20 5/7 Weeks

Your Baby at 20 Weeks:

Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.

If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum.

From this point forward, your baby will put most of his energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10½ ounces and is about 6½ inches long, about the size of a can of Red Bull (which has way too much caffeine for a pregnant woman to be drinking).

Don't even get me started on caffeine!! I digress. I love reading about where baby is developmentally! We definitely have a night owl on our hands. Which is completely alright by Dan and I. We too loathe mornings. This baby sleeps all morning. Except for the occasional position change during a meal or something, he just sleeps away. The entire evening and into the wee hours of the morning, he is moving around in there and giving some really good kicks. Just like right now. He has just been kicking away in there! So fun!

Speaking of sleep, I haven't been having the best time of that. I used to come home from work exhausted and pass out immediately as my head hit the pillow. I would sleep, usually in the same position, until my alarm woke me up. Now, it's a different story. : / I still come home exhausted and pass out immediately, BUT I am waking up all the time. I change positions because my back hurts, and that solves the problem until 45 minutes to an hour passes. Back and forth, back and forth. It all equals very unrestful sleep. At this point I am not supposed to be sleeping on my back(because it can cut off blood supply to the placenta), which of course is now the most comfortable sleep position!(I'm a strict side sleeper by nature). Sometimes I wake up and realize I am on my back, and in my sleepy stupor I think...must...move...no sleeping....on back... Pregnancy never leaves you! Even whilst sleeping, I am well aware of this little boy growing inside of me. I may have to give in here and buy the highly recommended snoogle Jess keeps telling me about.

Other than the weird sleep, and my neck and back hurting, I feel wonderful. I only get nauseous if it is a little bit past time to eat. Other than that, I am able to eat a large array of foods, and all without throwing up! Much improved! I have been suffering from pregnancy rhinitis for a while now. Which just means that my nasal passages are swollen from the increased amount of blood I now have circulating. It makes my nose feel stuffed and itchy, exactly as if I am suffering from the worst allergies in the world. :( I am pretty used to it at this point, but it still stinks. One amazing benefit that I have been enjoying to the max is how awesome pregnancy makes my hair!!! It is thicker and shinier, and much more manageable. I barely have to do anything to it. I LOVE IT. I hope it stays and the stuffy nose goes after this little boy makes his appearance.

Can you believe that in a couple months time Dan and I are going to have our son here??? I can't believe it. I am beyond excited about that, I really really can't wait to hold him in my arms. BUT I am really enjoying pregnancy. I think that it has been moving at a perfect pace. It hasn't been going to fast, or too slow. Just right.

Dan and I have picked out our crib set, and are now just waiting to purchase until we can get a great deal from Babies R Us. We have also decided on our "nursery theme" and have picked out the bedding and all the accessories. I even have that registry complete. So I am feeling a lot less anxious, and a lot more accomplished. Now we are just waiting for a day where Dan and I can physically go to Babies R Us and register for all the other "baby things". I find that I really like to put things in parantheses or quotations. " :) "

Just a quick "Good Morning" from baby boy and I. Hope this finds you well, and that you have a marvelous day!