pregnant lady in a fitted yellow dress that accentuated her bump, and all of a sudden, I missed being pregnant. Then while at home, I was looking through my maternity shoot<\/strong><\/a>, and I was grinning the entire time. I found myself to be beautiful. Not just on the outside, but on the inside because of what was happening. I was growing a whole human inside of me. Then I became a little sad because I felt like maybe I didn’t totally “rock” my pregnancy. Like why was I reluctant to do the maternity shoot<\/strong><\/a>? Should I have taken more pictures of my bump? Should I have experimented more with pregnancy fashion\/style? Did I let the pregnancy pass me by without celebrating it enough?<\/p>\n

This is something that happens to me a lot. Igwe says I’m a late comer when it comes to celebration. By the time I catch up with everyone’s excitement, I’ll be alone in my celebration. I told you about being cast in the Baltimore show of Listen To Your Mother<\/strong><\/a>, and if I was not in this show, I would have been on the outside looking in, wishing I was one of these women. Now that I’m one of them, I cannot seem to believe that I am one of them.<\/p>\n

\"Listen

Reading for my ladies<\/p><\/div>\n

As I mentioned in my March Journal<\/strong><\/a>, these ladies are exceptional, and their stories are even more exceptional. In the picture above, we were at our second rehearsal and I was reading my piece for them. It felt great to be standing there, reading to these beautiful women. But perhaps, when I wake up on D-Day, it would finally hit me: I’m in the freaking Listen To Your Mother show!!<\/strong><\/a> And maybe when the show is over, I would stand alone in the bathroom mirror and declare loudly and proudly: I diiiiiiiiiid that!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Listen

The cast of Listen To Your Mother Baltimore 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

I have been blessed to get to know these women on a level that not everyone gets to know them on. It has never been truer for me that everyone has a story. Looking at them from the outside, I would never have guessed what they had to say, but listening to them had me on an emotional roller coaster: weeping, laughing, and in between, all at the same time. I even got home and cried because I imagined Ada Verastic – who is two days shy of being 6 months – going to school. And by school, I am not talking about college, I’m talking of kindergarten. I already know I will be a hot mess on that day. Don’t get me started on what I would do when she gets married *faints*<\/p>\n

I’m so grateful to Ann Imig, the founder of Listen To Your Mother<\/strong><\/a> for being bold enough to start this powerful movement which has given motherhood (and all of us) a microphone to tell our stories. And I am grateful to the judges of Listen To Your Mother Baltimore for choosing me to be among these fine women. I’m glad that the juju I used on them worked in my favor.<\/p>\n

And to my cast mates, I cannot wait to share the stage with you on Saturday!<\/p>\n

P.S.<\/strong> I still have not completely figured out what I’m wearing. If anyone has any money and time they’re not using, please use them both to buy me something to wear.<\/p>\n

P.P.S.<\/strong> I might wear something with a big, fat cat on it (inside joke).<\/p>\n

P.P.P.S.<\/strong> These beautiful images were captured by our wonderful photographer, Jen Snyder<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other day, we were in church and I saw a beautiful pregnant lady in a fitted yellow dress that accentuated her bump, and all of a sudden, I missed being pregnant. Then while at home, I was looking through my maternity shoot, and I was grinning the entire time. 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