30 Weeks

Today I'm 30 weeks, meaning the little one has just 10 weeks (or 8, or 12) left to grow inside me before he and my body decide it is time for eviction and moving on to the next stage of early life outside the womb. It is a little surreal to me that in just 2 months I will have a tiny squirming baby outside me instead of inside me.

According to the baby books, he is 3 pounds now, and in scanning ahead, he will continue to gain half a pound a week until 37 weeks, when his growth will slow a bit. In this time he will more than double his weight.

As of now, he appears to have plenty of room in there, and prefers to hang out on the left side of my uterus. Today I realized I can not only distinguish his bony little butt pressed up against my stomach, I can also feel at least one remarkably chunky little thigh.

He has also managed to penetrate my dreams with his antics. On at least two occasions I have dreamt of him kicking me wildly, and, in dream world, it seems as if he might have the power to bust right through my skin if I'm not careful. In my last dream, I pictured him arching his back in a prone position as the furious newborn is wont to do, as I held my belly with all my might to prevent him from escaping in his little fit of anger, as his feet pressed against one of my hands and his head pressed against the other.

Now he seems to be awake more times than not, and he more and more often responds to a poke with a kick right back at me and James. It is pretty cool. It is also quite obvious that he is training his muscles and his mind for life outside the womb. James and I are getting SO excited to meet him.