20 weeks

20 weeks.  5 months.  140 days.  However you want to look at it, we are halfway there.  How did this happen?  I put in a request to slow down time weeks ago and somehow the opposite has happened...

In all seriousness, it feels great to be exactly where I am.  This weekend we took another road trip to see family, this time it was my parents in Tennessee.  We spent a couple of days just hanging out at their house, and on Saturday drove down to Chattanooga for a bike race that Erik was in.  This was my parents first time being at one of his races, and while it was a road race and we really only got to see him take off and then later cross the finish line, it was still pretty exciting.  The finish was on top of a mountain with the most beautiful scenic overlook.  You could see all of downtown Chattanooga, the river that winds around the city, and all the surrounding mountains.  During the race, my parents and I had a couple of hours to explore the area while Erik was hard at work on the bike, and wouldn't you know - we stumbled across quite possibly the one and only yard sale in the area consisting of all baby stuff, lol.  I don't have to even scope them out anymore, I just let the sales come to me!  ;)  I found a few cute outfits (not that I really need anymore) and also scored one of the items from my "baby wish list" on amazon...  a rock and play sleeper, amazon price $75... I paid just $5!  Sweet deal.  It needs a little cleaning but is otherwise in perfect condition, and the whole top comes off to go in the washing machine.  My mom bought a folding travel crib to keep at their house, and they also got a great deal.  She got a Delta Port-a-crib that looks brand new for only $25.  Amazon price $140.  Have I mentioned how much I love sale-ing season?  ;)

rock and play sleeper and port-a-crib

So now at 20 weeks, the baby is the size of a banana (head to feet) measuring in at about 6.5 inches and weighs about 10.2 ounces.  He or she has working taste buds and is swallowing several ounces of amniotic fluid every day.

20 weeks + 2 days

He or she is also moving quite a bit, and I can definitely feel it when it happens!  Mostly I feel lots of kicking, but occasionally it feels like a squirm or flip on the inside.  Actually, the day we arrived at my parents house, the baby was kicking so much, sometimes every few seconds, for most of the evening.  They were so strong and right in front of my belly, that both my parents and Erik got to feel several good kicks.  I read over the weekend that I won't be able to feel movement from the outside for a few weeks yet, so I am quite surprised we can feel it this early.  Erik immediately made a comment about the baby's strong legs (future cyclist he is sure!)

While we were taking my weekly photos outside my parents house this weekend, we also snapped a few of Lucy as she ran around their yard during one of her "spaz dog" bursts of energy...  Here is my favorite:

photo credit for this awesome shot goes to Erik  :)

And one of us sitting on the "rock couch" in the back yard...

 

 

 

love this little Munchkin!

We are now home for a couple of weeks before we take our next trip.  Looking forward to the ultrasound which happens next week!!! 

18 weeks

Another great weekend, and another reminder that time is flying by way too quickly these days.  Is it possible to somehow slow down time and enjoy this awesome summer just a little bit longer?
We spent this weekend at home, but still managed to keep ourselves quite busy.  Friday was a lazy movie & popcorn night.  Saturday was my usual early morning yard sale-ing (more on that later) and an afternoon mostly taken up by house projects.  A few were in the nursery and we also bought some new furniture for our screened in porch which is finally starting to take shape, so the projects were actually quite fun.  Saturday evening Erik had a local crit race which I was excited to be able to go to, most of his races involve a long drive and a full days commitment to attend.  I am so proud of him, he got 3rd place in the P/1/2 race and his teammate got 1st!  I always have so much fun watching his races and love to see him in his element.  Sunday we got to spend the afternoon with some friends we hadn't seen in quite some time which was great.  The next two weekends will be spent traveling, which seems to make time fly by even faster.  Slow down summer!

On to the weekly update.  18 weeks along now, and I think that I am finally starting to look obviously pregnant.  Earlier this week while at work one of my patients family members nervously asked about "my belly."  I excitedly responded that yes, I am pregnant!  He was the first person to ask so far, and it kind of surprised me as I still see myself as just a little thicker in my middle...  But as I was editing the weekly photos tonight I guess I started to see what he saw, and the bump is bigger than I think it is...

18 weeks + 4 days

18 weeks + 4 days.  and finally wearing one of the maternity tops I bought recently  :)

At 18 weeks the baby is the size of a sweet potato, measuring around 5.6 inches and weighing in around 6.7 ounces.  Developmentally there is nothing too significant to report of.  At this point the major systems are formed, the baby is looking very "baby like" and from this point on it's really about just growing bigger (for both of us I guess!)

After I though I felt movement last week I was sure by now that I would have felt something else.  I have been having weird sensations of bubbles popping in my belly, but I am not sure whether or not it is actually fetal movement.  When I read in my baby books that I would probably have trouble determining what was a movement and what was gas/digestion/etc, I thought there was no way that would be me - when the baby moved I would know for sure.  But it's actually much harder to figure out than I thought.  I think these could be movements, but they are so faint and last for such a short time it really is hard to say.

Otherwise, the symptoms are the same.  Although as my belly grows I am sure that my bladder is shrinking to abnormally small proportions, as I almost constantly feel the urge to pee.  Sleeping is still a little difficult, partly because every night involves so many bathroom trips and partly because I have become the worlds lightest sleeper.  A squirrel farts outside the window and I am instantly awake.  Ok, so it's not quite that bad but everytime I roll over, Erik rolls over, or Lucy makes a tiny noise I am up.  Perhaps this is natures way of preparing mothers to be up all night with a newborn.  In any case, I feel great most days even functioning on less sleep than usual, so I really can't complain.

So Saturday during my sale-ing adventures I found mostly house related stuff but I did find one baby item...  A new-in-box manual breast pump.  Amazon price $40, I paid $2. 

I do plan to pick up an electric pump, but in reading the reviews I realized that a manual pump is much smaller, lighter and easier to use while traveling or to have as a back-up.  Also, I recently learned that starting back in May of this year, insurance companies are now required to cover not only lactation consultants for new mothers, but they are also required to provide them with a new electric breast pump or rental of a hospital grade pump.  So I will be letting our insurance company buy me a fancy electric one as a baby shower gift, ha!

Things to look forward to: DC next weekend and a trip to Tennessee the following.  Oh yea, and our next ultrasound which I have scheduled for Sept 6th!  Counting down the days until we find out if our little sweet potato is a boy or girl...

But I still want to slow down summer.  Just a little.