Pregnancy Update: Week 20 - Halfway there!

How far along?  20 weeks

Baby size?  Banana; about 6.5 inches long and weighs about 10.2 ounces

Baby progress?  Baby Obie is now swallowing several ounces of amniotic fluid every day.  He has also  straightened out enough to measure from him head to toe instead of head to rump.  He's now working taste buds, as well as sprouting lips, eye lashes, eyebrows, and  teeth buds underneath his gums.

Weight gain?  A total of four pounds (I went to the doctor last week and they'd like me to gain 25-35 pounds during my pregnancy.  I was one pound over being considered underweight.  For underweight women, they want to gain 35 pounds'  For average women, around 25.  So my doctor said shoot between 25-35.  She said she would have liked to have a little more than 4 pounds increase by the halfway point, but there's no reason to worry.  Many women don't gain their weight until after the halfway point.  I can tell you it was weird to step on that scale and see the number I saw.  I've never weighed that much so it was a shock!  (not in a bad way).

Stretch marks?  No, which is good considering I'm still slacking.  I need to stop that and get back to slathering it on daily since I'm not growing and stretching much more rapidly.

Boobs?  They are officially a DD, which I didn't even know 32DD existed, but it does.  I went to try on my swimming suits for our vacation coming up and realized that my areola was showing in all of them.  Thank goodness Victoria's Secret was having their semi-annual sale because I ordered 5 new tops for under $100.  I ordered 32C and 32D in every top, not sure what size I'd need because in swimming suits, sometimes I run a size smaller at VS.  When they arrived, I was shocked to see that they 32Ds were too small.  I've since exchanged them for 32DD and am hoping those do the trick!  They should arrive this week!

Oh, my left boob is now significantly larger than my right, so that's cool (said no one ever).

Sleep?  Insomnia 4 nights a week.  I am not falling asleep until about 3:15am.  It's annoying but at least I'm not really tired throughout the day.  I definitely have more energy.  I'm just not really allowed to utilize it until I see the cardiologist and get some answers from him.  

Symptoms?

20 weeks strong with no nausea.  

Still peeing all the time.

My legs aren't really too itchy anymore.  

Still painful pooping but a girls gotta go. 

As I mentioned above, much more energy but can't do anything with it.  

Cravings?  Nothing in particular but still salty and savory over sweets.  I very rarely want sweets.  The closest I come is a bowl of Cap'N Crunch cereal (with Crunch Berries, duh!)

Movement?  Yep.  He moves a lot in the evenings.  I'm always grabbing Nick's hand to make him feel but he says he can't feel anything.  I find it crazy that it can't be felt from the outside yet because it feel so incredibly strong on my end!   

How are you feeling?  Amazing!  I am so incredibly thankful that my pregnancy has been easy thus far.  The lack of activity is still annoying but I feel like I can't really complain when everything else has been so great!

Best moment this week?  Truly having energy.  Even with my little sleep, I'm not tired and wanting a nap during the day.  It's made the work week much more bearable.  It feels great to feel almost normal again!!!

I also finally found some maternity jeans.  I can't wear the belly bands.  Tried two different brands and they just don't hold my pants up.  I haven't had any luck with maternity jeans because they all gave me extreme saggy crotch but I finally found some!  Jessica Simpson jeans.  I actually have a few of her non-maternity jeans and I love them (they're perfect for my tiny frame and long legs).  Her maternity jeans, while they don't come in long sizes, are perfect for my Converse, flip flops, and Sperry's so I'm content!  I'm really happy I found them and they were only around $50 so it wasn't too bad!

Getting the invite to my baby shower!!!  My sister is planning the shower with the help of my cousins (and aunts) but she enlisted the help of my artistic brother to design the invites and they are so perfect!!  I love them and can't wait to go home in February for my shower!

Worst moment this week?  My reflux.  I seriously didn't think my reflux could get worse than it was pre-pregnancy because it was pretty damn bad (due to cancer) but holy crap!  Some days I feel like I'm giving birth to a pair a fire breathing dragons!!!  It's AWFUL!!!!  This increased reflux makes me anxious about my endoscopy this late summer. My last one, I was the most irritated he had seen me, which increases the risks for Barrett's Syndrome and esophageal cancer, so I worry what this is doing to my already awful esophagus :(

What do you miss?  Being toned and fit.  Being active.  I feel like a blob :(

Things that suck?  Realizing you're going on vacation and not feeling attractive or confident in a swimming suit.  I know it's vain because I'm pregnant (and I'm pretty sure obviously pregnant in a swimming suit) but it's the truth.  

Things that don't suck?   Knowing I've made it halfway through my pregnancy (even though I didn't know the first 3.5 weeks, I've known the majority of this time) and that I've made it through with such ease.  

Chapped lips

Movement

Insomnia. Not sleeping unt 3-4am. Waking for work and not napping and still not sleeping that night. 

Things suck: his room not being empty so I can hang his cute clothes