Coming out

Today I am 17 weeks pregnant. Well, at least according to the ultrasound I had at 10 weeks, 1 day pregnant. This pregnancy has been so different than my pregnancy with the kid. With the kid, we had been actively "trying" for the better part of 7 months. I was charting my basal body temperature, keeping close eyes on last menstrual cycles and ovulation days. With the kid, I knew I was pregnant even before the stick turned pink. Um, not so this time around.

This time around I was shocked. Really, truly shocked. And when I went to take a store-bought test (I cheaped out and bought the one with the 2 lines...one is the control line and the other line tells you if you are preggers or not), I didn't really believe it. It's not that I didn't WANT to believe, M and I have always wanted/wished/hoped for a second child and our decision to stop with the birth control was made consciously and carefully, but this happened a lot faster than the first time. When I took the store-bought cheapie test, that second line was FAINTLY pink. Like barely even there. It drove me nuts! Was I or wasn't I? Lesson learned - don't cheap out when buying pregnancy tests. Spend the extra $3 and get the digital one. Skip your freakin' Starbucks and GET THE DIGITAL ONE.

Anyway, we are elated to be adding to our family. The kid is quite clear that he's going to be a kuya and that there is a baby in mommy's belly. He hugs, talks and kisses the baby quite often. At first, he didn't quite get it and when M and I told him there was a baby in mommy's belly, the kid lifted my shirt, pulled on my belly fat (yup, there's enough to pull on...even when not pregnant), and demanded, "take it out! Get out, baby!"

Last week, though, I caught the kid staring at my belly button. He met my eyes and asked, "Mommy, what's that?" while pointing at my belly button. I explained to him that mommy's belly button was there to keep the baby alive...and that that's how the baby gets food. So, being the benevolent big brother, he scoops up some water in his cupped hands (he was in the bathtub), holds his hands up to my belly button and offers the baby a drink. I can hardly stand I'm laughing so hard. Flash forward to today. I have fallen asleep in our living room chair and the kid is snuggled up to me watching TV and eating his cheerios. I wake up and find that he's lifted up my shirt and there is a cheerio in my belly button. Seriously. You can't even make this stuff up.