Once I crossed the threshold of a school’s doors for the last time as a student (at the ripe old age of twenty-eight), a change overcame me. No longer was my favorite season represented by the hottest temperatures, longest days, and least amount of homework. I shifted my focus to a previously spurned time of year–a time of dwindling daylight, falling leaves, and cozy sweaters. AND BOOTS! (Along with decreased homework, the last decade of autumns have meant increased age and, therefore, sartorial comfort. Outerwear, thou art my friend.)

Three years ago, I was heavily pregnant during the fall. I decorated my belly for Halloween and hefted my growing weight around the kitchen, baking bread and nesting. Our son was born in early December of 2011. The singular benefit of that timeline for me was that I was not large and in charge during a Southeastern summer. This year, however, I type these words in September on a laptop propped against a gyrating belly. I suffered the summer months with barely-there dignity, the humidity and my contractions peaking way too often, and now that the weather is cooling and my girth nearly done expanding, I’m thinking more than ever about the benefits of fall. Especially for a woman about to give birth. Join me as I frantically talk myself into looking forward to this season’s offerings!

Read the rest over at The Wheelhouse!