There's Something Growing Inside...

...and it *moves*!

Yup, while I might have successfully convinced myself that this extra little tummy pooch (which strangely, after an initial joyous bursting out on stage, has refused to get any bigger and just sits there unvarying, content with its own compact roundness) was just one of those symptoms of advancing female maturity (The Dreaded Post-35 Droop, perhaps?), now I am experiencing a pregnancy symptom impossible to ignore: the bumps and thumps of Quickening have desdended upon me. Not just the "what was *that*?" kind of fluttery gas bubbles, but honest to goodness pokes from the inside. They're still gentle and sort of cute at this stage (as opposed to those I remember from the final weeks with Eli, strong enough to make a book jump off my tummy), but unmistakably, there is something growing in there, making itself known. I actually feel comfort and pleasure from this--not only is it a reassuring sign that everything seems to be progressing nicely, it's like having a secret private buddy, mine and only mine. (Yes, it's possible to get a little "squicked", as Teresa Nielsen-Hayden says, by the fact that there's a whole new potentially autonomous alien being growing inside my very own body, but I prefer the whole miracle-of-life goddess creationist meme, thankyouverymuch.)

Other than the wee bumps and thumps, I have to say I'm not noticing much else in the way of pregnancy symptoms. At 19 weeks, I'm still not big enough for maternity clothes, I've got no nausea or edema, the bone-sucking tired is gone, the cravings too. I just feel pretty normal, but with a poochy taut tummy and bigger, tenderer boobs (yeah I know, just what I needed). This is how it was last time, as I recall--I do pregnancy really well. I must come from good breeding stock. Too bad I'm not as good at the labor part--oh well. If I had to choose one, I'd rather have a comparative 9 months of easy pregnancy than a few hours (or days in my case) of easy labor.

I guess I should be enjoying this "golden time" while I can...isn't that what everybody always says? Be here now. Right. Trying.