Twenty.

Preface (can you have a preface to a blog post? I guess this is more like an epilogue on my last post. Either way – I am giving this far too much thought): Thank you very, very much for your kind words, prayers, and support. I felt the love from all over the world and have been blessed with a deep sense of peace, and even joy! in these past few days. Also – I was relieved to get the information in the mail from my midwife. It indicated the problem and the test I was to have. The most beautiful part, though? “Priority: Routine.” A smile broke out of my face when I read that. Routine! That has to mean something good, right?

How far along? 20 weeks, 3 days.

How big is baby? As big as a butternut squash – 10.5 ounces and 10 inches tall (or long, but that sounds a little odd – I know babies are measured in length but it sounds WEIRD.). Apparently the baby was being measured from its head to bottom and is now going to be measured from head to heel. It feels odd to think about nearly a FOOT of baby inside of me. Woah.

Total weight gain: + 7 lbs. (My BabyCenter email this week said, “You’ve probably gained 10 lbs by now.” I screamed at my computer, “I AM TRYING!” and then ate a brownie.)

Maternity Clothes? Check out my new jeans from Gap. LOVE. Love so much I will never take them off. Except to go to work and sleep. I love the way they look – it doesn’t hurt that Mike tells me they make my boot-ay look fine. (Okay, so maybe he didn’t say it exactly like that.) A stretchy waist is seriously the stuff of miracles – they are comfortable and hide my muffin top. Win.

Stretch marks? No. But I did remove my belly button ring because it was poking out through my shirts quite a bit since my belly button is nearly flat. So odd.

Sleep: I had a dream two nights ago that my sisters and I were hanging out; my belly started visibly wiggling and shaking because the baby was moving so much. My sisters were completely freaked out. I woke up and the baby was indeed kicking like crazy. At three in the morning. I also have started waking up out of hunger in the middle of the night a bit more again. Pregnancy is weird, man.

Movement: I love that I can feel him kick whenever I want – I just have to wait a few minutes and pay attention. It’s mostly kicks – sometimes soft and sometimes not so soft – but I swear I felt an elbow or knee the other day. It was so bony and sharp! This is probably my favorite thing about pregnancy so far – feeling the baby move and kick inside of me. I love it. So much.

Food cravings: A brownie with frozen yogurt. Cheese with crackers. Cheese with fruit. Cheese with cheese.
What I miss: Not worrying about something ALL THE TIME. I figured being a parent would mean I’d worry about a lot of things – but I didn’t realize it was going to be like this already.

What I am looking forward to: Obviously, our ultrasound next week – getting some answers and figuring out what is going on with the little one. Optimistically, I’m looking forward to being a bit less worried.

Milestones: Uh…First Bad News? First time I haven’t been treated like I have a normal first pregnancy? Does this count as a milestone? How about emailing the WHOLE SCHOOL to tell them, yes, I am pregnant and, no, my giant stomach isn’t a recent weight gain? How about talking to my work about things like maternity leave and my work schedule next year for the FIRST TIME? It was a week of scary milestones, I think.

Oh, and THIS: Did you know your nose bleeds more often while pregnant? True story. It’s because of extra blood now in your body and the resulting swollen blood vessels. It’s pretty fun, the stuff they don’t tell you beforehand. I will be the bearer of weird pregnancy news, my friends who have never been pregnant. It’s a bizarre land and I will be your guide. You’re welcome.