When I look at my belly these days I am nothing short of awe-struck. The bigger and rounder it gets, the more aware I am of the human life growing inside it….something that never ceases to fascinate me. I obviously understand the biology and mechanics of the whole operation, but I still cannot get beyond the magic of it. It’s insane that this fluttering, somersaulting creature who kicks me when she’s hungry is going to emerge into this world and be her own, wonderful self…my daughter…and someday a mother herself. I cannot wait to watch her live and grow, but there is something so comforting about this part of her life, her beginning. For now, we are living as one, completely intertwined and connected by a magical cord that allows us to share everything. That is downright incredible…and an honor. And this sacred connection is what makes all the aches and pains, the months of toilet-hugging and disorienting exhaustion, and the constant emotional/hormonal rollercoaster somehow seem like the most amazing experience of my life.

Speaking of connections…the tiny kicks I’ve been feeling have become more of a communication or interaction between me and my baby girl, rather than just a random sensation in my abdomen. She tells me when she’s hungry, she tells me when she’s happily full, she tells me to calm down when I’m upset and in some sort of crazy telepathic way we have conversations at times. Of course, her favorite time to communicate is 4 am….but hey, it’s better than waking up at 4 am to puke.

Aside from my obviously wildly surging maternal hormones (which only means I’m writing this while the roller coaster car makes its way up the hill;), since we found out the gender last week we’ve been able to get moving on the nursery. I cannot wait to start putting the room together, especially since it’s been a construction zone/hot mess since we moved in! We picked out a nice neutral colored paint and I have started to collect colorful decorations.