Baby Steps

Okay, this is going to sound completely nuts at not-quite-fifteen weeks, and on the heels of my I-can't-even-tell-that-I'm-pregnant rant / whine / insanity a few days ago, but I felt something this evening that might maybe, possibly, theoretically, do-ya-think?, theres-a-tiny-chance-it-could've-been Peeper.

Yeah, I know. I'm swinging from one extreme here to the other, aren't I?

Most things I've read say that women generally begin to feel fetal movement around weeks 16 - 20 (I'm 14w5d), but usually later in that range for a first pregnancy, since you're more likely to recognize the early movements if you've already been through it before.

So, based on that and my general, all-around lack of symptoms, I've not been expecting to feel anything for at least another month or more.

So, what should I be looking for? I've heard the early movements described as everything from "flutters," to "bubbles popping," to "gas-like," to "like when your dad drives over a hill," to "like a muscle twitch," to "a tapping," (your descriptions welcome).

I'd actually only heard the "twitch" description in the past week (usually you hear about the "flutters" - but now, Googling "baby movement muscle twitch" I get lots of similar descriptions).

If I hadn't just read that, I don't know if I'd have even made note of what I felt, but here's what happened.

Shrike and I were at dinner, sitting there waiting for our food and talking, when I suddenly felt something that felt for all the world like a little muscle twitch, but deep inside, oh around my uterine area.

The other way I might describe it is that it was like a very, very light "tap-tap-tap, tap-tap, tappity-tap-tap."

Almost as though there were, I don't know, a person in there or something, tapping on my insides.

It didn't go on a real long time, but long enough for me to feel it, stop and pay attention and feel it again. It was more of a "what is that?" than a "what was that?" if that makes sense.

I suppose it's entirely possible that this was just gas, but I've felt gas plenty (believe me!) and I've been feeling it today (including some probably-gas-related discomfort), but I've never felt anything quite like that.

(When I told Shrike that, here reply was, "Well, have you ever been pregnant before? See, there ya go.")

Or maybe it was a muscle twitch. I can imagine that my uterus is doing all sorts of weird things about now.

Shrike is convinced (or would like to convince me?) that it was Peeper that I was feeling.

I'm not so sure, but I'd like to think it was.

I will certainly mention it to the midwife at my appointment tomorrow and see what she has to say about it.

(This is the appointment at the OB's office, but we won't actually see the OB. Just the history-taking with a nurse at 8:00 am, then Pap smear and a general check with a midwife - which I'm hoping will include at least a Doppler listen - at 9:30 am.)

Other than that, I guess there's nothing to do but wait to see if it happens again, or happens more often, or what.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the after-dinner shopping!

We went to Kohl's to check out the baby stuff there and they had lots of cute things (even for girls - and we tend to prefer the boy clothes) but we're trying not to buy anything else for Peeper until we find out what color we're looking for.

Then I looked at maternity clothes, and although it's awful hard to tell much about fit at this point, and although I feel weird even looking at them, let alone trying on or buying anything.

(I looked at some last week, and just couldn't bring myself to buy any. See previous craziness.)

But, there was some stuff on clearance, for 70% - 90% off, so I couldn't resist that.

Most of it was pretty ugly, but I bought one pair of black pants, regular price $44, marked down to $8.80, and two turtleneck (cowl neck?) sweaters (identical, but is one black, one maroon) regular price $36 each, marked down to $3.60 each!

I also (finally) bought some new bras. They were on sale, too - buy two, get one free. They only had two of the one I liked in my size, though, so they gave those to me at 33% off.

The one I tried on was so much better than my old ones that I just left it on and wore it out of the store - like when you used to get new shoes as a kid.

(Of course, I gave them the empty box to scan. I only steal gas.)

I got them with room to "grow into" - I'm on the tightest hook in the back, and I think the cups are a tiny bit wrinkly/bunchy because they're a big too big (but one number or cup-size down was too small).

They are definitely more supportive than the ones I've been wearing, so between not being squished into too-small cups, and being lifted up off the floor, my boobs look way bigger in these.

I'm not sure how I feel about that (look at me!), but they got a "yes" vote from the peanut gallery, and they are quite comfy, so I bought them.

Ah well, I guess they won't seem so freakishly large once my belly gets bigger . . . .

Oh, on that front - I wore jeans this evening, and I think they might have been a teeny big snugger than a week ago. Hard to say, but maybe. I think my belly is definitely firming up a bit at the bottom - and it's certainly not muscle

Well, I guess I'd better go find my wife, wake her up and move her from whatever couch she's on to the bed, so we can get up bright and early to go check on Peeper.

I'm sure I'll have a full update tomorrow evening!