The 20th Week Stretch

A few of my cousins, me, and my Bichons on a hike.

I reached a significant milestone yesterday—the halfway point through pregnancy. For the past week I’ve been missing in action somewhere between activity and thought, planning and reflection.

M and I drove to my hometown—New Philadelphia, Ohio—for Thanksgiving weekend. We landed in a huddle of 23 Gopps. (See why I chose not to hyphenate my maiden and marriage name?) It was surreal to watch the next generation of Gopps color at the kids’ table, play chase, cry, and double-dip celery in the ranch dressing. By next year, this generation will outnumber mine.

Work is revving up. My boss is moving to Atlanta and will telecommute through the next 2 months. That leaves me with extra responsibilities, my usual 40-page newsletter to produce over the holidays, and a major website navigation/content overhaul. I refuse to end up in a mentally tortuous place like I did last spring when my boss was out on maternity leave. I’m remembering to pause and carve out space for my tasks instead of putting everyone else’s needs first.

It was hard to get up today. I stayed out last night until 10 pm attending an open house for a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at George Mason University. They have a concentration in nonfiction and offer free tuition for students who hold down a TA position through the 3-year program. I can’t decide whether or not I have a shot at being accepted.

This morning I pulled out my Graco prenatal monitor for my usual belly-bonding time. Because my placenta is wedged between the baby and the front of my belly, I haven’t felt or seen much activity. But today, my belly was obviously bulging to the left, and after a few moments of silence, I felt, heard, and saw a definite kick. My little man shot me over the moon at 7:30 in the morning.