Halfway point

This week I hit the 20 week mark in the pregnancy. It is fun to see the progression over time so far.





How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: 10 lbs

Maternity clothes: Mostly. I only have one pair of non-maternity pants (stretchy skinny jeans) that I can still wear. I have several non-maternity shirts/sweaters that I can still wear, but I prefer maternity shirts as they are much more comfortable. My boobs are rapidly outgrowing even the maternity t-shirts though!

Sleep: Sleep? What's that? I haven't slept well for months, and it's killing me. My body doesn't hurt, I'm not anxious, I just can't stay asleep. B bought me a fancy pregnancy pillow that came this week, and it just made things worse. I often end up on the couch, and I seem to sleep better there. I've even stumped my doctor, since I can fall asleep just fine. I used to need a full 8 hours to feel good, but now even 6 hours feels great since it is so rare. I guess I'm just getting ready for baby.

Food cravings/aversions: Thankfully my eating has been pretty normal the entire pregnancy. My only pregnancy "need" has been grape juice. We always have to have grape juice in the house. Odd, since I hadn't had grape juice in years pre-pregnancy.

How I'm feeling: Minus the lack of sleep, I feel really good. I really can't complain, as overall it has been an easy pregnancy.

Symptoms: Besides the growing belly and the kicking baby inside, not many!

Labor signs: Thankfully no. A few round ligament pains this week, but that's it.

Belly button in or out: Still looks normal. I did have to take my belly ring out this week. It looks naked after having been adorned for the past 12 years.

What I miss: SLEEP! The occasional glass of wine after work.

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing painting the nursery this week so we can move all of the generously donated baby stuff from friends and family out of our living room.

B, pre-surgery, painting the nursery ceiling. It's white, but it paints on pink before it dries.


Last Sunday, we got to see the baby again for the first time since 10 weeks.



We also learned......IT'S A BOY!!! We knew it would be, since we had a girl's name we agreed on :) I'm still grasping that we're having a boy. I know nothing about little boys! Time to learn about construction equipment, matchbox cars, and Thomas the Tank Engine. First things first though, we need to come up with a name for our little guy, and that isn't an easy task. Thankfully we have some time still.

Pregnancy makes me sappy

I sit in the chair, watching the nurses and doctors shuffle around him.

In pain, he winces and scoots over on the hospital bed and pats the space he has just made beside him, for me to sit there.

I move next to him.

He closes his eyes as the morphine sets in.

He grabs my hand, because there is a level of comfort that your spouse can provide that no one else can.

As the morphine takes hold, he looks at me and reminds me to “Always take you ovaltine.” I laugh.

It’s quiet for a moment, so he quietly starts singing. He hates quiet. I know the pain is better if he’s singing.

He looks at me and apologizes for keeping me up so late – tells me that I should go home and sleep.

I ask if he’d leave me all alone in the hospital, and he says “Of course not.” I remind him that I’d never leave him alone either.

He looks sad and says he feels badly, since I’m pregnant.

I tell him to stop being silly. I’m fine.

A new nurse walks in, and he tells her that he was tired of me getting all of the attention, so he wanted some of his own. She laughs.

She takes him up to the surgery wing, and tells me where I can wait.

I give him two kisses before they wheel him away and tell him that I love him.

The nurse tells me they will take good care of him.

I love him.

I can’t watch them wheel him away.

There is always a small lingering fear that he won't come back.

A long 2 hours later the doctor comes out.

He's okay, although the surgery was more complicated than they had hoped.

I wait for another hour to see him.

His first words to me? "Hi baby. You should go home and sleep now. I'm sorry for keeping you up."

He's always worried about me.

I love him.

------

He's home now.

Of course, he still doesn't ask anything of me.

"You're pregnant, I should be taking care of you."

Of course, I don't listen.

We all need to be taken care of.

I love him.

I'm happy to have him home.

So is the cat, who won't stop following him around.

They are best buddies.

I guess we both love him :)

Grateful

Today I am grateful for friends that offer to help us an any way we need (we're doing okay!).
Today I am grateful for health insurance.
Today I am grateful for high quality doctors.
Today I am grateful for flexible work schedules.
Today I am grateful for snuggly kitties that are thrilled to have a mama at home.
Today I am grateful that my husband is recovering comfortably from his emergency appendectomy last night.

Last night was a whirlwind. Bryan had been having stomach pains for a day or so, and they were getting worse. We checked into the ER just after 8pm, and by 11pm (after waiting for 2 hours or so to be seen) the on-call surgeon was saying he was "textbook appendicitis" and would be hopefully in surgery by 12am. I think he finally went in about 12:30am, while I fretted (okay, cried - it should be against the law to give a husband informed consent and tell him about 50 times that he "could die" during surgery in front of his 5 months pregnant wife!) in the waiting room and watched episode after episode of Little People.

They came to talk to me at 2am saying the surgery had gone well, but it was more complicated than they expected so his recovery might take a little longer. I was able to see him about 3am, and he was doing well. I waited while they got him settled in his room and chatted with him a little, before I finally headed home and got to bed about 4:30am. Depending on pain control he'll either come home late today or sometime tomorrow. I'm off to see him shortly. I'm so grateful for the extraordinary care he received and how quickly they addressed the situation that we had no idea was so serious. Now he's short one more unnecessary organ and has 3 new holes on his belly. I can't wait to have him back home. It's very quiet without him!