Tiny feet

I heart baby feet. I really do. They are squishy, tiny, chubby and sweet all at the same time. Hands-down my favorite body part on a kid.

But who knew those little things would also be my favorite part of pregnancy? Since we found out that Baby Brown was a boy, his little kicks have started to turn me into a bowl of mush.

The first time I felt a movement, I was sitting at work when I noticed the faintest little “pop-pop” on the left side of my stomach. The sensation was so odd and so fast that I wasn’t sure if I really even felt anything.

Then, that very same weekend, on a trip to Virginia, I felt the real thing—a solid kick. I was home visiting with my parents (Baby Brown’s Grammy and Poppy) and I was up chatting into the wee hours of the night with my mom. I guess all of that noise had Baby Brown up and active. So, right there in the house that I love and in the very room where I slept as a baby, my own little guy gave me my first good kick.

With each week, his kicks got stronger and I knew I was at the point where Brack could feel them on the outside. Though I am carrying, as of now, relatively high for a boy, he is staying very low causing all of his precious kicks to be low and to the left side. But one night, after consuming a bowl of homemade chili, Baby Brown was twirling around like crazy. I could feel his little kicks right below my belly button. I grabbed Brack’s hand so fast that I’m not sure if he even knew what hit him. Then, all of a sudden, with one little poke, he did. He felt our little guy’s kick for the first time. It was the most wonderful moment of my life and judging by Brack’s face, the most wonderful moment in his as well.

For the last couple of weeks, Baby Brown seems to be letting me know his music preferences. And oh boy, does he love the bass. All I have to do is turn up the jams and he kicks away like crazy. Lullabies and those sweet songs that I (try to) sing to him in the morning have no effect. He much prefers hip-hop and classic rock. (But since he is our kid, I can definitely see how that happened.)

And now, ever since those first glorious moments of feeling the movements, I have been steadily addicted to these baby kicks. I can honestly say something about those little jolts that I thought I would never say: They are better than caramel macchiatos (the best coffee ever) and now, just like java, I crave those little kicks each and every day. We are starting to get on a kick schedule, Baby Brown and I, and it’s our very first step to bonding. I can’t wait to kiss those tiny little feet when they are here in front of me. Baby kicks equal absolute magic.

To keep track of your baby’s kicks or to just have a little fun, try kick counting (best started at 24-28 weeks).

• Grab a stopwatch
• Find a quiet place, keep still and focus on the kicks
• Start the timer
• When you get to 10 movements, stop the clock and jot down how long it took you to get there
• Repeat the exercise at relatively the same time each day.
• Note if the baby’s movements are increasing, decreasing or staying the same (this way, you can report any findings to your doctor to ease any worry)

To find out even more about baby kicks, check out this P&N article.

Aren’t baby kicks the most wonderful feeling in the world? Let me know how your baby movements are going? I can’t wait to hear.

Lots of love,
Tracy