Really Looking Pregnant Now

Week 23: With his sense of movement well developed by now, baby can feel dancing. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), we can see him squirm underneath my clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as a dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

I'd have to say I'm really showing a belly now. And I CAN see him moving around. It's very weird. His movements originally felt like gas bubbles; then like muscles spasms. Now I don't know how anyone wouldn't know she was pregnant if all babies kick like this. It feels just like you'd think it feels, like someone thumping you from the inside. But sometimes it's so strong or close to the surface, I can actually see my belly moving around; it's so strange but cool at the same time. But it really does feel like there's a little alien inside, messing around. I tend to feel him most right before bed, or anytime I lean too far forward in my chair (no more hunching over, I guess). Matt's felt him a few times now :)

Practicing my one-handed typing

It seems like there should be something worth mentioning from this week. I really can't think of anything we did all that noteworthy. Girls On The Run is almost done for the season; we completed our community service project. The girls have to design projects and vote on which to complete as a group as part of our season. Admittedly (and the conspiracy theorist part of me totally believes this may occur often in our government), they had a few projects to vote on and I always have them vote with their heads down/eyes closed for anonymity... but... one of their ideas seemed much more logistically challenging and I wasn't quite sure how to lead them through it (it wasn't fully thought through)... so... when they voted, I added an extra vote to the easier project. Terrible eh. Hey, but it's so much easier to get 20 girls to make cards for people in the hospital than some of the other projects they proposed. And they have fun doing it in the end anyhow. All we have left now is the Turkey Trot 5K.

And Matt went to finally check out the drop-in basketball at one of the middle schools (which I've been bugging him to try for 2 yrs). I think he had fun. He's starting to make a new buddy. He claims they were better than most of the guys playing though, even though Matt hasn't played since April. Well, it's a start. Maybe by next year, he'll have met some more elite players to ball with. Good start at least :)