Beyond butterflies

Seeing the baby squirm around so much during the ultrasound made me long to experience that movement. The books said you can feel the first little movements, called "quickening," around 20 weeks but that for some women, it takes longer. I was convinced that would be me... that I'd be sitting around a month from now wondering why the Littlest George had no ambition.

But at 3:30 in the morning on Sunday, otherwise known as the middle of the night, I was wide awake listening to the vaporizer we've been using for my cold. I turned on my side and felt this tickle, which I assumed was hunger. (I basically assume all tickles inside these days are hunger, becuase my appetite cannot be sated.) So I thought about food and felt nothing, when usually my stomach growls in response. I didn't feel hungry. Then the tickle moved to the other side. Then it moved to the back - near my kidneys.

I almost shouted. I'm 19 weeks! The Littlest George will be president, he or she is so ambitious!

I was still for about a half-hour, waiting for the next tiny tap-tap-tap. Hunter was sound asleep and I tried hard not to wake him, then he stirred and naturally I assumed he wanted to talk so I stage-whispered, "Hunter. HUNTER, I can feel the baby moving!"

After I poked him in the back and said it a few more times, he said that he agreed this was very exciting but he couldn't open his eyes and he hoped I knew that he loves me.

I've felt the tap-tap-tap each night since when I'm laying on my right side. But I'm letting Hunter get his beauty sleep.