Halfway!

This is my weekly pregnancy update. For details on the story behind these updates you can visit my first one here.

Halfway.  This is a very big week for us!  For us this is the equivalent of most people's "12 week safety zone".  We found out Joshua and Caleb had died at 20 weeks 5 days and they were born silently at 20 weeks 6 days.  This is the week we long to get through.  After this week we start to breathe a little easier.  I'm very familiar with all that can wrong even after this point in pregnancy because I have many friends who made it much farther only to be left empty handed but I think this is the most real to me.  I know that there really isn't a true "safe zone" in pregnancy or in life for that matter.

This week pregnancy feels very real to me and I haven't been forgetting I'm pregnant as much as I have up until now.  I just praise God that He has given me one perfectly healthy little boy to keep me distracted from worrying but I am also SO grateful that God has given me an understanding of how truly blessed we are with Case and with each day that this baby is growing inside of me.



Pregnancy Play-by-play

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby J is the size of a cantaloupe (that sounds big to me).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1.5 pounds - Halloween/Case's Birthday weren't good to me!

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans and T-shirt, "The Suit" or sweatpants pretty much take care of my wardrobe these days.

Gender: BOY!!! We're officially playing the name game so feel free to share your suggestions.

Movement: I'm feeling more and more movement but I definitely have to be sitting still and focusing on it so I usually only feel him after Case is in bed.

Sleep: I've been SO tired the last few days!!!  Case's birthday party on Saturday really did a number on me. I still don't feel like I've recovered from it.  I'm absolutely exhausted to sleep hasn't been too bad this week!

Cravings: I have no idea!  Nothing sounds extra good to me until I get to the kitchen and taste it, or if I'm walking through the grocery and I'm hungry... then EVERYTHING sounds good!  Or if Wayne is eating it... something about him eating it makes me want it.  That might not be pregnancy related though... that's pretty much true all the time!  The problem with my cravings is that they last for a fleeting moment.  By the time I put together what sounded good I don't want it anymore.  This is bad because I only look for things that are already ready, which usually means bad for me!

Symptoms: My back is a problem right now.  I've dealt with back issues for years off and on.  The only thing that seems to help prevent me from it totally going out (I'm talking "mom is taking off work to take care of Case" bad) is exercise.  It certainly keeps me motivated to exercise but sometimes I forget how bad the back pain can be and then my exercise lapses.  This week God gave me a reminder without taking me totally out of the game.  I've quickly found my way back to exercising this week.  A HUGE thanks to Sarah for keeping me  motivated!  She's always willing to walk with me!!!  Somehow me heading out for a walk in my neighborhood never seems like a good idea.  I need to walk with someone so that I forget how much I would rather be doing something else.    

Best Moment this week:  Spending time with my cousin, who is also pregnant with her second baby.  Although she is still crazy, she isn't quite as crazy as me because her babies will be about 22 months apart.  It is just nice to have someone else going through some of the same things like figuring out whether you buy a second crib or kick the current baby out of theirs and buy a toddler bed.  Somehow she makes me feel like I might not be completely insane (thanks Steph)!