Baby Kicks

I've finally felt Baby 2.0 moving and grooving in there! 

I personally think feeling fetal movement is one of the coolest experiences in the world, and the absolute best thing about pregnancy (except for the end result of course).  Everyone says that once you've had your first child, you feel fetal movement sooner with subsequent pregnancies.  So I've been anxiously awaiting that moment when I first felt Baby 2.0 punching or kicking away.

Unfortunately fetal movement and gas bubbles feel very similar in the beginning.  Yeah, I'm not afraid to say it.  And those first few times you feel movement, you really aren't sure if it's the baby or it's just a prelude to clearing the room.

When I was pregnant with Evie, I always described those early movements as feeling like popcorn popping just under my skin.  This time around, not all the movement feels quite like that.  I feel a lot more nudges, like the baby is just bumping up against my skin rather than kicking it. 

All I can really say is, it's the coolest feeling.  For the past week or so, I kept thinking "maybe that was movement" but it was so infrequent it was so hard to tell.  But starting this week, Baby 2.0 has upped the ante.  The last few days, I have felt movement multiple times throughout the day.  Yesterday, I kept feeling nudges in the exact same place every thirty seconds or so for about five minutes.  

There's just something about feeling the baby that makes the pregnancy crystal clear.  I've still been holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for someone to come along and tell me this was all just a big joke.  I think I'm going to feel that way until I hold this baby in my arms.  But I can already feel the connection and bond between Baby 2.0 and I deepening with every little nudge and pop.

Only six more days until the "big reveal", and I'm looking forward to the possibility of seeing and feeling Baby 2.0's movements at the same time.  I didn't feel movement with Evie until after our "big reveal" ultrasound so I never had that experience.  Until then, I'll leave you with my most recent belly bump picture, taken this past weekend at 17 weeks.  I feel huge for being only 17 weeks, though I've only gained a few pounds so far.  It's a little scary to think of what I'll look like at 40 weeks!