Feeling Maya on the Move!

A whole host of new people got to feel Maya move for the first time during my trip to Iowa. My mom was the most eager to feel her moving around, and it took several tries for that to happen. Every time I would tell my mom she was moving, she would put her hand on my belly, and Maya would stop. EVERY TIME! After several attempts, she finally did get to feel her wiggle around, and I thought she was going to cry. This experience has been very special to her, and I love that she wants to be a part of it. It's so nice to be able to call her up and tell her what's going on with me and Maya. She keeps track of my doctor's appointments, and I'm always eager to tell her all the details of the visits. So, I was VERY happy that she got to feel the little body kicking around inside my belly this week!

Dee also got to feel her move one morning after I woke up. Maya was quite restless, and Dee was getting my brothers, Colton and Chance (a.k.a. Coopy), ready for school. I stayed in Coopy's room while I was there, so when Maya started moving that morning, Dee got to feel her bouncing around. She thought is was pretty cool, I think. Colton and Coopy both got to feel her move on different occasions. I'm not sure what they thought. They both looked a little shocked and happy at the same time. Colton didn't keep his hand on my belly for very long, but then a couple of days later, came up to me, put his hand on my belly, and asked if she was moving. At that time, she wasn't. Bummer. Coopy, on the other hand, felt her move, started to pull his hand away, then put it back on there for a little while longer. I think he was fascinated by it. It was so nice to be able to share those movements with some of my family.

Those movements, by the way, are getting stronger and stronger! One evening, while I was visiting my dad, Chris, and my brother, Alex, in Springfield, IL, we were all sitting in the living room talking and laughing. At one point, we were all laughing very hard, and all of a sudden - WHAM - she kicked me hard, right at the bottom of my right ribs! It was so hard and startling, that my leg flew up in the air, like someone was checking my knee reflexes. It was hilarious! After that, I couldn't stop laughing.... it was too funny! She's getting so much bigger now that when she gets really active, my belly moves and distorts in a way that reminds me of a cat trapped in a pillowcase, trying to make an escape! It's just getting so different. I love to watch her move and imagine her tiny feet in there just kicking about. It's very thrilling.

When I returned home to Michigan, Will couldn't believe how much my belly had grown. Seriously, in two weeks, it grew a ton. He can't stop saying, "Your belly is HUGE!". I keep telling him that it's going to get much bigger! The first time he saw my belly move after I returned, he jumped back and exclaimed, "Oh my God!". He was clearly very shocked and surprised about the magnitude of waves rolling across my belly. The look on his face was priceless. I think he's simply in awe of all the changes taking place with and within my body. I wouldn't want to go through this wonderful experience with anyone else. Will's going to make a terrific Daddy.