20 Weeks Pt. 2

Although I'm happy that I've reached the halfway point of this pregnancy, I'm also a little sad. Mostly because I don't think Paul and I will have more than 2 children (never say never) and that this will potentially be my last time being pregnant and delivering a child.
I'll never have 1st trimester morning sickness again.
I'll never hear that first heartbeat again.
And I'll never feel those first flutters again. But even if I never experience these things again, I'll always be able to reminisce.
I sometimes wonder if my children will enjoy hearing about their births?

Speaking of...my newest nephew was born last weekend. We went to see him and he is just adorable. I was holding him for a while and it made me remember what it was like to be a new mom. I enjoy being pregnant but I can't wait to hold my lil' bean. It's an amazing feeling that you can't compare to anything else. So congratulations to my sister-in-law and her hubby on the safe and healthy arrival of their little angel.

As for things on the home front, we acquired a new BBQ just in time for the season. It's actually pretty monstrous. I haven't taken a picture of it yet but I will. It looks like two BBQ's welded together. One side is for propane use, and the other is strictly charcoal. It really is a man's grill. And of course the food that comes off it is delicious!

And with a good BBQ dinner comes dessert. Sour dessert! Only I didn't get to enjoy my daily grapefruit for most of the week because I didn't end up going to the Citrus Truckload Sale in Bolton. At the time I figured it really wasn't worth it but now I'm beginning to regret not going. I was at the grocery store and saw that their grapefruit wasn't nearly as big (or juicy?) as the ones off the truck. I left them there in hopes that another store would carry larger (and juicier?) ones.

So as Paul and I sat down in front of the TV for the evening (me sans grapefruit), he put in a movie and that's when it happened. Our Blu-ray player got busted. So sad, I know. The only hope for us now is moving the Playstation from the bedroom to the living room every time we want to watch a Blu-ray on the couch. I don't know exactly what to do with the player now. I'm sure we could get it fixed but is it really worth fixing? Maybe buying a used one would be a better option instead of getting a new one? Who knows, but for now we'll be using the PS3.

Towards the end of this week, I began really feeling my lil' bean moving around. It's what I've been waiting for since I found out I was pregnant and to me, it's a huge part of carrying a child. Usually during the first trimester you have to remind yourself that you really are growing a little human. And that the morning sickness isn't part of some illness you've suddenly come across. But those first few flutters that lead to more definable movement really makes it all worth it. So when the lil' bean starts moving I'm really trying to enjoy it since it will most likely be my last time feeling it. And all this movement made me remember that I haven't taken any decent belly shots. So some time in the following week I have to make time to do it. I find myself looking back to Pauly's belly shots and comparing them to my now growing belly. Sometimes I can't believe how different things are this time around.

Speaking of my growing belly, this week my lil' bean is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks the little one had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough that the legs are included in the measurements. So the new length is 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 this build up of meconium. Sounds yucky but I got lucky the first time around. Paul was the one who changed Pauly's diaper for the first week so by the time I got to it, I wasn't changing any meconium filled diapers! Maybe this time my dear husband will be kind enough to help out in the same way (wink wink!) :)

18 Weeks Pt. 2

I'd like to start off by saying that I've finally experienced the pregnancy cravings that everyone keeps asking about. With Pauly it was different. I usually though of something I'd like to have, went out to get it and I was satisfied. Not so this time around.

It all started when I spotted a grapefruit at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. It looked too delicious to leave behind so I bought 2 of them. Now, I've always liked grapefruit but, before this lil' bean I usually thought of it as an alternative to oranges. You know...I've had the sweet now let's have the sour. Well, after eating that first grapefruit I've never craved anything so bad. It's a good thing that these big sour balls are good for you because if they were filled with cocoa and sugar (aka chocolate), I'd be ruined. I had to force myself not to eat that second one right after the first. Instead I had it for breakfast the next morning. Then I had to deal with wanting another one and not having any in the house. So I called Paul and like the fantastic husband that he is, he stopped at the grocery store and brought home 2 more.

I paced them out this time. Only because there was a Citrus Truckload Sale happening that coming Wednesday. What is a Citrus Truckload Sale you ask? Exactly what it sounds like. A truck full of boxes containing navel oranges and ruby red grapefruit. The next logical question is how much is in a box? Well you can either purchase 20 lbs of oranges, or 20 lbs of grapefruit. Can you guess which one I bought? If you guessed grapefruit than you win. And what would you be winning? Nothing. Except for maybe a good laugh. After all, what am I going to do with 20 lbs of grapefruit? Well, I shared it. Actually I split the box with my sister. So over the last 4 days I've been having one grapefruit a day and my craving is still going strong. So next time (as embarrassing as this might be), I think I'll keep the entire box to myself because 10 lbs of grapefruit only gives you about 8 juicy, sour globes of goodness! The only problem...I think Wednesday was the last truckload sale for the season in our area. The next closest sale is about 50 minutes east of me. Is it worth it? We'll see once I polish off these last few grapefruits!

A few days before Good Friday my sister-in-law was telling me that the Real Canadian Superstore was having a sale at their photo studio. We decided to take Pauly and Logan in for some shots. They seemed to of had a good time (especially Logan) and the pictures will be a good keepsake of their first Easter together. The one down fall is that the special only included 5 minutes in front of the camera and we couldn't get Pauly to smile. Oh well. Maybe next year we'll get a group shot of all four cousins. I can just emagin how cute those pictures will be.

I also went to see the Midwife this week. They offered to do some extra exams since I haven't seen my family doctor in over a year. I quickly agreed since I like my midwives much more than my GP. Everything checked out fine. Thyroid feels fine, no lumps, no abnormal swelling in the abdomen, no varicose veins and my reflexes are ship shape. And then there's the usual bloodpressure and fetal heartrate check. All is good.
This week my lil' bean is the size of a bell pepper. All the organs are in place and will be getting more mature here on out. His/her translucent skin is now covered in lanugo and vernix will soon be on the way. The skin has actually formed into two layers this week, the epidermis and the dermis. Taste buds are starting to form and the bones are continuing to harden.