20 weeks

HALFWAY!  Or maybe more!  (or maybe less....).  But it still feels good.  This week we started a search for a new doula.  The doula from our last birth is expecting her own little bundle around the same time so that just would not quite work out.  I think we have found a new one though!  I also had another prenatal appointment.  Can you believe they were like, "you are so healthy we don't need to see you for another 6 weeks."  WHAT?  What happened to having a high-risk pregnancy and being seeing every week?!  This is all so weird to me.  Baby's heartbeat was a healthy 150 beats per minute.  Daddy R felt her kick for the first time!  Now we just need our baby girl #1 to feel her kick (this would make her beyond happy because she kisses, hugs, talks and sings to her all of the time).  And even though Daddy R hates the name I love for this baby, our Baby #1 LOVES the name and has taken to calling her it daily.  Even if this baby gets another name I don't think my name is going anywhere fast....much to her Daddy's dislike.

Halfway and looking (and feeling) oh so tired!

Week 19

I may be feeling a little more movement lately, which is nice and reassuring.  Nothing else is really new.  Hungry all of the time.  I have gained the recommended 10 pounds that is normal for the first 20 weeks.  Now I need to start unpacking all of our boxes to find those girl clothes and baby supplies.  This has not been something I have been excited about doing because once I find the items I will have no place to put them....2 bedroom apartment and a new baby on the way=need more space!!!  Hopefully, we will get some good news about our house hunt sometime soon.  Not because we have anything in the works.  Mostly because I think life owes me some good karma right about now.  Speaking of good karma, did I mention that because of the auto accident I now have chiropractic and massage twice a week?  I think that is the silver lining to being hit by a man with no auto insurance when I'm pregnant, sick, and have my 3yo in the car.  Sorry this post is a stream of consciousness but that's just how I roll.  The last thing I want to share while I'm free associating is that I have the perfect name for the new baby.  A name I am in love with for so many reasons.  The only probably is that Daddy R hates hates HATES the name.  What should I do?  Now, that I have this name I won't like any other name ever.  Oh, problems.

19 Week Bump

"It's....purple?!?!"

It was finally time for our gender ultrasound!  Except, this time around I have to admit it wasn't all that exciting.  Either way, boy or girl, I was good.  I originally thought I would feel sad if they said "boy" and Baby #1 would never get to know what having a sister would be like (and I wouldn't get to re-use all of baby #1's clothing...oohh the memories!) OR a "girl" and I would never know what being a mom to a boy felt like.  But nope.  By the time our appointment rolled around I was seriously fine.  So when the ultrasound tech said: It's a girl! I was like, "Okay."  And that was about it.  I was WAY more concerned that it looked like a healthy baby.  And apparently she looks healthy!  They did mention her head size is in the 7th percentile.  I asked if I should be worried about that and the Dr. was like "Nope, not at all. And by the way, your daughter has a beautiful cerebellum!"  Yes, he actually said that.  So then I just thought pushing out a baby with a little head who is perfectly healthy sounds perfectly wonderful!  As for length, baby is in the 90th percentile.  SO our baby has a pin head and is long like a green bean!  Interesting....  She still doesn't look like baby #1 to me!  I can't wait to see her in person.  The only sort of bad news is that my placenta is super low.  It's not covering the cervix but pretty close to it.  They are hoping it will move up and they said 99% of the time it does....so I am banking on that.  The silver lining to this not so great news is that I get another ultrasound at 32 weeks!  Because seeing my baby again sounds wonderful!  BUT then, I discovered my work has an ultrasound machine so really, I can see my little lady whenever I want...dangerous.

So after all that, we had the job of revealing the gender to our baby #1.  This was actually WAY more fun than finding out for ourselves.  The only problem was that I ordered the cupcakes with the all natural food coloring (colored with berries instead of artificial coloring) and when it was time for the reveal everyone was like, "Yay!  It's...purple...?!?!"  Good thing we found out ahead of time or we would have all been clueless!  My favorite thing baby #1 said: Now I can be Elsa and she can be Ana and we can play Frozen forever.  <3 Sister love.

Here are some baby pics and the gender announcement:

Really hard to get a picture because baby was not feeling very cooperative.  Also, baby was WAY head down.  No wonder I haven't felt movement (every time I see baby she is head down and just completely content).  I don't think she has flipped once! 

This picture cracks me up!  Her mouth is wide open and she looks like a muppet/old person! 

A huge foot!  The ultrasound tech said that at this age her foot length is as big as her leg length!  No wonder! 

Week 18

This was a rough week.  I war rear ended.  The car wasn't going very fast and I thought everything was going to be okay until I woke up the next morning with a very sore back/neck.  Then I started to worry that maybe the car hit me harder than I thought.  And what if it hurt baby?!?!  Thankfully, I had my anatomy ultrasound this week as well so I didn't have to wait long to find out baby is doing just fine!  And to top it off I woke up sick one morning with a bad cold.  That whole sick, sore back from car accident and pregnant combo is just not any fun at all.

In slightly more exciting news I was sitting at the charge nurse station the other night going about my work when I felt something weird in my stomach.  I let out a little "Ahhh!" because it felt so weird.  And then I remembered I was pregnant and things suddenly seemed less weird (I still have to remind myself!).  Turns out the baby was having hiccups!  And I was in love with it.  But it only lasted about one minute and then back to silence.  Still no real movements, which is another reason I was eager for that anatomy ultrasound.  Because at some point you have to wonder, am I really pregnant or do I have a weird growth in my tummy?! Right?

18 Week Belly--are you in there Baby?!?!

Week 17

Still no movement...I mean maybe some possible slight waves and butterflies here and there but nothing like big sister gave me.  Maybe this is my first lesson in not comparing my kids.  The biggest change this week has been my appetite.  OMG.  Food monster over here!  I think baby is definitely having a growth spurt!  If Baby #1 was grown on grapefruit and chocolate then Baby #2 is grown on grilled cheese and hospital jello.  Yep.  I would have liked to grow this baby on Chinese food but that craving had to go out the window because cheap Chinese food is hard to find and good Chinese food does not go with trying to save $$$ to buy a roof for my precious babes.  The other big news...in 1 week we get to find out if we have a little brother or sister!!!  I asked Baby #1 if she wants to bite into a blue cupcake or a pink cupcake.  Her response--neither.  She wants chocolate.  SO excited to know!

17 week bump and I look so tired--I always remember to take this pic right before I'm about to go to bed.  Hence the shiny face covered in moisturizer and the half-awake expression.  Night night!