20 Weeks Today~

WE'RE HALF WAY THERE!! :)

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. They're also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for their digestive system. Their little delicate bones continue to ossify and toughen while their itsy bitsy finger and toe pads are finishing up. Your little monkey now has teeth buds, although they’re hidden beneath the gum line. And finally! Their limbs have reached their relative proportions—no more alien baby! Their cute pink lips are more defined, and might be helping out in a bit of prenatal thumb-sucking. What’s more, eyelashes and eyebrows are also visible. At this point, your little one really looks like a miniature baby—and we do mean miniature as your little swimmer currently weighs a mere eighth of their final birth weight. With half the pregnancy behind you, the most significant gains are yet to come!

We would like to thank everyone for their support this far. We are getting more excited as time gets closer. I can't believe we are half way there. Before we know if our little one will be here. Jared and I attended a two night "Baby Basics" class this week. There was some pretty basic things that I remember from babysitting and taking care of our nephew Ryley (he's 2 1/2). We also learned about what will go on at the hospital and some rules that they have about things during our stay. We did get a lot of handouts that will help us in making sure our home is safe for baby too and what we should have when we put the nursery together. I know I can't wait for Jared and I to start picking out nursery colors and designs. The baby has been moving a little more regularly, but I feel it most at night when I am lying down or sitting quietly. They are pretty much just little kicks right now. As tiny as the baby is, it has managed to find my bladder and kick that a few times too. We've had two big moves, it was like a tighten in my stomach and then it felt like something brushed up against it. That will still take a little getting used to. We will hopefully know in 3 days if we are having our little slugger or our little princess. We will send pictures.