Week 20: it's halftime!

I cannot believe we are halfway through this pregnancy.  I know when she's finally here it will seem like it was all a blur, but the trials and tribulations of pregnancy sometimes make it feel like it is just dragging on.  We are just ready to meet her already!!! Even if her nursery is still just a twinkle in our eye (yes, we feel way behind).

So I wrote about my first experience feeling her kick.  Well since then, she likes to make herself known regularly throughout the day already (typically after I eat)!! And we're not talking flutters. Legitimate movements you can see when I'm laying on the couch.

And let me tell you, every time I feel movement, I stop dead in my tracks to pull up my shirt to feel her.  It is an indescribable sensation. It is magical. It has made pregnancy REAL for me. There is a tiny, helpless human living inside of me that is depending on me and me alone for her survival. This fact is almost too insurmountable to comprehend.  What a huge feat.  I am surely living in the most significant role of my life.  Every decision I make affects her.  I can only hope that I am giving her everything she needs and do my very best.

Perhaps just as magical as feeling her move myself was Kevin's first real experience feeling and seeing her move.

After picking Kevin up from the airport from his business trip, I immediately showed him a video clip of Baby P moving inside my belly. He was excited, but ready to get home. Well about 15 minutes into our drive home she started moving again.  So I put Kevin's hand right where it was happening...and waited... "Is that her??" These movements were so faint, he wasn't sure. But yes, it was her.  Nevertheless, still magical.  It was pretty cool that she wanted to welcome Daddy home!

Now for his real experience.  We were watching TV the next evening (Wednesday) when she decided to put her dancing skills to the test. I started filming in an attempt to get some good footage, and he looked over to ask if she was moving. He came over and stared... I'd point as soon as I saw a movement (of course more apparent to me because I can actually feel it).  He was having a bit a trouble.  So he put his hand on my belly and waited. A significant bump. His eyes widened, his mouth slowly dropped. Clearly a different experience for him than the night before.

My eyes started to tear up as she continued to move and he was able to bond with our daughter for the first time.  It was one of those moments you wish you could hit pause and have it never end. We may not live an extravagant life, but we are truly blessed. There are so many couples that would give anything for this moment, and so many women that would give anything for a man this devoted to and excited about his girls.  Unfortunately my hormones and the stress that comes along with preparing for a baby often distract me from this fact, but I am eternally grateful, nonetheless.