20 weeks pregnant

This week we enter my 20th week of pregnancy with Baby Amys, which means we are about to push past that half-way point in our journey to meet our new little bean. Only 20 more weeks to go. And even though that sounds like a long ways away, with the holiday season upon us I have a feeling the next four weeks are going to go by as fast as this past month. And before we know it, it’s going to be spring and we are going to become a family of four. And, to me, that is both extremely exciting and super-duper terrifying. A toddler AND a newborn. BAM! No turning back now.

So this past month has been pretty amazing – I’ve got all of my pre-pregnancy energy back, we were able to see the peanut moving and grooving during the ultrasound and I’ve been feeling it kick and punch in my belly. I can’t even describe how wonderful it feels to be able to sense it in action inside of me, and Chris was even able to feel it give me a good round-house this past weekend. And because it’s only the size of a banana, the force behind the flailing limbs is still light enough that it almost tickles, and each day I look forward to laying down during Taylor’s naptime to feel the baby boogying in my belly.

So, as you can see, the belly is definitely popped out and I’m in full-on maternity gear now. Many, many thanks to all my mama-friends that have loaned me their maternity shirts and pants to help cover my ever-growing midsection. Luckily for me, this time around I’m not dressing up to go to the office, so some – MOST! – days I keep my yoga pants on all day. Which hopefully results in a calm, zen-like newborn. Namaste, litte one.

And it’s also nice to have the non-restrictive elastic band pants on considering my appetite is back in full force. Read: I’M STARVING. All the time. And one of my current cravings is anything citrus. Last week I made lemon bars, and while they were baking I realized I was out of powdered sugar to put on top of them, so I hormonally-bullied my wonderful husband to set out onto the cul-de-sac with an empty measuring cup. I’ve also been consuming about ten clementine oranges a day, so I guess you could say I’m good for my daily dose of vitamin C.

And because Baby is in constant conversation with my brain telling it to put something delicious in my mouth, my diaper bag now contains two snack-pouches – One for me and one for Taylor. And if I ever get separated from my kitchen or snack-bag and become hungry, WATCH OUT. My body will start shaking, smoke will billow from my ears and I can not be held responsible for anything that comes out of my mouth. Mama needs food pronto. So if you decide to hang out with me in the next few months, do us both a favor and stuff a few treats in your pockets. Preferably something citrus.

The only sort of hiccup we’ve had this month are the growing pains, or round ligament pains. Basically the ligaments that hold my uterus in place are stretching and pulling to support my new girth, resulting in sporadic, sharp aches and pains around my belly-region. Totally normal, and I remember having this same soreness while pregnant with Taylor. It’s not completely crippling, but just pretty darn uncomfortable.

So other than a few belly pains and hunger episodes, this past month of pregnancy was very tame. Which, after the first few months of total sickness, having very little to report is just fine with me. Let’s hope the next 20 weeks are just as relaxed, because once Baby arrives I know my life is going to become considerably more exciting. Lots and lots of action arriving to the Amys house this spring. And we can’t wait.