Halfway

Sometime in the night last night I passed the 20 week mark on my pregnancy. That means I’m halfway there! YIPEEEEE! Although that also means, holy fuck – I’m halfway there!

The other night I was sleeping and I guess I was on my back and my belly was exposed (I was probably scratching it when I fell asleep) and G said all of a sudden it moved like I was being donkey kicked from the inside. DUDE! I WAS! The baby’s all over the place now and Georgie still hasn’t had a really good feel, but at least he could SEE it.

Someone said in the comments the other day that I seem to be enjoying the pregnancy now and I have to say it’s true. I get all emotional when I think about it, but I just love feeling my baby move inside me. And I’m loving the changes in my body. My boobs may be huge, but they’re matching up nicely with my growing belly. I actually feel kind of sexy in a whale-ish type of way. And man can I dance now! We were listening to some 2PAC the other day and I could shake that booty like never before! Guess it’s all those loose ligaments! How do YOU want it? [WARNING: link NOT work appropriate.]

And yesterday I was able to satisfy a fantastically intense craving: bagels and fish. Specifically, a bagel with cream cheese and baked salmon. From Murray’s. MMMMMMMM. So good. It didn’t even give me indigestion!

I’ve made some progress with my knitting as well. Last night I was able to fix my mistake and figure out a better way of reading the chart. Now I can glance at it and know where I am without having to count boxes and stuff. Really, not brain surgery, but my hormone laden brain can’t handle much these days. I hope to have a progress picture for you soon, but two rows a day doesn’t make for a lot of progress.

Tomorrow is our big ultrasound! I’m excited about it, yes, but I’m also a bit bummed. I know that I’m not going to be able to see half of it at least. The techs at the hospital where we go are very SERIOUS about their jobs. Not that that’s a bad thing, but my head sits BEHIND the screen while they take their measurements which means I can’t see squat. It’s only when the doctor comes in will she turn it to face us. I know I shouldn’t complain because I just want everything to be healthy and all, but really – I want to see my baby! That shouldn’t be a big deal. Everyone else I know gets to watch their baby the whole time. I guess I’ll just have to be content with watching G watch the baby. Again.

I’ll report back tomorrow – but no, we’re still not finding out the sex.
Have a good one!
L, C

Comments

  1. I love reading the excitement in your posts. I am so happy for you.

  2. Wanda in AR says

    Glad the puking is stopping.

  3. You’ll be feeding the little one bagels in person in what will seem like the blink of an eye. You heard it here first! Blue skies!

  4. Ask G to hold up a largish mirror behind the tech’s head so you can watch too! I bet that wouldn’t interfere with anything.

  5. I’m so happy for you! And I have to say, I’m happy you aren’t finding out the sex. I know, to each his own, but my sister-in-law wanted to know the sexes of her twins and my brother didn’t, so they didn’t find out. She said she was so glad she didn’t afterall, because the surprise was so nice. She still sometimes gets choked up talking about it (15+ months later.)

  6. LOL! Booty-shaker!
    And good for you for not looking to find out the sex of your baby! There are so few genuine surprises in life, might as well take advantage of the big one!

  7. Yay! This makes me soo happy! Have fun tomorrow seeing the baby!

  8. Ultrasound technology being quite hi res these days, you will want the technician who finally shows you the screen to put their hand where the telling organ may (or may not) be or you might find out simply by looking. Enjoy the view!

  9. I’m a regular lurker, loving the baby talk as much as the knitting! So, just thought I’d float an idea. I can tell you’re the kind of chic who thinks her days of nudie photos are long past, but I think naked photos/paintings, tastefully done, of a big pregnant woman are so fantastic… great way to document this time in your life, great idea for a special, private present for your Georgie.
    My 11 y.o. was an in vitro baby, long awaited, so your story is extra special for me.

  10. My ultrasound was videotaped. All we had to do was bring a blank to the exam, and then we got to have it at home forevah! Wouldn’t hurt to ask. 🙂

  11. I had to argue to get the tech to let Michael come in for the whole thing – dude, we want our money’s worth. We’ve had tons at this point, the tech likes him now.
    PS I’ve had great luck with gap maternity (they do free returns) for clothes – pants in particular. I couldn’t tell you before because I was in Secret Keeping Mode.

  12. Hi Cara – Congratulations on making it halfway and on feeling so much better!!! that’s so awesome! I can’t even imagine how you made it through all that time feeling sick. I’m not quite a 1/4 of the way through and I still feel nauseous most of the time – even with the medication. At least it isn’t so bad as yours actually throwing up all the time, but I don’t know how you did it. My hat’s off to you, with all kinds of appropriate flourishes and everything! Have fun at the ultrasound, and bring a videotape or DVD-R if you can! 😀

  13. Make sure you tell them very clearly you DO NOT want to know the gender. So many people want to know that some just assume you would too. Congrats on being halfway done! For some reason, pregnancy time isn’t constant. I’m now 37 weeks and the last 4 weeks have gone by like molasses. I’m very lucky that I felt great the first trimester and everything has been pretty normal and easy for me. But this last trimester really has been tough with the extra weight, the sleeplessness, the tiredness, the belly getting in the way. I can’t wait for this baby to come out!!!

  14. So glad to hear the endless puking has eased … and halfway through is such a milestone!! Congratulations on making it thus far – I hope the rest of your pregnancy is a lot easier for you than the first half 😉
    Our ultrasound lab had the option of bringing in a video or blank CD to record – moving pics for the video, stills onto the CD. I’d ring up and see if your place does the same thing, at least then you’d be able to watch it all at home.
    And if you don’t want to know the gender, tell the tech and/or doctor *clearly* before he/she gets settled in … many just assume everyone wants to know and blurt it out without asking. Our doc was good though – he did ask first, but we wanted to find out 😉

  15. Wheeee! I miss being pregnant. 🙂

  16. I love feeling my babies kick inside me! Yay for being halfway there!

  17. 🙂 If you’re eating bagels and salmon, that’s a good sign. I’ve just hit 16 weeks, and I’m not so much for the fish, but Thai – that’s my weakness. Maybe if I start eating fish, I’ll start feeling some kicks? 😉
    Good luck with the u/s tomorrow – we’ll be thinking of you.

  18. I am looking forward to hearing about your ultrasound experience! I still remember both of my kids’ ultrasounds, although not as clearly as I would like. I think the excitement of it all made me sort of “out of the moment”–I do that more than I care to admit.
    I do remember that I drank some apple juice right before to get both babies zooming on sugar. Maybe that’s bad advice, but it certainly made them nice and active for the camera 🙂

  19. Congrats on the halfway mark! Feeling the baby–and seeing him or her move is the best part. It amazed me to see all that movement. I was able to compare how Andrew moved out of utero to how he moved when he was in utero. He still sleeps in the same position as when he was inside. It is cool! Enjoy the pictures you get from the ultrasound. You will treasure seeing that little human developing inside. My favorite ones I got were of his little feet and hands. So cute! Enjoy every minute!!! I’m so happy for you!

  20. Halfway? Lucky girl! But the best is yet to come! Best FO imaginable. Ditto on the advice to gently remind the tech you don’t want to know the gender. If I may, though, I do want to put in a good word for those “serious” techs who don’t turn the screen so you can see it. (Full disclosure: my husband is a sonographer.) Hospitals have formal “protocols” for all diagnostic ultrasounds, and the techs are probably just scanning the way their dept. head, radiologists, and doctors have dictated they scan. That said, every site is different. At my husband’s hospital, no one but the patient can be in the room until the diagnostic portion of the exam is over, then family members can come in and take a look. Boy, does this get some dads steamed! So give ’em some slack, ’cause I’m sure they’d love to show you if they could. There’s nothing they like seeing more than a healthy babe and a happy mom!

  21. I’m glad you are feeling better and enjoying the baby now, yay!
    I think it’s cool to not know the gender until birth. It’s more fun that way.

  22. I love the sound of this happy and pregnant you!
    And you just reminded me, you passed the half way point of your pregnancy and I passed the half way point of my life that I have been a parent today. After this I will always have been a parent longer than I have not. Wow.

  23. how freaked out are you going to be when she turns that screen and the baby looks just like …… ME!

  24. Congrats 🙂 So do you know if it is a boy or a girl yet?

  25. Oh the glory days of being pregnant! I’m so happy that you’re there!

  26. Oh the glory days of pregnancy! I’m so happy that you’re there!

  27. Just please promise me that when your baby is born and you become the mother of a precious child that you will stop saying things like “Holy fuck.” It’s not something a small child should hear and it is something they will repeat if they do hear it.

  28. im a grade A lurker here but I just had to comment…
    this post brought a huge smile to my face from ear to ear. i think you’re somehow transmitting your pregnancy glow over the internet! hopefully one day ill feel the way you do now =)

  29. Yay for you. I miss being pregnant. And yay to you for standing up to the outside pressure of “So, what are you having??????” and NOT finding out. I’ve gone both ways (no that THAT way), and I have to say, I liked it better not knowing. There’s something to that big surprise at the end of all that work. And then, when they give you that baby, and you look into it’s little eyes, suddenly you realize that you don’t even CARE what the sex is! It’s your baby! Great, now I’m tearing up. Side note, I saw a great t-shirt over at cafepress.com that reminded me of you, as little as I know you. It was something like … Yes, I’m pregnant. No, you may not touch my belly. I’m due on (whatever date) and we’re not finding out the sex. I thought, how great is that? Answers all those pesky questions right off the bat. Enjoy the ultrasound, what you can see of it. Any chance of pic’s?

  30. Yay for loving being pregnant! I’m glad to hear that it’s more enjoyable these days!
    Did you ever get around to giving out the Spin Out prizes? I just got a Thank You from Heifer which reminded me that I hadn’t heard about the outcome of the raffles.

  31. Just a lurker. Enjoying the reminders of that period of my life. My oldest is 14 and there are days I NEED the reminders. My husband went a very long time before he felt the first one move. Whenever I ate something really cold or chock full of sugar that got him moving. I tried to avoid the artificial sugars, but frozen grapes made it seem like he was a gymnast!

  32. Hooray! It seems you’re finally turning a corner on feeling better! Best of luck at the ultrasound tomorrow!

  33. Take a blank videotape with you and ask if they can videotape it! My second one is now in college and they videotaped one of her ultrasounds. Also, ask if they can show you the face! I got to see two of mine and the technology has improved so I’ve seen a couple of faces posted that were even clearer. Good luck!

  34. Bring a blank videotape with you. Usually they can put it in at the beginning and you can watch the whole thing later if they won’t let you in the moment.
    Have fun!

  35. glad to hear it’s all getting a little better. before you know it, you’ll have a baby! enjoy this time 🙂

  36. I was so very, very happy to read this update. It’s fantastic that after such a rough first half, you’re getting to enjoy the pregnancy!

  37. Ultrasounds are so fun! Really! Good for you not learning the sex. Poeple look at you like you arr daft when you tell them you do not want to know, but it makes the waiting so great.
    Now that you are feeling better….spin out prizes?

  38. Have G bring a mirror to the ultrasound so you can see the screen too. 🙂 Our 20 week was so exciting because the baby has so much room to move around and mine sure did!

  39. Ah, Murray’s — still the ultimate mecca for all things fishy for me. I cannot count the number of Saturday and Sunday mornings my father and I would wander down there to stand in line and pick out yummy things to eat. One of the many things to miss from the Upper West Side.

  40. Seeing and hearing your baby on that screen changes your life forever! An earlier U/S may give you a heartbeat to hear – but this time around the little babe actually looks like a person! Enjoy it!

  41. Hooray! Well, sorry that they bruised you at the ultrasound. Jeez. But glad that everything went well. And glad to hear you aren’t keeping all those Spin-Out prizes for yourself. Chuckle chuckle.

  42. I’m so happy that you’re happy!
    About the ultrasound: it’s your body and your baby, and it’s not like anyone except another ultrasound tech could tell by looking if there’s anything wrong . . . hospitals need to be more user-friendly.

  43. If I make it back up to the NYC area before the baby is born, should we do maternity photos? It isn’t normally my thing, but for you I would do it — this is a VIP baby! 🙂
    I’ll let you know if I make it up there again in the next few months. Hope you have many delicious bagels in the meantime!