A Few Notes On My Unborn Son’s Personality

At 21 weeks along, I’m convinced that the child growing within me will be a future lover of nightlife. He must get this from his father–a man who is prone to staying up in the wee hours doing heaven knows what. Each night, as I lay myself down for what I hope will be a restful bit of slumber, I am stirred by a steady stream of kicks which grow increasingly stronger with each individual boot. If the little guy isn’t practicing to be a Super Eagle then he’s flipping around and about like some crazed acrobat. He continues his flurry of movement until I either speak or eat. I can’t help but marvel at this experience of having something that is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, yet thoughtfully independent, living and growing inside of me. My body is all but possessed by the spirit that is my son. Hence, I don’t sleep much.

Midday yesterday, my husband and I visited the radiologist for our anatomy examination. During this standard prenatal appointment we had a prolonged sonogram to view my son’s various body parts and make sure that he’s growing and developing as he should. As the radiologist began to take a look inside, we got a good glimpse of our son.  He was sound asleep with his arms stretched above his head, his hands stacked atop each other at his crown. His legs folded and stretched above him in such a way that his feet also rested near his head as if he was performing an extreme version of the “happy baby” yoga pose. (The radiologist informed us that babies in utero often like to stretch their legs this way because of their small confines.) Also, the little guy’s mouth was slack and open. Talk about the sleep of babes.

His brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, spine and bones were all well. We saw that the umbilical cord pumped blood, air and nutrients to him in perfect order. We confirmed his man bits and toward the end, we refocused on his face. By this time, he awoke and worked his mouth as if to fuss at us for disturbing his rest. My husband and I watched in awe. We couldn’t believe we’d made this new little human. We couldn’t believe he already possessed such a distinct personality. We felt so blessed as we learned that he is 13 ounces and developing right on schedule with no issues whatsoever. And then we began to panic.

Sure my expanding belly is a clear indicator that I’m more than halfway through this pregnancy, but seeing our little man this way really struck a nerve. Our new roles as parents was quickly becoming more than just a concept. In another 19 weeks or less, our baby would be here with us. After the miscarriages and the sadness of loss and finally giving up on this dream altogether, we were getting exactly what we’d both wanted for so long. How scary is that? How do parents ever fully prepare to be responsible for caring for and guiding a new life? We considered this before I turned to my husband and exclaimed, “Perhaps we’re thinking about this too much. It’s not like we’re the first people to ever have a child.” He stacked his hands atop his head and replied, “Yeah. I’m hungry.”

Don’t miss out on Nikki’s pregnancy journey. Check out the previous articles here: Part 1: From 2 Miscarriages to Positivity, Part 2: Pregnancy Worries, Fears and Prenatal Results.

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