Halftime!

Well, it's difficult to imagine for me. More than halfway through nourishing this little sweet pea inside me.  He/She is already so very cute, according to a very biased opinion of ultrasound pictures. We are starting week 23 which means I am in the end of my second trimester. Already!  It's flying by me, and I have taken it quite slowly. Cherishing every nudge. Little punch. Hiccups. And fluttery movements. Yes, they finally felt a bit like that flutteriness so many other moms describe. I laid in bed yesterday before work for an extra ten minutes just to spend time with him/her. The baby was so active (help! morning baby?!?!?), and those ten minutes were completely worth being late to work.

I can't wait to meet this baby. Sleepless nights and tough mornings welcome. I know that sounds crazy, and all of you parents have that slight knowing smile as you read this.  But, for me, I have waited for more than a decade to have a family. Quite a surprise given that at 16, I had mapped out my life.  Married at 22 after college. First kid at 24, next at 26, then at 28, and done by 30. 4 kids. 2 boys and 2 girls. Order irrelevant.

I'm 33 now. You can do the math. Sometimes life takes over and plans are a-washed. And thank goodness too. Those years of my life were incredible. Ones I would not have likely been able to do in the way I did if a family was part of my life. And now I get the best of both worlds. I am simply overjoyed at this experience.

I must be that pregnant woman other pregnant women hate. No morning sickness. Little aches and pains. Trouble gaining weight (baby is right on target though!). Still exercising. Hardly any mood swings. And absolutely in love with being pregnant. It's been one of the most incredible journeys. One I imagined time and again for years, patiently waiting for the moment to surprise me. Okay. Not patiently. Per se.

And to top off the experience, Srin's been great. Somehow he's balanced being protective with dealing with my adamant need for independence. And I love when I wake up to a crazy Indian boy nuzzling my belly. He loves this baby so much, and he is exhibiting the perfect balance of involved dad and letting me handle the small things (like diaper choices).

Sometimes I wonder what I did right in life to deserve this happiness. For now, I'm basking in the bubble in which I live these days. A serene bubble. Comforted by low stress. And a content home.

Photo credit:  JC Penney