Quitters Rule

So I will admit, from the time I was fourteen until the day I found out I was pregnant, I was a smoker. I had always liked to smoke, made excuses why I smoked, and puffed away guilt free for many years. It was not until I went back to school and had to take anatomy and physiology classes that I became aware of my habit and began to feel self conscious about it. I hid it; wore more perfume, stopped smoking in my car and became obsessed with finding the ultimate gum to cover up my smoker's breath. Anyway, the point of all of this is the fact that I tried to quit so many times in the two years before I became pregnant and each time I failed miserably. So when I took that pregnancy test, I made a vow to myself that I would never smoke again. It was probably one of the easiest things that I have ever done, which surprised me because I had always not only failed at quitting before but I was scared of quitting. It scared me because it was a big part of my life and I was an addict. It is a scary thing to admit that and to walk away from your habit. I had always said that if I become "with child" that I will kick it. So with that and besides the obvious and doing what was best for my baby I never touched another cigarette. I didn't want to smoke anymore anyway because my morning sickness was in high gear from the beginning of my pregnancy until about halfway through my fourth month and my sense of smell was heightened. I could smell cigarette smoke from someone smoking in the car next to me with all the windows rolled up and it made me gag to the point of wanting to find the nearest receptacle ASAP. So that made the whole quitting smoking thing for me really easy.

So I haven't had a cigarette since August. I think the hardest thing for me though was the feeling of not fitting in and no longer wanting to be a part of something I had always been a part of. Pretty much everyone I know smokes and so I had to completely alienate myself from all of my friends for a few months. Mostly because I did not feel included at all and also I did not want to puke on their carpets from smelling the stench. What was really tough though was that my husband had not yet quit.

You know the drill - there will always be an excuse or a "reason" not to quit. for example a few that I have used and/or heard are, "work is really stressful, the holidays are coming up, my wife just found out she is pregnant and I am a little freaked, I like to smoke with my coffee, I will quit when the taxes go up again, I am afraid I will gain weight", the usual. I am sure that you can pick out of that list the reason that was keeping my husband from quitting. He was a little freaked out. I don't blame him, so was I. Anyone would be lying to you if they said that they did not have a little fear when first presented with a pregnancy and at first that was his main reason. That and then school, then the new job, then graduating, then finally the holidays. He is not a weak man nor is he one to fail. He decided that it was his time to quit and so he made a promise to us that the pack he bought on the 3oth of December would be his last. Now I can honestly look into my husband's lovely eyes with pride and love and call him a quitter to his face. He is on day #3 today and for him that is quite a feat. Now we are both quitters and quitters rule :)

To my DH - I love you baby and I am so proud of you. I knew you could do this and I have so much faith in you that you will succeed. Keep up the good work... PS - your coat doesn't stink anymore, yay!