enJOY it

So, this adventure is a good one.

I am in awe of the feeling. In awe of my blooming belly. In awe that there is the beginnings of a human in there. It felt real at 15 weeks when we saw the tiny one moving around on the ultrasound screen so actively. It's arms! It's legs! It's elbows! How bizarre and exciting it was to compare this person looking shape to the gummy bear we saw at our 11 week ultrasound.

But the growing belly and textbook symptoms are making it seem even more real right now. I have had a significant amount of "round-ligament pain" – the lower stomach pain that feels a bit like cramps – these past few weeks which is my insides stretching and growing to make room. Last week some lower back pain started to kick in. Paul googled a diagram to show me what exactly what bones and muscles were moving and the page he pulled up said this was usually something that started at 18 weeks.

"A-ha!" I thought. How odd & cool to be "right on schedule."

Last Wednesday night, as we were going to sleep, Paul said something relatively non-confrontational and I burst into tears. It took about 10 minutes to get a handle on my emotions and afterwards we just sort of stared at each other like "Hmmm, that's new…" For the most part, I feel pretty normal so the quick rush of emotions is startling. That part might get tricky, especially with Paul headed for deployment soon, but we'll make it work.

My daily yoga sessions are wonderful and I plan on sharing a bit more about them soon. I am loving feeling that comes with a quick 20-25 minutes on the mat. The work outs are super deliberate and focused and seem to be easing the physical discomfort and increasing the mental calm. I'd love to continue them indefinitely. I got a great comment on instagram about "yoga mama." equaling "zen baby." How awesome if that turns out to be true!

We've got a very long way to go, this baby and I, and I am really enjoying the ride. If all goes as planned, we'll find out the sex at the end of this week. I still think it's a girl, but regardless, I know knowing what's kicking around in there will be completely thrilling. We are so excited to be on this adventure and I am looking forward to spending the next 22 weeks in very close proximity to our baby boy or girl.