halfway

I am currently in the 20th week of this pregnancy, and it's become visibly obvious that we're adding another to our crew:

People often ask me how I'm feeling, and my usual reply is "mostly fine." Which is completely true. The nausea of the first trimester seems a thing of the distant past, I'm still sleeping relatively well (thank you, Memory Foam), and even though I tire out more easily, I can still summon enough energy to function on a daily basis.

But even so, I'm starting to sense that the second trimester "honeymoon" will be coming to an end soon. My middle has grown enough to shove my stomach and lungs out of the way, making eating and breathing more of a challenge than a pleasure; I often get thrown off guard by searing sciatica nerve pain and obnoxious ligament pain; and the Braxton-Hicks contractions I'm so prone to have begun, though, thankfully, not yet in earnest. Oh, and let's not forget the early stages of Not Being Able to Bend Over. That's probably my favorite.

I fully plan to make the most of these next several weeks of "mostly fine" before they start to make themselves scarce. And besides, this baby's movements tickle me in the most intimately charming way, and what's not to enjoy about that?

Last week I went in for the 20 week anatomy ultrasound scan. The whole family came because historically this has been the appointment with the best images, including a few in 3D. Unfortunately the baby was a little uncooperative, and the tech was unable to take some critical measurements of both his heart and face. Which on the one hand means we didn't get to see much, but on the other means we get to go back for a follow-up in a few weeks, so that's another thing to look forward to.

Overall, this pregnancy has been racing by, likely because, with so many other little ones in my life to think about and care for, I haven't been able to sit down for much of it. But seeing as one of those little ones is napping and the other two are outside "scootering" with their dad, I think I will go take advantage of this unusually quiet moment by curling up on my bed.