Dear Baby,

You are 17 weeks old today in my belly. You're Daddy and I love you very much. We know you will give us all the love in your heart too when you are born, but right now I wanted to thank you for the things you have given me already:

• Thank you for the little tickles inside my belly and the few kicks I have already felt that kinda feel like a nerve twitch (you know? Like the ones you get under your eyes).
• Thank you for the round ligament pain I feel whenever I blow my nose and cough. I have now found that I like to have one knee up to my chest whenever I have to do those things.
• Thank you for letting me get more sleep on the couch than in bed. I'm sure your Daddy thanks you too when he tries to sleep on the ottoman over the weekends just to spend the night with me.
• Thank you for giving me cleavage! And bouncy boobs. I have never been so pleasantly surprised when looking down at my chest. Your Daddy definitely thanks you too!
• Thank you for the back pain when I try to wash the dishes so that I cannot finish them.
• Thank you for the waddle when I walk. I'm sure it will get more noticeable when you get bigger inside of me.
• Thank you for the weight gain and tiny stretch marks. I now get to buy something called Tummy Honey!
• Thank you for the headaches I get at night. Your Daddy appreciates it too because he gets to rub my feet when I get them, which helps a lot!
• Thank you for the poor vision. I now where my glasses most of the time.
• Thank you for giving me gas. I can now burp like an old man after meals.
• Thank you for the hot flashes. I can now leave the apartment without wearing all those layers of clothes that your Daddy hated because I was always chilly.
• Thank you for giving me the strength I need to stand up for what's best for both of us.
• Thank you for making me think like a mommy.
• Thank you for my better eating habits. Love those veggies!
• Thank you for allowing me to drink a lot of water when I hardly ever drank anything at all.
• Thank you for my middle-of-the-night feedings so I'm prepared when you arrive and need them too.
• Thank you for posing so well for all of your ultrasounds. Especially the 3D one at 8 weeks 5 days.
• Thank you for waiving at me and your Daddy at the 12 week ultrasound.
• Thank you for all the cute giraffe stuff I get to buy you, even if you end up not liking giraffes.
• Thank you for the ability to use all the baby product knowledge I learned when working at Buy Buy Baby to assure that I will get you the safest and best stuff out there.
• Thank you for that strong heartbeat we heard on Tuesday. You sounded amazing!
• Thank you for allowing me to find a semi-comfortable position to cut my toe nails yesterday. 
• Thank you for allowing me to keep my sense of humor so far throughout this pregnancy. 

I'm sure there is more, but you have also given me Pregnancy Brain. Your Daddy says I have a hard enough time remembering things and now, with Pregnancy Brain, it's a lot worse. That's OK though, I come from a long line of people who suffer from CRAFT so I'm used to it!

Your Daddy and I cannot wait to see you again. We will be able to do that on September 13th when we find out if you are a boy or a girl. Once we find out, we will be able to call you by your name, which is very exciting! Hope you waive to us again. In the meantime, I will still have those tiny conversations with you throughout the day so you know that I am thinking about you.

I love you with all my heart and soul,

Mommy