stripes

When I was little, my family took a vacation to Biloxi, MS.  It's really the only family vacation that I remember that didn't involve a whole family reunion of some sort...it was also my first time to the "ocean"  (the gulf counts when you're little).  Since this was my first beach experience, I learned lots of things...one of which were that jellyfish were small invisible creatures that floated in the water waiting to sting you.  Well, that settled that.  I was NOT getting in the water.  

So, my parents bought me a floaty.  A tiger floaty - to protect me.  I believe this is the moment that I decided I loved tigers. I wasn't afraid of the water anymore.  They've been my favorite animal ever since. 

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When I was a teenager, I decided that I would pursue a career as a tiger trainer.  I wanted to work in a wildlife refuge or animal farm where they took care of tigers.  I looked into it pretty seriously, before something else distracted me.  

When I started working at Taekwondo as an instructor, it dawned on me one day that the little kids we taught were called Tiny Tigers.  So, in a way, I Was training tigers.  I was just training them to listen, follow direction, kick, punch, and take turns.  

Point being, I've always liked them.  

Now, I'm pregnant.  And my baby girl must have realized that I liked tigers and decided to help me grow stripes.

Yep, the stretch marks have arrived.  I basically look like all the stitching around my belly is coming undone.  Like frankenstein's forehead...but around my hips and abdomen instead.  Yay for genetics.  :-/  However, as I try to cope with the fact that my skin is tearing apart...I find that if I just imagine them as tiger stripes...they're not as bad.  I'm growing my own Tiny Tiger, after all.  It's only appropriate that I dress the part.