baby b at 20 weeks

aaron and i got to spend a little face time with baby b today! we had our 20 week doctor's appointment this morning. this appointment is a big deal for a couple of reasons. first of all, it is the halfway mark of my pregnancy. it's hard to believe that the journey is halfway over and that the major changes are still ahead.

secondly, at 20 weeks, the doctor does the big scan of the little one to see how things are growing. i have been anxiously anticipating this scan for awhile because all we want in the whole world is a healthy baby. they check the heart, the liver, the spine, the stomach, the bladder, the brain, the fingers, toes, bones, lips and length and weight. they also check for gender but we opted out of that part of the scan because we are keeping it a surprise.

the very first view we got of baby b today was of his or her very strong heart. all four chambers of it. this mama let out a big sigh of relief to see that little muscle in all of its glory, beating away in our little one's chest! matter of factly, i am still smiling about it. as the scan progressed we saw the most adorable little lips, the cutest little feet and hands and what is shaping up to be the most adorable little face. baby b is in the 50% percentile for length and weight which was a relief. we have an average size little human on our hands! the thought of delivering a little giant is pretty scary! i personally think that baby b's nose looks like mine but we will have to wait and see in person in just 20 more weeks!

as for me, things are progressing nicely. still no weight gain which also makes this mama quite happy! my "bump" is what i would have complained about before as just my regular ol' chubby tummy is getting firmer by the day. you can't see it if you look at me but i let aaron take some shots of it this weekend for the record book. i am not rushing the bump because i am happy to still wear my regular clothes and the baby is just fine so all is well in that category.

aaron and i are going to begin working on the nursery very soon. we have lots of creative ideas and can't wait for it all to come together. 20 weeks might be a lot of weeks to some people but i know they are going to fly by!

baby b at 20 weeks

me and baby b

i have been itching to blog about baby b since we found out about our little miracle back in late september. where does the time go? i was just thinking last night that i can't believe i have been pregnant for 18 weeks, 4 1/2 months. it's crazy!

so here i am, 18 weeks and a few days pregnant, just now sharing my thoughts about this journey. i have been keeping a weekly notebook for baby b where i write down things i am feeling and changes we are going through so at least my thoughts are somewhere.

aaron and i first got to see baby b when our little one was just five weeks old. i was having a lot of problems and the doctor wanted to see us to make sure that we were both ok. i will never ever forget the moment when the sonogram tech looked on the screen for the heartbeat. not breathing, i was overwhelmed by the amount of love i already had for our little miracle. the second she showed us the beating heart, i felt tears running out of my eyes. there it was, a real, live, heartbeat. something that aaron and i created. it's so amazing!

baby b at five weeks...so tiny

that appointment was followed by bed rest...five whole days of it! wow...that was interesting for someone who has a very hard time sitting still!

we have obviously gone back for appointments regularly. 8 weeks...12 weeks...16 weeks...

baby b at 12 weeks

then last week...trouble returned. i had a really rough week with a lot of pain. the doctor recommened i try to wear a maternity band. this is basically a fancy word for girdle. that was attractive! it helped with some of hte round ligament pain but not all of it and it kept getting worse. finally on friday, i had to go into the doctor to check on baby b. aaron is working out of town and will be until the end of march which made me even more nervous. luckliy, we have a wonderful group of friends here in savannah and my friend susan was able to come along to the appointment with me.

we had another sonogram and everything checked out great with baby b. our little one is growing nicely and weighs 8oz. already! he or she has REALLY long legs and REALLY big feet. not sure where that is coming from. the doctor checked me next and ladies...if you have never had a baby before, let me tell you, OUCHEEEWAAAWAAAA! but the good news, everything was fine. just a little infection that some meds would clear up. the best part of the whole appointment was being able to see baby b on an unexpected friday afternoon.

here is the thing...i know many people will disagree but being pregnant is so amazing. in the quiet moments when it is just me and baby b, i am in complete awe of the fact that a little heart is beating inside me. a little person growing and growing. God is so amazing! two people who love each other can make a little miracle. it's just the most amazing thing in the whole world. i looked at aaron over lunch on saturday, tears in my eyes and said, "i just love him so much already!" (we call him, him even though we don't know if it is a girl or a boy yet because it is easier. we are not going to find out until baby b makes his or her grand entrance into the world. we just hope for a healthy brain, a healthy spine and all of fingers and toes in place!)

at 18 weeks pregnant, i feel amazing! i have not gained a single pound and i am still swimming at least a mile most days of the week. i am healthier then i have ever been and besides being a little tired, i really have nothing to complain about. i have not really started to show and i am still wearing all of my regular clothes and still have to wear belt on my jeans from all of the weight i have lost over the past year. i spent a lot of time preparing my body for this monumental task.

last night when i was getting ready to go to bed, like i do everynight, i thanked God for this amazing experience. what a blessing aaron and i have been given. we are going to be parents and we can't wait! there are so many things we want to teach baby b and so many places we want to show him or her! but, until the time comes for baby b to meet the real world, i am happy to keep our little miracle nestled safely and to enjoy the quiet moments when it is just me and baby b.