Heartbeat!!

Look how much bigger everything has become! Now, 1.37cms. You can see the head on the top.. looks a bit like a bean ;-)

Heartbeat.. 159 per minute! Feeling so happy.. everything finally feels real. I can start to believe that there is actually a live baby in there. Relief and joy prevail.

Walking down the hospital corridor after the ultrasound, emotions of sheer relief and happiness welled up, spilling tears over my cheeks. Amandio had his arm wrapped tightly around me - people who saw it must have thought that we had received some bad news.. but they were tears of happiness. I suddenly felt like I could finally trust everything. Hearing the baby's heartbeat had a profound impact on both of us. Amandio has become even more protective of me (tenderly placing a hand over my belly to secure the baby when we drive over bumps - as happens every second minute here on these streets!!) and he too feels confident. He can't tear his eyes away from children in restaurants, commenting on their actions.. he has even adopted a little gecko that has been living in our bathroom, feeding it ants! So, all is well - relaxing....