i had my 28-week visit with the midwives today.

amanda is my favorite of the four midwives. i suspect that could be because she was the first one we met in the practice as all of them are really great. i’ve decided that in almost all situations, multiple choice quizzes especially, i am biased towards the first option (the new backpage of the new yorker with the cartoon captions confirms this. i always like the first one best!). the whole practice in general inspires so much confidence in me that we made the right decision for us in choosing the midwife option over an ob-gyn.

i don’t know what made the visit so enjoyable today, maybe it’s because little huck is becoming so real to us, and his or her own person. amanda tried to figure out where he was hanging out in my belly, prompted by luke, and she decided on an orientation just by feeling around with her hands. then she placed the doppler that amplifies the baby’s heartbeat against the part of my belly where the baby’s chest would most likely be given the orientation. well, what do you know? the baby’s heartbeat was clear on the other side! she decided then that what she thought was his or her little head was actually his or her little bottom! and what had kicked her hand was not his or her arm, but a leg.

she said he was an active baby, and that made us really happy. he’s moving around like a curious explorer, an adventurer. like his namesake, huckleberry finn.

apparently last night i fell asleep so deeply that i snored. luke came to bed after i was already in this state and placed his hand on my belly to feel close to huck. he said it was amazing to feel how much he moved and moved, especially when i’m not awake. it really takes a moment to wrap your head around the fact that already, at this age when huckleberry is still dependent on me for his life and well-being, he still exerts complete independence over his actions. this is a lesson i’m sure i will be reminded of many many times over the years. huckleberry, whatever he or she is eventually named, will be his or her own person, not an extension of me, or of luke, but inspired by both of us and utterly original.