My first maternal pangs and an increased appreciation for my parents

I don't think anyone could have been more surpised than I was when I found out I was pregnant. I had never been maternal nor had I ever had the yearning like some of my other friends to start a brood of my own. I'm not saying that we weren't planning to have children, just not so soon.

Anyway, I'm now 24 and a half weeks along and I must say that things have changed. In the beginning, I felt rather detached from the idea of being pregnant. The only sign that I was pregnant was the horrible morning sickness I had in the first three months and constant need to use to loo after. This all came to an end when I felt Little Miss Alien move for the first time 6 weeks ago.

I was in bed, talking to my husband when I thought, "Man, today's bout of gas is bad," when I realised that it wasn't gas and that it was the Little Alien moving about. Now if she decides to have a little party we can actually see my tummy move. Amazing.

Instead of feeling detached, I now look forward to feeling her move in the mornings when I wake up to send her Daddy off to work, when I sit down for tea with friends in the late afternoon and when I chat with her Daddy at nights before going to bed. I worry when she isn't as active as usual and talk to her and irritate her by lightly drumming my fingers on my tummy. She usually obliges me with a couple of kicks when I do this and I know she's okay.

I'm glad to say her Daddy's also feeling more paternal these days after having nearly been kicked in the mouth a few days ago when he was making funny noises into my tummy =) I think she recognises his voice, or rather the vibrations of his voice, as she's always active when he talks.

I can't believe how we have matured as future parents and can only hope that we do our Little Alien justice when she comes into the world.

With the birth of these new feelings, I have come to appreciate my parents even more than before and marvel at how they brought my sister and I up. I am grateful for everything they have done for us and how they have worked all their lives to ensure we have everything we need and work. I will never be able to repay them for everything and can only hope that they are not too disappointed with how I turned out.

With my beloved Daddy. Doesn't he look handsome =)

With my lovely Mummy

With my little sister

I used to want to get away from home, but not anymore. Now more than ever I want to be near my parents, now and when my Little Alien is born. Now more than ever I want my child to grow up around her grandparents in a house filled with love and strong familial bonds. I fear that when my husband is transferred we will be isolated from my family and my child will never get a chance to bond with her maternal grandparents...it would be such a shame. My father has longed to be a granddad for a long time, I hope that he will get to spend lots of time with his grandchild.

One big happy family