I miss my brain--sort of

I experienced it before I even knew what it was, or why I had it. This malady has caused me to forget deadlines, names and why I entered a room. The trouble is pregnancy brain, and I'm one among many sufferers.

For me, it has a bit more to do with lag time than outright forgetfulness. Yes, I'll remember the deadline--as I'm brushing my teeth the night it's 3 days overdue. I'll even remember why I entered the room--in my car a week later.

The upside is that pregnancy brain allows me to live in a state of ignorant bliss. Did I leave the stove burner on? It's delightfully the farthest thing from my mind. Have I missed a meeting? I don't care because I haven't thought about it in days! Pregnancy brain allows me to remain stupidly happy.

Another thing to note is that once I do remember, it's usually in a time and place that allows me to do absolutely nothing to remedy the situation. So once I've mused over the thing I've forgotten for a few minutes, it congenially wanders away into the depths of my mind, to be retrieved again only if I'm lucky or startled into reality.

Of course, I've wondered occasionally what causes pregnancy brain. Well, the only thing that's changed since the days I could easily navigate deadlines, meetings, social activities and dinner without so much as a day planner is Baby Girl. She's growing and developing as we speak. And I think she's eating my brain.

The girl is going to be a smart one, because she seems to be eating as much of it as she possibly can. I hope she enjoys it, because I sure did.

Do I want my brain back? I guess so. There are two reasons I don't. The first is my peaceful state of ignorance. No longer do I worry about to-do lists--what I don't know doesn't hurt me, right? I love worrying less. The second is that it makes a wonderful excuse. I forgot to get the brochure copy written? Haha! Silly me! Pregnancy brain! And everybody else just laughs with me. We're all having a great time.

Overall, though, the vague sense of unease that comes over me at times when I know I must be forgetting something does make me miss my brain. After all, I don't really want to return home from the grocery store to a house in ashes thanks to my forgetfulness. So yes, I'll be glad when I can reclaim it. But yes, I'll also miss my cheerful oblivion.

The take-away message is that if I owe you money, a phone call or a book I borrowed a long time ago, you might want to speak up. Chances are I'll remember--but not until long after you're aggravated with me. I will be, as always, blissfully unaware.