A Kicking Connection

I think I have started to feel the baby kicking!! Or fluttering to be more precise. I was sitting in a comfy chair reading a book (Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy) at lunch on Tuesday and I felt this strange sensation just below my belly button. It was like someone was running their knuckles just under my skin. Then I felt something this morning on the drive into work that was a little faster, more like twitching. I know it wasn't actually twitching because usually I can see or feel (on the outside) my skin moving, and I could not. I am still not confident that this is Lil' Wodie kicking, but I have my hopes up! All the books say you can usually start to feel the baby moving between 16 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. I'm at 17 weeks and two days, so I'm right in there.

I have thought a lot about everything that I will have to do within the next five months. Everything seems so different than I thought it would. I always knew that I would have to deliver a baby at the end of this. Believe me, there was no doubt in my mind about that. But now that I am physically pregnant, when I picture us going to the hospital, I imagine it with me being the one on the bed. Whereas all my previous thoughts have been as an outsider watching me on the bed. I will be the one sitting in the hospital gown. I will be the one feeling the labor contractions and having to walk it off.

Ooo, and the exciting part that I had not thought about? When I pack my hospital bag, I have to include clothes for the baby! FUN. The tradition in my family is to have the maternal grandmother to the child choose the going-home outfit for the baby. That means my mom will be the one to pick out Lil' Wodie's get-up for that special day.

I also have though about what it would be like to feel the baby moving. Again, I pictured it from the third party view - reaching out to feel the belly from the outside - since that has always been my experience in the past. Now I feel like I've reached a whole new level of connection with this baby. It makes him so much more real, being able to feel him moving around in there. It is the greatest feeling. I think I am getting just a taste of what it is like to actually have my own child.

I have been having some troubles with being cold lately. As soon as I get cold, it will not go away. Which is weird, because I thought pregnant women were always on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to body temperature. At night, I cannot fall asleep until my feet and hands are warm. Travis is such a trooper and lets me warm my feet on his legs. And if I go to bed before he does, I have to punch up the thermostat and throw on sweats before jumping under the covers.

I've been noticing some funny things that Travis does now that I am pregnant. He has definitely noticed my struggle with body temperature. For Christmas, he bought me a giant zip-up hoodie that matches the one he got for Lil' Wodie to wear whenever he is about a year old. When he had me try it on, I noticed that it was a little large and thought about exchanging it for a smaller size. That's when he said that he purposely purchased a larger size, so I would have a jacket that will fit me throughout the pregnancy. Then the other night, he had me try on one of his zip-up hoodies. When he saw how large it was on me, he said that I could borrow it anytime I wanted since it would fit me as my belly grew. How cute is that?!

I cannot wait to raise a child with this man!