Counting blessings

This morning I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the snow that had fallen on the skylights above our bed. Seven years ago, I moved south in an effort to avoid as much of this snow phenomenon as possible, so I was surprised that I welcomed the sight of it this morning. Looking at those frozen ice crystals made me hunker down deeper into the soft sheets and appreciate the warmth and calm surrounding me. Slowly, a hand crept over my belly and laid down over my belly button attempting to cop a feel of the baby kicking inside. The hand was Dave's and I have a sneaking suspicion it will become a new accessory for my belly to wear over the next five months. 

Last night was the first time Dave was able to feel the thump thump thumping of the banana-sized person that lives in my bump.  I've only been sure of the kicking for about a week now, but each time Dave would assume the hand-on-belly position, the kicking would stop.  So I had no choice but to feed the kicking monster leftover Halloween candy to trigger those little feet.   

Now that the kicking is happening, it feels exactly like I expected it would.  I had heard people say it felt like popcorn popping in your belly or like the 80's candy Pop Rocks exploding in your abdomen. But no, it doesn't feel like that at all. Rather, it feels exactly like a baby kicking. Say there was a soft thing that is trapped inside of you and occasionally kicks you from inside of yourself. That is the most accurate description of what it feels like. No need to bring snack food into this, it is what it is. If you quickly poke yourself lightly on the stomach with your finger, it feels like that, except from the inside. Maybe try swallowing your hand first and try it again?

So as the mercury continues to drop and the baby continues to amaze us, getting out of bed each morning is only getting harder.  Tomorrow will be a true test of grit.  We're getting up early on a Saturday (!) and it's expected to be in the 20s outside.  We're going to spend the morning and afternoon helping to demo and rebuild a local elderly man's roof.  His house was badly damaged back in 1996 during Hurricane Fran and was never repaired.  It has since come to the attention of some local folks and tomorrow is the start of the process of fixing the damage.  I have a feeling it will be one of the most gratifying days to be involved with this project, because we will be repairing the roof damage and starting to seal the structure from the elements.  Considering the early onset of freezing temperatures this year, our timing couldn't be soon enough.  My motivation to get out of my yummy warm bed tomorrow morning will be thinking about a man that does not have that luxury.