She kicked me!

Leia has been able to feel "flutters" of baby movement for a couple of weeks now, but it wasn't anything that I could be a part of. That changed last night. Leia and I were both sitting on the couch and Leia asked for a piece of chocolate. (My mom had given us a bag of dark chocolates when we visited my family last weekend.) Just a few minutes after Leia ate the chocolate the baby started kicking. (I assume this means that my daughter will love chocolate just as much as her mother and I already do.) Leia put her hands on her own stomach to see if she could feel the kicks from the outside and she could. So then Leia put my hands where she was feeling the kicks. Of course that meant that our daughter immediately moved to another spot and stopped kicking. (Which is a sign that she will be as non-cooperative and hard-headed as both her mother and I already are.)

This set up a cycle of, "She's kicking again, put your hand here", and then waiting for several minutes while nothing happened, giving up and taking my hand away, and then she would kick somewhere else. After about the third go-round I was convinced that it was going to be a while before I was able to feel anything, but it finally happened. I had my hand in the right place at just the right time and I felt my daughter kick the ring finger of my left hand. I will never forget that moment. It was something that I didn't know I wanted to experience so badly until after it happened. I was giddy the rest of the night and I couldn't stop smiling about it.

So far, my experience with my Leia's pregnancy has been a series of punctuated moments that make me increasingly "aware" of the reality of the situation. The positive pregnancy test, our first visit to the OBGYN, the first ultrasound pictures, revealing the news to our families, finding out that "our baby" is "our daughter" and now my first real, physical interaction with my little girl. Every step along the way has been amazing and I can't wait for the next one. We are past the half-way mark at 21 and 1/2 weeks and I know that soon will come the biggest milestones of all: hearing her cry, seeing her face, holding her in my arms, kissing her forehead, and finally, revealing her name to our family and friends. But that will all have to wait until the proper time. For now, I have just this message for my daughter:

"I know who you are, small one. Your mother and I have named you, and you are forever on our hearts and minds. I promise to care for your mother, and she has pledged to care for you, while you grow bigger and stronger every day. I know who you are, my darling daughter, and I have felt your touch. Take care, little girl, your mother and I love you, and we will see you soon."