It finally happened

It finally happened.

At almost 29 weeks, I had to take out my belly ring.

WAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

My poor little belly button is all naked now.  Well, it isn't so little anymore, it's become quite stretched over the last few months, which is why I had to take out my belly ring.  It was starting to get irritated from the maternity panel in my pants and I was afraid that if it kept rubbing it would get infected.  And now that it's been out for a few hours, the hole is completely flat!  I've had my belly button pierced for so long that it's just a part of me, something that I don't even think about anymore.  Of course, those kinds of piercings are more common than they were when I had mine done eons ago.  But, my belly looks so strange without it!  I hope that the hole doesn't close up before I can put something back in it.

Have you ever heard the story of the day I got my belly button pierced?  It was quite a day.  My friend, Mignon, and I decided we were going to do it, so we headed down to a little store on The Strip in Stillwater.  As we were filling out our paperwork another woman walked in to get her belly button pierced, too.  She looked to be about 40 and I remember at the time thinking she was too old to get her belly button pierced.  I should tell myself to shut up sometimes.  She was nervous and asked if she could go back to the "piercing room" when we did and we said yes.  I decided that I would go first because I was afraid I'd chicken out if I didn't.  I'd taken my friend, Jenny, to get hers pierced when I lived in California and that dude pierced her with a sterilized nail!  I think we were both traumatized.  Anyhoo, four of us (me, Mignon, the stranger lady and the piercing guy) all squeezed into this tiny closet-like room that was only about 6 feet wide by 10 feet long. I laid down on the hospital-like mattress while Mignon held my hand and the only light was a spotlight above me.  It was hot, I was nervous and having four bodies crammed into the small space was not helping.  He cleaned the area around my belly button with some betadine and then one ..... two ..... three STAB!!!!  There was no pause after he said three, it was just an immediate jab.  I think I screamed and I'm pretty sure that Mignon did, too, and maybe even the other lady.  Then Mignon asked if it hurt and I said, no not really, it just surprised me.  I think I had just psyched myself out in anticipation.  I think I was entitled to a little apprehension considering that the only other belly piercing experience I'd been privy too involved a sterilized nail!  He cleaned me up and Mignon and I traded places.

Remember that I said it was hot in there?  Remember that I said I was nervous?  Remember the betadine and do you know how that crap stinks?  Yeah, well all of that was about to come to a head.  As I stood there holding Mignon's hand and he started cleaning her belly, I remember feeling okay, my heart wasn't beating out of my chest anymore and I felt like I'd calmed down.  Suddenly, the room started to spin and go black and all I got out was, "I don't feel very good."  And, poof!  Down I went.  Thankfully, the piercing guy and the stranger lady caught me and I remember hearing Mignon yell something to the effect of, "OH MY GOD!"  I regained consciousness almost immediately and they helped me out to a chair under an air conditioner vent so I could cool off.  I was sweating like a race horse!  Poor Mignon.  Now, she was going to have to go through the experience on her own after watching her friend pass out.  I'm laughing out loud at the thought.  Sorry, Mignon.  I tried to be a good friend!  While I sat out front, I vaguely remember hearing her yell or scream and I think the guy may have had to pierce her twice.  Ouch!

Even though I was 20 years old, living on my own and paying my own bills, I still hid my belly ring from my Mom for a couple of years.  She had known that I wanted one and said that she could handle my tattoo (I only had one at the time), but the thought of me having a belly ring made her feel sick.  And when she did finally see it, she covered her eyes!  And if she saw me touch it, she needed a wet wash cloth to keep her from puking.

That was more than 15 years ago!  My belly ring is like one of my tattoos (I now have 4), it's just a part of who I am and I feel completely naked without it.  Even though no one else can even tell that I don't have it in, I kind of feel like the emperor in "The Emperor's New Clothes".  So, please, don't point out my nakedness if you see me.