Knocked Up[date] and Pre-Holiday Edition

I'm in my unofficial Week 18, and I'm pretty sure I'm feeling the baby move! The books talk of a "flutter" as the first movement sensation; they quote women that describe it as butterflies; and my friend, Galia, wrote that it felt like "little fish."

The only times I feel movement are at night. Usually, I wake up in the wee hours of five or six a.m. to pee and, more often than not, eat for an hour or two. (Actually, I lie in bed and try to go back to sleep, then after about 30 minutes or so of tossing and turning I admit that I must be hungry, so I bundle up, waddle to the kitchen, and eat. I then return to bed. If I fall asleep in 10 minutes, I've eaten enough. If not, I get up again after 30 to 45 minutes of trying to convince myself that no, I'm not really hungry, and resign myself to eating again. I repeat as necessary.)

When I lie on my back in bed and run my hand over my belly, I can feel where Bean is in my abdomen. Imagine there's an apple under a thick layer of uncooked pie dough — Bean is the firm, rounded shape that doesn't yield under gentle pressing. Sometimes I feel ... I think Galia's little fish description is the most accurate. But other times, I could swear I feel a tiny kick! It could almost be a muscle twitch, except it only happens where Bean is and often in the same vicinity a few times. It's as if s/he is poking a little dimple into my uterine wall. It's so amazing!

After months of feeling ill, feeling like my body is under alien control, feeling tired, and feeling a bit resentful that I can't get 8 hours of unbroken sleep anymore, it's wonderful to suddenly have this sign that yes, as a matter of fact, I am growing a little person inside me.

My work is on hold until the New Year, since it seems I would have few opportunities to copy-edit during the holiday season. I'm now keeping myself occupied by starting an online mothers' group for support, information-sharing, hand-me-downs, and what I now call "Kid Pro Quo" child care. We only have 10 members so far, but it's already proving helpful, and a few of the mothers have said they are so glad that I started it.

Aside from that, Kevin and I are preparing for our waves of relatives. I've declared a moratorium on airplane travel during pregnancy (illness during pregnancy: bad; antibiotics during pregnancy: double extra bad), so almost everyone is coming to us this year. We are frantically trying to get affairs in order, shop for presents, clean house, and decorate in preparation for nearly two weeks of non-stop visits! I don't want to spoil the surprise, so y'all will have to wait until the holiday post to see what we did for decorations.

So first my dad and his wife are coming down and staying with us, partially to visit, partially to escape the depressing lack of sunlight in western Canada. (I won't venture a guess as to which motivation is the stronger one.) Hard on their heels come my mom's side of the family — grandparents, uncle, and cousins. Mom is already stressing about hosting so many people at their house, but I know they are also excited to inaugurate their new, round dining table. I love the table and especially the chairs, which are so comfortable that I anticipate lounging in them long after the meal has ended, much to Mom's chagrin I'm sure. Kevin and I will spend Boxing Day doing laundry so we can welcome my in-laws: Kevin's dad and his girlfriend and Kevin's sister and brother-in-law. We'll ring in the New Year with them.

I think that's all the news that's fit to post ephemerally for now. I'll probably try to post pics and news on the 26th, between waves. And, I'm about a week and a half away from a new belly photo, which should be pretty momentous: the halfway mark!