Grinning

Anyone who knows my sleeping habits knows that I love to sleep and that when I want to go to sleep or continue sleeping, woe to those who stand in my way. (Honestly, this is one of the less sanctified areas of my life.) Needless to say, the electric fan and my earplug (yes, singular) are my best friends. So after a busy weekend trip DRIVING to Ohio and back for Dan’s 5 year college reunion and going back to work the day we drove into Dallas, I was on a direct course to bed and dreamland as soon as possible. However, on this night something greater than the desire for sleep kept me awake. What could it be? The kick…kick…kick of a tiny little foot, kept me wide awake, grinning in the dark. I have just begun to feel these movements the past couple of days and it is not those kicks you hear about later on in pregnancy that about take your breath away, but an oh-so-faint kick that I have to lay still and concentrate to feel. I was trying to find a way to describe it to Dan, and decided it is kind of the same feeling as blowing a little bit of air into the side of your cheek and letting it out quickly...or, not too dissimilar to a muscle spasm (although not as frequent and annoying). As I lay there concentrating, kick after kick I was thinking, “I just want to feel one more and then I will go to sleep”. A few minutes after I finally rolled on my side to go to sleep, I realized I still had a silly grin on my face. I know that soon a kick will mean a jab in my lung; and not too long after that, my precious sleep will be interrupted by cries at who knows what hour. But hopefully I will remember this grin and it will keep me grinning through the night.