Whoa. There's a PERSON in there.

So I know this is obvious - comes with the whole pregnancy territory. But it has really hit me today that there is a baby - a little, tiny person - in my stomach. How do I know this?

Exhibit A: One of my tickers says "Less gymnastics, more kicks and elbow jabs." Uhhhh, holy understatement, ticker. I'm getting serious rolls, jabs, pokes, shifts ... Elle is not playing around anymore. No gentle nudges, no tickling flips - we're hard core now. Every movement is like a tidal wave or a mallet.

Exhibit B: I am a heavy sleeper. But over the last few days, I've struggled a bit to get to sleep because I've been entertained by the karate tournament in my stomach. A few mornings ago, the baby was awake - apparently the snooze alarm doesn't work in the womb - and kept me up with kicks and bouncing around. (This morning I woke up to at least 15 minutes of baby hiccups, which was wayyy cool. Tim even got to feel them!)

Exhibit C: I can feel body parts now. I don't usually know what I'm feeling at the time, but there is definite bone/muscle/tissue/fat in my belly. Sometimes it even feels like limbs are tangled and she's struggling to get comfortable. And the body parts often come in to contact with my hand, which I rest on my stomach frequently to feel these unique movements. While it creeps me out a bit to feel it from the inside and outside, I wouldn't trade the movement for anything.

It's amazing how quickly the time has gone from when I felt the first solid kick (10 weeks ago) to feeling body parts and undeniable, entire-stomach moving movements. And luckily - so far - she's stayed away from my ribs for the most part, but it appears quarters are quickly getting cramped, and I have no doubt that soon I will be getting even more jabs and kicks as she tries to eek out more room at the expense of my body's organs.