To swim or not to swim, that is the question.

So today, my girlfriend Simone and I were discussing pregnancy swim suits over FB (she's back home in Malta and is going to need her suit sooner than I will). She found some really cute suits - for HER - of course, even pregnant she it tall, thin, tan and gorgeous. I am shuddering at the prospect of looking like a beached whale, albeit a fashionable one.

Of course, now I realize why they put really tall, skinny models into bathing suits in adverts rather than short and ever-widening real women: no "normal / average" woman would buy them when they saw what their cottage-cheese butt and thighs looked like in reality.

Ok so it's getting obvious I'm used to being pretty thin and have been most my life without any real efforts on my part. It's also obvious I'm already rapidly approaching (if I haven't reached already) the most I've ever weighed in my life and that is frankly somewhat scary. But I think I'm going to have to get ok with this new body because I'm afraid it's going to be around for a while... Besides, I live in Europe where people seem to like (or at least feel comfortable) letting it all hang out regardless of what "it all" looks like. I envy that kind of freedom and secureness of self and think perhaps that will be on the list of self-improvement items for 2011.

So, if I get brave enough to don a bathing suit this year what will I choose? I'm leaning towards a takini and hopefully some time in the sun so I get a little bit of a tan...

Here are the contenders in the prenancy Tankini department (the green one got vetoed by Andy, Sim):

And if I get really brave enough to let the belly hang out - this is the full bikini:

So, fill up the comments below. Let me know what you think about the above selections, let me know your thoughts on swim suits in pregnancy or tell me all about your own experiences. I'm eager to hear more opinions or tips on this topic.

All our love,

Mommy and Bob