The Curious Case of the Disappearing Bellybutton

Over the last few weeks, I have noticed a strange phenomenon. My bellybutton appears to be disappearing.

That is correct. My once rather cavernous bellybutton is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

I first noticed this around 2 weeks ago while getting dressed. As I pulled on my stretchy maternity pants (sigh), I couldn't help but notice that my bellybutton appeared much smaller than in the past. Indeed, the center "button," which in the past could easily hold a small grape (I'm guessing here. I promise I haven't experimented. Really, I haven't.), would now be hard-pressed to house a plump raisin or two. The surface area had literally been cut in half.

Now, obviously, it didn't take too long for me to put two and two together. Expanding belly, disappearing bellybutton. Still, I have to admit, it was a bit of a shocking discovery at first.

Come to think of it, it probably shouldn't have been too surprising, given the increase in Baby C's movement over the last 2 weeks. Boy, can this kid move! I told Conor that I think we have a future linebacker on our hands because he seems to share his father's love of crashing into others (or, as the case may be, the uterine wall). I feel him constantly moving about now. Morning, afternoon, night - Baby C does not discriminate. He is a baby on the go 24 hours a day. He clearly needs all the real estate he can get in there!

It's probably important to note at this point that I have just reached the 6-month mark of my pregnancy (note new belly pic!). Baby C is now approximately 1.5 pounds and 9 inches, just about the size of an eggplant. And, yes, that was me staring at the eggplants in the produce section at Giant yesterday.

At this point, Baby C is "viable," meaning that there is a 60% survival rate if he was to decide to surprise us with an early arrival. (Think Duggar baby.) Obviously, we are hoping for a timely delivery on May 19th. But it is a bit comforting to know that Baby C has moved into a realm of relative survivability.

This week, according to my pregnancy literature, Baby C is practicing taking his first little breaths now that his nostrils are unplugged. He is also growing more hair on his head (assuming we don't have a baldy), and his face is fully formed. Ah, why does 4 months seem so far away?