The Halftime Show!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my pleasure to proudly present this pregnancy's Halftime Spectacular! 

A before and after, perhaps? 

The above picture was taken when Mister & I were dating. This was late July 2012.

This is obviously me now.
*ahem*
Wait...that's not right...

Oh...wait...no, that's not accurate either...

There we go! This is me at 10 weeks pregnant.

Aaaaannnddd...this is me at 20 weeks pregnant!! I'd say there's definitely a difference there...wouldn't you?

Noodle Is the Size Of?

A BANANA!!!

Beginning at 20 weeks, the baby is no longer measured from Crown to Rump as before. Going forward, Noodle is measured from Head to Toe. Which means...Noodle is approximately 10 inches long! WHAT WHAT!? Yep, you heard me.... 10 whole inches long from head to heel! If you want to lose your mind today, get out a ruler and look at that! WOAH! Noodle is also roughtly 10.6 oz today.

Which just happens to be how much this can of hairspray weighs...as comparison.

Also this week, Noodle is gulping down pretty drastic amounts of amniotic fluid everyday, as well as working on that meconium stuff that will make for a fabulous first diaper. Noodle's genitals are also fully formed, so he or she is now a he or she! Just remember folks, we're NOT finding out what Noodle is until we can hold him or her in our arms...so there's no use asking us...

Maternity Clothes?
They're pretty much all I wear now. I'm still stuck wearing some of my "normal" tees, though, because NOWHERE IN GRAYS HARBOR has any maternity tee shirts. *sigh*

Stretch Marks?
Not as of yet...

Sleep?
This is going to be an all pregnancy joke on me, I'm sure.
...and I'm still waiting on my maternity pillow. We haven't ordered it yet, but I am SO excited!

Symptoms?
Heartburn has decided to rear it's ugly head more often now. I pretty much get heartburn from just sitting down or standing up or drinking water and breathing the air.
Indigestion is in there, too. What joy pregnancy is!
My energy is returning somewhat during the day, but not completely. As of now I have about 5 good hours in me, then I hit a wall and have a hard time just holding a conversation. So far, a couple people have been victim to my mid-day ramblings and have even pointed out that I probably need a good nap.
Swelling, swelling and more swelling! Ugh! When I was pregnant with Boo, I swelled considerably. To the point that the nurses used to giggle at my kankles when I'd go in for my appointments. I was hoping not to repeat that with this pregnancy, but it seems to be my impending fate. Yay!
And yes, I'm experiencing a very ucky shortness of breath that's common to this stage in pregnancy. As my uterus pushing up on my lungs I am finding it harder and harder to catch my breath.
Dizziness is still very present as well. I stagger around like a drunken pirate fairly regularly.

 

Best Moment of the Week?

Date night with Mister was definitely the highlight of my week. While other good things DID happen, quite a few of them actually, it was spending some much-needed time with my guy that made everything else worth while. He's a great date! And I haven't laughed that hard in YEARS. 

Movement?

There has been A LOT of movement this week. 

In fact, Noodle woke me up from a deep sleep earlier this week with all the kicks in there! Sheesh!

Food Cravings?
Unfortunately, nothing sounds good again this week. I'm STARVING, I assure you, but every time Mister offers to make, cook or run for anything my little heart desires, I can't tell him what I want. Nothing sounds amazing.
Except hot wings last night after the pizza place closed. Those sounded good...

Food Aversions?
Not much in this category this week, either. Maybe sweets. Twinkies make me a bit nauseous.

Am I Showing?
Yes. Yes I am.
STILL no strangers asking when I'm due, though. I'm waiting for that day..

Belly Button?
Still doing alright.

Ring?
I'm managing to keep a ring on my finger, though sometimes it's getting rather difficult.

Looking Forward To?
I can't even tell you how excited I am about tomorrow's ultrasound! It's the big one that takes forever. We're going to get a GOOD LOOK at Noodle and I can't wait to see him or her dancing around in there. Oh...I'm just bubbling with excitement!!

Miscellaneous Updates:
It's crazy to think that I'm halfway done with this pregnancy. It seems like just yesterday I stared wide-eyed at that test, holding my breath until I got dizzy. This first half has absolutely FLOWN by and I know from experience that the second half is even faster. It's going to be made even MORE quick by the holiday season that is approaching right around the corner. Those make the end of every year fly by. So before we know it, we'll be holding our beautiful Noodle and entering the next exciting chapter in our lives.

Speaking of halfway through, all of you out there who are anxiously awaiting an invitation to a baby shower are going to be mildly disappointed. We've decided to opt out of having a baby shower all together. Instead, we'll be hosting a more traditional southern Sip n' See after the Noodle is born. (Sip and See's are becoming a growing trend these days and are as variable as the parents themselves, but you know me...I like almost every party to have a southern charm.)

A Sip n' See is an afternoon event that takes place some time after the birth of a child. Traditionally, there are various beverages served by the host (that's the "Sip" part) and people are invited to come see the new baby (that's the "See" part). Gifts are not mandatory, but easier to shop for since everyone will be well aware of the sex of the baby, as well as what we may still need. This also allows everyone an opportunity to see the new baby and catch up with us without feeling the pressure to visit us in the hospital, or show up unannounced at our home. Now our friends and family can relax and choose to wait until the Sip n' See, rather than try to cram a visit into a very busy time, especially since Noodle is due just after the long holiday season.

Mister and I are looking rather forward to seeing everyone at the Sip n' See. Invitations will be sent out accordingly. If you have any questions regarding this event, please feel free to get in touch with me directly.

That being said, I'd also like to say that I'm going to begin posting here more than once a week. As the second half of this crazy pregnancy advances, so will the plans and preparations. It seems every week someone asks me about our nursery space, and now that I'm beginning to feel more up to the task, I'm going to begin putting that together and posting updates of it here. I'll also be posting other random things to keep everyone up to date. So I'll apologize for blowing up your blogroll now, but my readers have asked for more...and so more they shall have! Ta-da!

Alright, I'd better get back to the Christmas projects I'm working on. (This SAHM intends to be very, very prepared this year so her very, very pregnant self isn't in a holiday panic! I am putting myself on self-directed bedrest the last week of December until after the New Year, for some very important reasons and I'm NOT about to be diverted from that plan by being unprepared...) Holiday projects, here I come!!

Until next time, friends...