Half-baked

Dear Soybean,

We're halfway there... only 20 weeks remaining until we can meet face to face!

I'm pretty positive I felt you move for the first time Tuesday; for sure, if that was you, then we really felt you last night--both your dad and me.  Maybe it's taken me this long to feel you move because it doesn't feel like I had expected--not at all!  No quick, deft quicks...yet.  This was like the slow, solid, rumbling-feel of gas or a menstrual cramp (without the cramp).  How do you feel to have graduated past the butterfly tickle stage?  I was beginning to tell myself that I wasn't feeling you move here lately because you are already a mama's boy (or girl) and didn't want to bother mama... but I'm sure that's just a stage and you're soon to begin turning cartwheels and I'll be feeling you a lot here soon.

I locked us out of the truck today.. yeah, smooth move I know.  anyway, I kept myself as Zen as possible and felt you make a little move as if to remind me we were in it together as we waited out in the sun for our savior (AAA).

I read that you are now half as long as you will be at birth, but only 10% as heavy-- wow, looks like you have a lot of growing to do!  I'm a bit interested, though in a horrified sort of way, to find out how much bigger I will get if you have that much more to gain.  I read that you still have plenty of room in the amniotic fluid, so swim to your heart's content, little one.  Day will come when you start to feeling a bit stuffy--reminds me of Alice in Wonderland when she drinks the potion that makes her grow and she's all hunched over in the tiny room.  Good thing babies can't get claustrophobic... or can they?  lol. 

Your Grandma Barb fed us with some beef straganoff (your cousin Brendon's recipe though) and warm garlic bread as your dad played basketball outside with Brendon, Craig, Dustin, and Mia this evening.  Man, it was good!  They say that you are able to "taste" the foods I eat, so what did you think?  Be sure and pass along your compliments to the cook as soon as you can talk  ;-)  As we were leaving, your Grandma Barb put her hand on my belly and said goodbye to you too.  You are such a loved baby.

I was thinking a couple of weeks back that in some ways I don't have a lot to offer you.  I mean, I'm not in a position where I can raise you with every advantage life has to offer (for some reason the beautiful and talented Carrie Underwood came to mind to make me feel very low in comparison), but when I look at some people's lives where kids come along as something as a half-hearted afterthought, I feel like you will be very blessed indeed because you have parents that love you and I hope that most times that will be enough. 

Love you!

Mama