Heartbeat

This evening Tate was nuzzling my Tummy and if we put his ear at exactly the right spot he could hear our baby's heartbeat! I couldn't believe it, but he says it was definitely it. It's one thing to hear it at the doctor's office through a microphone, but to actually hear it without any medical instruments is amazing! Just one more small milestone in this remarkable journey. And to think that it is just starting!
Other, less romantic, milestones of late include my hips spreading, a very large number appearing on the scale when I dared weight myself, and braxton-hicks contractions. I can tell my hips are spreading because in the last few days I have accumulated multiple bruises on my hips and upper thighs. I walk around like normal until out of the blue the edge of my hip runs smack into a piece of furniture, door frame, or corner. As for the braxton-hicks contractions, I thought it was just our baby stretching or turning or something until I realized that my whole stomach felt hard and tight, not just one area. Pretty cool to think that my body knows what to do and is tuning up.