But from here on out it'll be a different kind of journey. With each passing day I can feel my lil' bean getting stronger. Each movement has been more defined and he/she has definitely put on weight. It won't be another 20 weeks wondering how my lil' bean is doing. Instead, it'll be 20 weeks of feeling flips, kicks, and maybe even hiccups. There won't be a moment where I'll be wondering if there really is a baby in there! Also, my conversations won't go unnoticed any longer, along with daddy's. The two of us have been constantly speaking to our lil' bean over the last few weeks and it's comforting to me knowing that he/she can hear us now. It's amazing to think our voices will be how our baby will recognize mom & dad once we're able to hold him/her in our arms.
Next week will also be exciting for Paul & I. We're having our anatomy scan and we'll get to see our growing lil' bean again. Hopefully the computer screen won't be turned away the entire time but that all depends on the technician. The appointment will be an hour long and I'd love to see how my baby's been developing. This scan will show the brain, the heart and all other organs. We'll be sure that he/she has ten fingers and toes, along with healthy lungs and a spinal cord that is well developed. There are so many things to check for but the exciting part about it is that we'll hopefully know if our lil' bean is a boy or girl!
After all this excitement I know I'm going to need a break. That's why Paul & I have decided to go on a baby moon! Nothing fancy, just a week away, up north. We haven't booked a cottage yet but we've got 4 to choose from. I'm really looking foreword to sitting in front of a fire reading, playing a board game, watching the snow fall, feeling the baby move around, or just napping! And Paul will gladly drop what he's doing to feel the baby again. His face lit up the first time he felt it and it seemed he really couldn't believe what was going on.
Some of the not so good things of the week include sleeping, and trips to the bathroom :( My hips are still sore during the night and I've taken to using a pillow between my knees to alleviate some of the pain. It helps but when I switch sides, the pillow doesn't follow. I find myself being conscious of repositioning the pillow when I flip which causes some breaks in my sleep. Which of course isn't good for the bladder! I'm usually getting up twice a night to use the bathroom. And during the day it's even worse. Every two hours or so I heading to the loo. And standing up from a sitting position doesn't help either. But I guess I should be saving my complaints for later...
And what about my precious package you ask?? He/she is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks my lil' bean had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough and the legs are included in the measurements. So my lil' bean is now 10 inches head to heel! About the size of a banana. He/she is swallowing more which is great practice for the digestive system. The amniotic fluid being swallowed contains old cells, lanugo, bile and other things the baby has excreted. All this won't hurt my lil' bean but instead causes meconium to start building up in the bowels. This will go on for the next 20 weeks and his/her first poop will be meconium. Yucky you say but I'm the one who'll have to clean it!
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