Ack...why do you keep kicking me in the bladder??!!

well first let me start off by pointing out the obvious - my blog background has changed! :) i decided it was time for some upgrading. i got this awesome background from hot bliggity blog. i also changed some of my blog fonts. i'm lucky enough to have a good friend that has an amazing blog with all sorts of neat *free* fonts. and voila! my fab upgraded baby blog!

i've been feeling Baby T kick a lot lately. Today he/she really enjoys kicking me square in the bladder. it's quite uncomfortable! d has still not been able to feel any movement from the outside, and i think that's making him sad. so i'm hoping that soon he will get a chance. on top of that a few days ago i *think* i felt baby hiccups for the 1st time. totally weird feeling! i thought they were kicks at first, but then i realized that there was a pattern to the "kicks".

this past week i worked out every day (except for wed and fri). in addition to my zumba class that i teach on tues, thurs, and sat; i've been taking aqua aerobics class (or swimming) on my off days. i think getting in the water has really helped me. i'm not sure if i've mentioned it before, but i broke my ankle in apr '09 and had to have surgery on it. so i'm still recovering from that. and i think being in the water has really helped my ankle. when i went for my massage on wed, my masseuse mentioned that she noticed my leg/ankle felt looser. and i've noticed that my range of motion is increasing a little. so i'm really excited about that. and it just feels good to be in the water working out even though it doesn't feel like i'm working out.

Budda Belly - 20 wk, 4 da

here's my budda belly right in the midst of 21wks. in my defense, i did take it after i had eaten, so that might also be a partial "food baby" belly - lol. and can you believe it, i'm now 5 mo preggo??? holy &*$$@#, where has the time gone???

anemia?? phooey!

well i had some blood drawn on tues. and my m/w just called to tell me that 1) i'm O+, so i won't have to have a Rh injection if we were to get pregnant in the future, and 2) i'm slightly anemic. i'm kind of disappointed, just because i hate for anything to be wrong with me. but this is something easily correctable, so i'm not too worried. i just need to increase my intake of iron, and get more rest. so i have a plan of action, and hopefully when i see them again on the 28th, this issue will be resolved.

20 week status and belly bump pic

How Big is Baby: the size of a cantaloupe making it's way to a banana
Total Weight Gain: as of 1/2 i was up 15lbs from my pre-preggo weight.
Maternity Clothes: i am all the way in them and getting rounder by the day.
Stretch Marks: i think they are faintly making their way into my life (and onto my tummy)
Sleep: i'm definitely a side sleeper now
Best Moment this Week: i've been feeling baby move more.
Food Cravings: i had a craving yesterday for fettucine alfredo
Gender: i took an intelligender test this morning and it predicted girl. we have our u/s scheduled for the 28th
Labor Signs: n/a
Belly Button: it's shrinking
What I miss: not having acid reflux after i eat pizza or have anything with marinara sauce.
What I'm looking forward to: our u/s appt on the 28th
Weekly Wisdom: this could always get much worse, so i need to stop complaining. :)
Milestones: i'm 20 wks this week which is halfway there. yikes, time is passing so quickly!



here i am at 20 wks

Weeks 20 and 21

21 weeks: banana

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

20 weeks: cantaloupe

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Source: the bump

Intelligender says...GIRL!

because i have absolutely NO self-control whatsoever, and $30 to blow (yea, right!) i went out and bought a gender predictor kit from tar-ghey yesterday. i took it first thing this morning, and it predicted girl (yes, that is my urine in the cup).

we have an ultrasound appt scheduled on the 28th to confirm the gender of Baby T (if baby decides he/she wants to cooperate). but even though i'll know the gender i think i may continue to refer to him/her as Baby T - it's catchy. :)

here's a belly shot i took during our trip (12/27). any gender predictions???

We're Back!!

Well, we are back from our holiday in England! We had an amazing time! It was so great to spend that quality time together as a couple. We hardly get to spend that much time together normally. We hit up all the typical tourist spots (Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden, etc). We did so much walking and site-seeing. I was completely exhausted by the end of each day. On top of being preggo, I'm also still recovering from the ankle surgery that I had in Apr, so I was a bit of a "weak link" on the trip. There were a couple of days that we had to stay in because I was just hurting, and couldn't do it. But Dennis was great about it, and even when we stayed in the hotel we spent the time together enjoying each other's company. It's funny to me, because Dennis is really uninvolved in any of the planning of the trip, but as soon as we get there, he takes over and does all the planning for which sights to see and in what order. I just kind of follow him around. I guess that's why we compliment each other so well. Anyway, here is a pic of us (and Baby T) at Stonehenge.