|
In the last couple of weeks, my daughter has become quite skilled at prenatal gymnastics. She is quite active and seems to be having a splendid time inside my tummy. The first time I felt her kick was at 18 weeks. I had asked my parents if they wanted to see Alice's ultrasound DVD, and Alice gave me four or five strong kicks as though to express her enthusiasm about being the star of the show. I am now nearly 21 weeks and am feeling her move on a regular basis.
As you can see from the latest picture on the photos page, I am well on my way to becoming "great with child." Those of you who knew me back in my skinny days can now feel free to point and laugh. I've even developed a super-fabulous outie belly button/timer, which we like to imagine is Alice's periscope.
I'm feeling great these days and am now preparing for Alice's arrival in earnest. Clay and I are perusing the paint aisle for just the right nursery color, and I have a long list of baby projects I am eager to begin. I have also started reading several pregnancy/baby books. (Strangely, raising a child seemed a whole lot easier before I started consulting the experts!) I am also beginning to get an inkling of the vast array of baby gear that is lying in wait for us. I can barely hear the word "layette" without bursting into tears. I haven't even darkened the door of the Babies R Us, and I already feel fidgety and claustrophobic. Saints preserve us!
I've been endlessly amused by pregnancy Old Wives Tales, especially before learning the baby's gender. A Google search for pregnancy OWTs will provide you with quizzes, mathematical proofs, and witchcraft-like tactics for discovering the gender of your child. It's a hoot! Of course, the results are unscientific, contradictory, and inconclusive, but wonderfully entertaining.
This pregnancy thing is a blast. I couldn't ask for a better pregnancy. Of course, I don't want to get too confident, lest my water breaks while I’m stuck at home in the middle of the snowstorm of the century or I wind up in labor for forty-eight hours...
|