Last Wednesday, at 18 weeks exactly, I finally felt the baby move (and knew with relative certainty that it was the baby). Let me first say, it didn't feel like butterfly wings or flutters or any of that other mushy stuff people have been telling me. Perhaps it might have felt like that at some point and I missed it or just didn't have a clue, but that's not what it feels like now. It felt like someone was poking me from the inside. Then there was another movement that felt like it was flipping around in there - sort of like bubbles rising (not gas bubbles, this couldn't be mistaken for gas as I've never felt this feeling before and it was in the wrong location). There is a noise that I associate with the flippy feeling, it's "bloop bloop." Ah! I just realized what it is! Remember when you were a little kid and you pooted in the bathtub (every kid did it, so don't deny it) and you could feel the bubbles rise to the surface? THAT's what it feels like, but stronger! Another person described it as feeling like popcorn popping inside your belly, and I can concur with that description, too - but not butterfly wings. Anyway, I felt it, and it's been getting more regular since then. At first it was about once a day and now it's a couple of times a day. It still surprises me, but it's really cool. I can't wait for Dave to be able to feel it.
I pulled a tricky wife trick on Dave this weekend, and it had great results. :) Dave hasn't been super excited (maybe not even a little excited) about this whole baby thing to date because it's not very real to him yet, and it's quite overwhelming for him. He's started expressing some interest since my belly started getting bigger, and he was a little more interested when I started telling him about cool things about the baby - like that is was moving all the time, not that it's tail has disappeared. :) Anyway, I need him to be educated about fetal development, but more importantly about labor and delivery, because he's my rock and I need him to know what's going on when we get there. I have this book he gave me, called "A Child is Born," that is full of week-by-week pictures of the developing fetus (real ones taken inside the uterus) and a summary of what's happening to the baby and to the mother at that time. It's a really neat book. It also has very graphic pictures of labor and delivery - though not a very detailed explanation of the process. Well, it FINALLY occurred to me over the weekend to leave it on the back of the toilet in the bathroom. He took the bait. :) This morning, he said, "I looked at pictures of the baby in your book." I was so happy. :) Previously, he thought it looked like an alien and didn't want to see pictures. This is a step forward. He's also told me he's getting excited about the ultrasound, which is this week. I think it will be so cool for him to actually see the baby. It should make it a little more real for him. (By the way, he knows I do things like this, so I'm not giving away any secrets. The best way to get him to eat fruit is to leave grapes and pineapple in a bowl on the counter.)
I found my first stretch marks the other day, too. I'm happy to say they aren't on my belly (yet), but on my boobs. Who'd have guessed it? I would, that's who. These things have grown so fast and just keep growing. That's okay, it's nice to have cleavage for a change.
In other news, I got Georgia a new toy over the weekend, and it may be the new favorite over the frisbee. It's my favorite anyway. It's a wand that holds a tennis ball and you fling it as far as you can. I can throw one so far with that thing, and she loves it. I love it because I no longer have to pick up the slimey ball with my hands. :) We played so long that I had to make her quit before she fell out.
The cats are still acting like cats. Gypsy's behavior has improved all around since I brought home a new scratching box for her. She was starting to use the couch, and was really aggressive toward Jewel (chasing and picking fights all the time). The couch scratching has stopped, and the fighting has greatly decreased. I guess she just had pent up frustration and needed something to take it out on.
No comments:
Post a Comment