week 20 (2nd ed.)

Total weight gain: Ten pounds. (Four pounds less than Week 20 the first time around.) But I think it's a bit more obvious I'm pregnant. If you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to take pictures with the same outfit each month. Pants will likely change since these still aren't maternity ones (just my fat pants from after I had the Chicken). And seeing as how I'll be pregnant in the summer, odds are they'll change to shorts. And check out that mean farmer's tan/burn! Worked outside a lot last weekend. Uh, and looking back at Week 20 (1st ed.)? I'm totally showing more this time even with 4 fewer pounds. Despite that, I was measuring right on track at the doctor's appointment today (where I forgot to get the fetal heart rate--shame on me).


Movement: While there were probably flutterings earlier on, the first time I definitely noticed it wasn't gas was on March 2nd. Hubby was able to feel it for the first time this past Sunday. I had a dental appointment last week and the baby was very active during that. I'm not sure if it was me being still, my probably elevated blood pressure, or all the sounds.

Cravings: Anything sweet. Sweet, sweet, sweet. This may translate into Hubby gaining more weight this pregnancy...

Similarities: Baby brain, vivid dreams, forgetfulness. Last night I kept some soup on the stove to cook a little more after we were finished with dinner. If the kitchen light hadn't been on, I totally would have let it cook all night. I'm sure the pot would have looked GREAT after that.

Differences: Still with the slower weight gain. Totally slower on the preparations. I've been itchier--maybe because the belly expanded more quickly/in a shorter time period? And I've had lots of congestion and pressure on the girl bits. We found out the sex! It's a boy! Auntie J joined us for the ultrasound/anatomy scan on March 5th. We told the tech we wanted to know but not reveal it until that night. So she did all the looking while our eyes were closed and then printed out the pictures that showed the goods and stuck those in a sealed envelope. We got together with the immediate family that night and opened the envelope in front of everyone. I was so surprised. I thought for sure we were having another girl.

Preparations: Been thinking about baby names a little bit but nothing too serious. If it were up to me, I'd probably have a short list (the same one from last time) and would definitely have a middle name. I bought a few (ok, several) tiny boy outfits and a baby book. I actually wrote a few things in it last night so it won't be totally empty. Also started some nursery art. And I found baby quilt inspiration, picked a color scheme, bought fabric, and have all 24 tiny squares together. Now all those need to be sewn together and then the actual quilting and binding. But progress! Made a list of things we'll need to buy this time around and have asked folks what I'm forgetting. And lots of prep work getting this house ready for sale. Sigh. I just keep telling myself that there will pretty much never be a good time to move now. At least this baby (whom we sometimes call Buddy Bear) is easier to take care of now than he will be in 4 1/2 months. Please, Buddy B, don't come (too) early.

Anything else interesting? As I'm all over the place this post, some of the things I should have put here were already mention. I did buy a few new items of maternity clothes. Sometimes you just need to feel cute. It's been awfully hard dressing myself lately as some maternity clothes are too big, most regular clothes are too small, and the temperature has been fluctuating so much. It's like I need to pick from 4 different wardrobes. Also? On March 3rd, we ran our first 5k. Ok, so Buddy swam it and I only ran about half of it. Since I figured it would be my last run for months, I really pushed myself and was pretty pleased with my time.

Monthly wisdom/rambling: Hmm. How about we talk about whether or not to be Team Green? This is was the pregnancy community calls folks who are waiting to find out the sex of the baby when he or she is actually born. We've now, obviously, done it both ways. I'm very glad we went Green with Chicken. We didn't have one of either sex before her so it was nice to have the surprise and also to get really useful gender-neutral gifts at showers. If we hadn't, I'm sure everything would have been pink and this poor little guy would have looked like a girl for years. It also drives folks around you crazy if you're waiting (and some are SURE you know and just aren't telling THEM). But it also makes for a really fun announcement when the baby is born. So I'm pro-Team Green. However, this second time around I knew I'd want to find out. I wanted to know if we were having more of the same. Once I knew he was a he, I'm so glad we did find out in advance because it's taken me awhile to wrap my mind around it. Perhaps the shock would have been too much in August. Regardless, I'm very happy he is a he and that we're Team Blue. (Let me note, if the ultrasound was wrong and he is a she, I'd be happy with that as well.)

(image from thebump.com)