Major Changes

This weekend, there were some major changes/developments in the pregnancy.

First, I noticed that I'm starting to have some serious limitations and discomfort.  I can no longer bend at the waist to pick something up off the floor like I used to.  My stomach simply doesn't allow for that anymore - it's in the way.  This was such a weird thing to realize.  With the exception of when I was dealing my back injury, I've never had a problem bending over.  Now, to have some part of my body that stops me from being able to move as I've moved for the past 31 years because it's too large is just odd.  Also, I'm starting to have some low back pain.  Sometimes, it's just an aching in my lower spine.  Other times, my hip joints hurt.  I know this is to be expected, but it really all seemed to happen overnight.  I went from just being sort of generally uncomfortable to having serious aches.  When I find a position that's comfortable for my back, my hips start to ache or Wolverina doesn't seem to have enough room, so she starts kicking me to get me to change positions.

The second major development this weekend is that I can now see Wolverina move.  For the past several weeks, I've been able to see my stomach move when she gave a good kick.  But last night, I looked down at my stomach and noticed that the right side was protruding more than the left.  I thought, "Hmm, that's different."  And then I watched her move to the left side!  I couldn't actually see any part of her (I've had several friends and family members talk about seeing feet and hands and whatnot), but I watched the lump move to the left side.  A little while later, I felt a pressure under my left breast, so I kind of pushed on it some, trying to massage out whatever the problem was.  Um, it wasn't a problem.  It was Wolverina.  I watched my her move from high on my left side to a lower, more central location.  This was simultaneously the most awesome and most bizarre pregnancy experience I've had so far.  It is so amazing to watch your child move around inside you, but it is also so strange to watch that and realize that there's something alive in your body!