halfway

Today marks 19 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy for me. 

Tomorrow I will hit the big 2-0 week mark, or halfway.

And, if I'm being completely honest here, it still doesn't quite seem real yet.

At 17 weeks, 

I woke up and discovered the "belly" that I'd been patiently anxiously awaiting. 

Its still not much of one, as far as bellies go, but its definitely there even if its

not yet evident to the passerby in the grocery store aisle (in due time, my fellow shoppers).
And that belly, my friends, is something I'm pretty proud of.

Sometimes I find myself lost in thought, going about my day, 

when suddenly it dawns on me and I remember that, yes, indeed, I am pregnant. 

I know that someday soon my barely there bump will transform into its
fully-grown self and I will no longer be able to have that silly lapse of memory that 

brings about those divine moments of beaming remembrance, and in a very small way, 

I'm a little bit sad about this. 

Those moments, when it dawns on me that I'm not alone, are pure magic.
The pregnancy feels brand new again..

When I get to thinking about the miracle going on inside my body, 

at this point, nearly unbeknownst to me, I can't help but let a little giggle escape.

And that word, giggle, pretty much sums up the mood of the pregnancy thus far.
At our very first appointment when we were able to see the baby up on the ultrasound screen twisting and turning around, I could't stop giggling.
And at every appointment since,
I've giggled my way through hearing the heartbeat, strong as can be.

Each day seems to come and go with more speed and fervor. 

The faint rotating motion that I first felt 3 weeks ago, has turned to little jabs

 that grow noticeably stronger every day.

A few nights ago, I placed Chris's hand on my stomach and he was able to feel the movements for himself for the first time. In true Chris fashion, he looked at me with an uncomfortable glance, 

slowly retracted his hand, and muttered as politely as he could, "Its kind of freaking me out". 

Which is understandable! I've been there, too.

Sometimes when the baby is really active in there, I think the same exact thing.

It seems unfathomable that I'm already halfway through this trip.

When we found out at the beginning of July and I started marking weeks off of the calendar,

20 weeks seemed so far away, let alone 40 weeks. 

Another mind-blower, we have our final ultrasound of the pregnancy on Thursday.. already!

Unless there's something abnormal that needs more monitoring, which is something I've been

worrying and praying about in anticipation of this ultrasound. 

So far everything has been perfect, so I really have no reason to worry. 

But its just something I do.

So here's to 20 more weeks of magic..

The time is gonna fly.