Why I love my 19th week of pregnancy.

There are a lot of things to love about the second trimester of pregnancy, but this last week -- my 19th -- has been the clear winner so far. Why?

• I felt Boo move for the first time this week! I can't pinpoint the exact moment, but just a couple of moments where I stopped and thought, "Huh. That was odd. Was I imagining that? No, there it is again. I guess those are baby kicks?" Last time, I wasn't sure I felt anything until 23 weeks along and by then they were clearly KICKS. This time, I'm getting the whole vague bubble/butterfly thing. Now I can't wait until they're hard enough for my husband to feel them, too.

• I'm clearly visibly pregnant. Friends at the playground aren't hesitant in asking if I'm expecting and even strangers who don't know my non-pregnant physique are asking when I'm due. Finally! I don't just look like I may have had an extra cheeseburger at lunch.

• I'm off-call for a while, at least in a 24/7 sense. I'll still have scheduled call days with the midwives I work with, but I can plan for those. Full night's sleep, here I come!

• The bit of news that Boo may be able to hear our voices sometime this week or next. Hearing that, our toddler, Poppy, thought it would be fun to talk to the baby and, with her face smashed into my stomach, yelled, “I LOVE YOU, BABY” into my belly button tonight.

• This image from the BabyCenter weekly emails. Apparently a 19-week-old fetus is a contortionist by trade. Who knew? (For what it’s worth, no other week portrays the baby in such a weird way.)

-----
Follow Jo on Twitter at @outtajo or visit her personal blog, Outta Jo, Onto You.