... don't tell your pregnant wife she's 'really ballooning this week'."
Sage advice there from my mate Ben, who will become a father about 2 weeks before I will. And as such, his wife is about 2 weeks ahead of Claire in terms of development. That was about 2 weeks ago :)
This is now...
I honestly don't think Claire's ever looked more beautiful :D I am TOTALLY into the bump, like I always knew I would be!
As I look above my monitors on my desk at work, I see the print-out of the 20 week scan stuck to the wall. It's hard to believe that was only 6 weeks ago - the baby is so much bigger now. I can't wait to see how much it's grown at the next scan! The tummy is growing bigger and bigger every week, and as you can see is very noticeable now! Not surprising really, considering the baby is now about 14 inches long! I have no idea how it fits in there, but it seems to be enjoying itself despite the lack of headroom - it seems to be kicking more often than it's not now, and I can clearly see the tummy move when it happens! Once or twice I've been listening for the heartbeat (which you can do if you're lucky), and I've been kicked in the face!
I never thought pregnancy would be like this. Until now I never thought of a baby as being alive until it's born, but that's just not the case. It's been alive since day 1, and the fact that it's moving around, responding to external stimuli like bright lights and the touch of my hand on Claire's tummy, or music, or our voices, just proves it all the more. My baby is alive in there, growing rapidly, and already having experiences that are completely its own. And in just 3 short months, the Wriggler will be with us, and we can start sharing those experiences as a family.
My God, I can't wait!
