20 Weeks: Halfway Through!

My first chalk board.

This week I reached the “halfway” mark through my pregnancy. It has gone by so fast- I think because I did not suffer through many of the difficulties that some women experience. I have not had any nausea or throwing up due to “pregnancy sickness” (I won’t call it morning sickness since it often comes any time of the day for women), no heart burn, or other weird symptoms.  



I didn’t really show for many weeks, as this is my first pregnancy (as we often show later than experienced mothers), and I actually was still losing weight. I think this was due to maintaining my regular exercise routine, and not eating more than normal- the caloric costs of making a baby alone were using up some of my energy reserves. However, in the last 2-3 weeks, I’ve gained some weight and have definitely “popped.”

What do you think of my bump?!

We have been taking weekly belly pictures, but it wasn’t until last weekend that I found a really cute chalk board, and I decided to jump on the creative bandwagon and make some signs to go along with some of the belly pictures. 

I found this Africa shaped chalk board when I attended this year’s Kamers VolGeskenke (new post to follow, see last year's trip here and here.) and couldn’t resist it. It came with white chalk, but I bought a pack of colored chalk to liven things up. Creating the board was a little time consuming for my novice abilities and perfectionist tendencies, but it was still fun. I actually did a Google search, “20 week pregnancy chalk boards,” for inspiration to help me. 

The Bump and Baby Center say this:

Source.

“Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).”

Pregnancy Tracking Questions

How far along: 20 weeks

Size of Baby: Cantaloupe.

Sleep: Through the night- if I wake it’s because of hubby!

Maternity clothes: A few shirts brought over from Target. I use the Bella Band with my regular pants.

Stretch marks: Not yet.

Best moment this week: Going to my Anatomy scan (future post)!

Miss anything: Salmon sushi.

Movement: Really picked up this week. Had been feeling flutters for two weeks.

Cravings:  None.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Belly button in or out: In.

Looking forward to: Meeting my little girl!

Song of the Post: Love Train by The O'Jay's. I hate to admit it, but the first time I heard this song was in a Gap commercial. Where were you when you first heard it?