The first movements

March 24th, 17 weeks pregnant. I was laying in bed at about 6:30 am. The Hub had just left for work so it was just me, the two kitties and my belly. I had been sleeping on my right side for a few hours and my belly felt a little uncomfortable. As I put my hands on my stomach I was a little startled by what I felt. For the FIRST time I could feel the baby's body, I mean, it's entire body! Since I was sleeping on my right side for so long, the baby had also made its way to the right side. As I ran my hand over my stomach, I could fit the baby's body in the palm of my hand! The baby was a hard ball poking out the side of my stomach. I turned onto my back and looked down, I couldn't believe that I could see exactly where the baby was laying. The left side of my belly was almost flat and the right side was a big round ball, it looked so weird! I was so amazed that I could in a way, see and hold my child! I sat there for 5 or 10 minutes "holding" my baby, grinning from ear to ear.

I couldn't get myself to get up and out of bed, I was enjoying the moment too much. Just as I was about to force myself to get up, I felt something! Up until this moment in my pregnancy I had yet to feel the baby move or kick at all, but I could have sworn that I had just felt something. Unsure if it really was the baby moving, I pressed my hand down on where the baby was laying and hoped to feel something again. Minutes passes, nothing. I didn't budge, I knew I had just felt something! I kept thinking, "Come on baby, give me a kick, a punch, something, so I know it's you". Sure enough, about two seconds later, for the very first time, I felt the baby kick! The few minutes that followed I felt LOTS of kicks and wiggles :) It was the most amazing thing I have EVER felt in my entire life! I sat in bed, in awe. I had just felt my child for the first time in its life. In just minutes it felt like we had built this intense bond that nothing will ever be able to break. By feeling my little baby move for the first time, it made everything so much more real! I can't even put it into words. After the baby scooted its way out of reach of mommy's pushing and prodding hands, I started to imagine after the baby is born, actually holding it in my arms, looking down at his or her sweet face and knowing that is MY baby. The vision seemed so real, it made my heart ache, but in a good way. I could feel how much love I already have for this little one, tears began to stream down my face. I couldn't stop crying, but I wasn't sad. I was sooo happy, so filled with love.

I love my child so much, our bond is already so strong. I feel so blessed!