Bloat and suddenly baby

I am 17 wks 2 days pregnant.. the past few weeks I’ve been showing but I can say it was bloat because when I would lay down, my stomach would be flat. And when I passed my gasses lol, my stomach would go down dramatically. And then all of the sudden literally a few days ago, maybe 3 days ago, I feel my stomach hardening. And today it’s even bigger, like not gassy but actual baby. I’m so happy, I finally feel like I’m pregnant pregnant. Just wanted to know if it’s usually all of a sudden like this ?