bulbous

Boom. That's 24 weeks. Big. Gigantic. Whale-like. Along with this large belly comes:

• A virtually non-existant belly button, except when standing and it bulges out just a bit
• The beginnings of lovely, light purple stretch marks. Ugh.
• An occassional surprise as I catch myself in the mirror, forgetting that I'm supposed to look like this
• A cute little waddle that slows down my walk. I used to be a fast-walker. Now people pass me. That makes me a little sad.
• The need for Sean to push me up whenever I'm in a comfy sitting position. One of these days, I'm going to become helplessly stuck and have to wait hours for someone to rescue me.
• Oh so many mid-sleep wake-ups, typically for a bathroom break. Training for when babies are here? I think so.

But despite those things, I actually quite enjoy gestating. I can cheer myself on as I gain weight. I drink whole milk. I'm never expected to do any sort of heavy lifting. My mom buys me clothes.

And more importantly, I have this inside me:

It really is incredible to feel them kick and punch. And fun to pick out names. Sean and I have an even tighter bond. I'm getting those motherly instincts. It's all such a beautiful process.

And isn't that little boy cute? We were only given pictures of A this time (last time it was just B's face)- I think because the doctor forgot what he'd already done. But, they're identical, doesn't really matter, right? I like how he's striking different poses with his hands- he'll make a perfect photo subject, he's a natural. And at least in these photos, you can get a better sense of the face. They're putting on the weight now so the face isn't so skeletal.

I think he's quite the looker.