Can I Get a Ye-ah? (Wk 14: PREGNANCY)

August 2, 2005

Despite being semi-Republicans, Tom and I are avid Daily Show fans. A few months ago, after Joseph Ratzinger stepped onto the balcony in St. Peter's square to thousands of cheering fans, The Daily Show broadcast the clip with a voice over. As the newly-elected Pope raised both arms to the crowd and pumped his hands, you hear him say, "Can I get a ye-ah?" For some reason, that struck Tom and I both as one of the funniest things we've ever seen on television. Ever.

Since then, it's been one of our favorite catchphrases. When we found out I was pregnant: "Can I get a ye-ah?" Looking at pictures of the eight-week ultrasound: "Can I get a ye-ah?"

And now, as I enter the second trimester, "Can I get a ye-ah?"

14 Weeks and Counting

So I'm fourteen weeks and three days. As some people would say, I'm in my fifteenth week. That sounds amazing. And I feel amazing!

My morning sickness has eased in textbook manner. I'm working vegetables back into my diet. My fatigue isn't completely gone, but it's improved 75%. The baby inside of me resembles an actual infant with fingers and toes, just smaller.

While I'd expected to feel an overwhelming maternal bond from the moment I got pregnant, I'm just now starting to feel in touch with this person inside of me. Knowing that he (or she?) sleeps and wakes, makes grasping motions with the hands, and might even start a little thumb-sucking has turned me into a daydreaming fool.

What's that? I have a job and work to do? But I have a baby to moon over!

By biggest problem is how to sleep in the midst of my excitement. When I read that our baby's movements have gone from quick and jerky to fluid and more purposeful, it was enough to keep me awake from midnight until 4:00 a.m.

Today...

After 12 weeks of joy mixed with worry, does my newfound elation leave me worry free? Not completely. I will go into my 16-week appointment with anxiety about the heartbeat.

I'm not sure that pregnancy at any stage can be completely without concern. Otherwise, why would we bother with prenatal care? Fact is, anything can happen at any time. Tragically, even stilbirth is a possibility.

While I do rejoice that my odds of delivering a healthy baby have vastly improved, my latest joy has more to do with what I've been given today. I have been a mother long enough for my baby to suck and grasp.

I hope next month to be a mother long enough to feel my baby kick. I hope to celebrate being a mother long enough to know when my baby has the hiccups. I hope to celebrate being a mother long enough to hold our baby in my arms. Ultimately, I hope to celebrate being a mother through the first birthday of my firstborn.

But today, today I celebrate the itty-bitty person whose hair pattern has just been defined, whose fingernails are growing.

Can I get a ye-ah?