20 Weeks

We're at the halfway point! This pregnancy is going by so fast--tomorrow is already September, and then it's the busy run-up to Christmas, so I know January is going to be here in no time!

We had the 20 week anomaly scan last Thursday and everything looked fine. They're having me come back for a rescan in a couple of weeks because the baby's position was keeping them from getting a good view of his spine and kidneys (he was facing the front, so they got a good view of his face, heart, limbs and skull).They were able to confirm that it is indeed Paul in there, and not a girl. It was nice to have it confirmed--it would have been annoying if the private gender scan had been wrong! I don't mind getting another scan at 22 weeks, too--it's very reassuring and lovely to get a glimpse of him moving around in there.

I've been feeling good these days, with more energy and an increased appetite. George and I went to Taco Bell for lunch last Wednesday, finally giving into my craving for it--I'd been holding back, but it really was delicious! So far I've put on a lot less weight than I did last time and I'm feeling better in general. I'm still eating a lot, but I think I'm eating healthier foods and I'm more active than last time--I'm doing my prenatal yoga videos on most days, and walking to & from campus 3x/week. Hopefully things will continue going smoothly for the second half of the pregnancy!

18 weeks

According to the various week-by-week websites, baby's size at 18 weeks is comparable to anything from a cucumber to a pomegranate to an artichoke...However big he is, he's definitely expanding up and out. I'm definitely showing more this week, and it all seems to be up front and center, so it doesn't just look like weight gain. Last time around, the holiday weight gain over Christmas made it hard to tell if I was chubby or pregnant, but this time it seems more like a proper bump.

I've been starting to feel some movement every other day or so--it's lovely! Like last time, it seems to happen when I'm sat in certain positions, like in the car, or one day while I was studying in a cafe and sitting very upright. Looking forward to a few weeks' time when Richard and George can feel him kick, too!

16 Weeks

This morning we went for our private "gender" (sex) reveal scan--the NHS scans don't allow children in the room, and we wanted George to experience an ultrasound to make it all feel more "real" for him. We were also keen to find out if he's getting a brother or a sister, as that might help him understand what's going on, too. The sonographer was great about taking her time and making sure to get a clear image before telling us the sex--we had to go for a walk and try again, and then we had to go to Starbucks and have another cold drink and walk. I did some yoga cat-cow poses and on the third try, we were finally able to get a clear shot. It's a boy!

George didn't react strongly one way or the other, just smiled, but he enjoyed seeing the baby on the screen. Richard and I were both surprised (both times now I've thought it was a girl, so my intuition is inaccurate 2-for-2), but it's lovely to know and to be able to use "him" instead of "it" now! We also got to watch him for a long time, thanks to his legs being crossed and the umbilical cord being in the way--we got to see him kicking, stretching, bouncing around, and even sucking his thumb! It was so cute!

Sucking his thumb!

We had a fun time looking through George's baby clothes this evening--there are so many cute things I'd forgotten about, and I'm excited to use them again!