Never thought that would happen

I was so impressed with Jerome Bettis when he first came to the Steelers that I bought a #36 jersey by his 3rd regular season game. By the end of his career you could get a Bettis jersey anywhere in Pittsburgh and in many other cities as well. At the time, however, I had to go to at least 5 stores before I found one and even then it was a Wilson rather than an "official" NFL item. I take a lot of pride in my 1996 jersey when I see people in Bettis jerseys from far later in his Steelers tenure. I take pride in knowing he was awesome from the start.

I bought the jersey oversized because that's what I liked at the time. Had I bought it a few years later I would have chosen a size that fit me more appropriately, but I wasn't going to replace it (see note on pride above). When I became pregnant in the summer, knowing I would be growing throughout football season, the large nature of the jersey became a benefit.

I joked that my Bettis jersey would be one of the few articles of my "regular" clothes that I'd still be able to wear. Even before I knew I was pregnant I had written a play in which a pregnant woman goes into labor during Super Bowl XL and is admitted to the hospital in her Bettis jersey. But yesterday, when dressing to go to a friend's house for a doube-feature of Pennsylvania football, the unthinkable happened...

My Bettis jersey was snug around my belly!

Since it was chilly out I was a wearing a black thermal under the jersey, but it wasn't that bulky. I'm just too big for my too big jersey.

Luckily, a couple of years ago a friend gave me a Polamalu jersey that I rarely wear because it was even more ridiculously huge on me than the Bettis jersey. Until now.

The Polamalu jersey did well for me yesterday, and it will be what I wear for what is guaranteed to be an incredibly tense AFC championship against our hated, division-rivals the Baltimore "Birdies." Hears hoping that I need it for the Super Bowl as well.

And yes, I do say the "Here we go, Steelers. Here we go!" chant and then tap on my belly twice. The boy has to learn.