flutters...kicks...summersaults...

I have come to realize one of the best feelings in the work is feeling your baby move inside your tummy. It's been a couple months now since I felt the first movements. I try to be aware of each and every new feeling my body experiences so I was lucky to be able to identify movements early on. Certainly in the beginning it was sort of a guessing game; is that...I think that's...Then one day it was so clear, I was excited and quickly got on the phone with my husband, mother and sister to report the new of the official "for certain" movement. Work during the day turned in to my consentrating less on the task at hand but became moments of silence with my hands on my belly feeling continuous fluttering. From the fluttering came the kicking, and boy does this baby like to kick. It took some time before my husband was able to feel anything from the outside. He may have felt them earlier but the patience of keeping his hand on my belly in an awkward position took some coaxing. He's gotten the idea and now our routine of going to bed and laying hand on belly is becoming ritual, because that is when the most movement seems to occur.
The other day I swear this little one was doing summersaults in there or running a marathon, I couldn't fully distinguish between the two. It was an amazing feeling and made me laugh out loud at the commotion inside my belly. As I enter my third trimester I know the movements will only become more distinct and this little one conitnues to grow and the room inside starts to shrink up. As we prepare ourselves, our puppy and our home for this little one to come join us, I often wonder what it will be like without all this movement inside...is this something I will miss becasue it has been such a joy?...or will it just become another memory in this journey of parenthood?

Tears of....nothing!

I think the emotions have finally hit me. The hormonal changes in my body have finally caught up with my tear ducts, and boy did they flow yesterday. I have to say though, having hit 26 weeks this past Friday, I can honestly report this is my first major emotional outburst. Pretty good I think. I can smile about it this morning, but yesterday, there were no smiles...well, one from my husband, but that only heightened the tears.
So why yesterday? I really am not sure. There were a couple of things that borthered me throughout the day, like my husband laying on the couch all day long watching college basketball, but nothing major. In fact, looking back, I had a good day: I woke up in the morning around 9. The weather was perfect outside so I found a cusion and got comfortable on a chair in the back yard and read my book. As the day progressed I enjoyed and nice breakfast (fresh grapefruit from the tree) and proceeded to keep myself busy. Thoughout the day I kept busy doing several loads of laundry, picking up and dusting the house, and even doing some raking of weeds in the back yard (although this didn't last long as I realized it added strain to my lower abdomin). I was even able to relax some more through the day and actually finish my book. Yes, it was a great day.
But something happened...around 4:30 or 5:00 I looked at my husband in the couch, I can't even remember if he asked me a question or even said anything. All I remember is I felt the emotions rushing in. As the tears started he asked me what was wrong (out of genuine concern I am sure). I responded to his question by reporting, "I'm just bored," and then the tears flowed. And they flowed, and they flowed! Actually, for the rest of the evening those tears were triggered easily and often reappeared.
Lovely, ahh, the joys of increased hormonal changes! How long does this last?