20 Weeks - halfway there!

In the words of Adam: "I really think you popped this week!" This week I feel like I'm growing daily. Honestly, it's overwhelming. The beginning part of pregnancy is SO SLOW, and then all of sudden, you start getting big and then you get big FAST. Earlier this week, Adam commented: "When you hug me, I can feel your belly poking mine and it's funny."

Every morning (when Adam says "hi" to Wolfgang and sings distorted lullabies), our conversations go like this:
Adam puts hands on tummy: "You're so big!"
Me with a frown and crossed arms: "Are you calling me fat?"
Adam: "You're not not fat, you're big!"

Really, that doesn't help. Trust me. No woman, pregnant or not, wants to be "big."

On another less-complaining note: last weekend, Rachel commented in amusement at the amount of times I pee in a day. Yes, I pee ALL THE TIME. And that started almost immediately - like the first few weeks of pregnancy. It, along with the first trimester exhaustion, was the first true pregnancy symptom I had. I've since adjusted to the frequent pee schedule and now I plan for it in advance (pee 10 minutes before leaving house, pee again right before, pee at destination, etc), but what I realized in amazement yesterday is how fast we're going through toilet paper and hand soap. When you pee every 20 minutes, your bathroom supplies diminish a lot faster than normal!

I went to prenatal yoga class today for the first time. I always thought prenatal yoga was for wussies. Um, no, it's HARD. Half of the class is squats, and the other half is lounges, side-bends, etc. The squats were such a killer. There was a woman there at 41 weeks, getting induced tomorrow, and she was doing better than me - pfft. I guess that's proof that I should keep going so I can do crazy squats at 41 weeks (oh please, no!).

And one final shout-out to my husband Adam who is getting published for his law review article. Very proud!

Baby size: Length of a banana (head to toe)

Total weight gain: 10 lbs. I know that eventually, pregnant women are going to gain weight. It happens. You need to gain weight for the baby. The scary part is when it starts happening so fast - and so much! I know they say you're supposed to gain 20-25 lbs, but I've been gaining +1 lbs a week, so if this keeps up for 20 more weeks... ekkk! Even though I KNOW I'm supposed to gain weight, watching the scale creep up SO FAST is terrifying. Daily Freak-out: "If I'm THIS big now, how big will I be at the end?" No joke, it's terrifying.

Maternity Clothes: Almost 100% maternity, aside from a few remaining shirts and my yoga pants. No surprise, my maternity wardrobe habits mirror my "normal" habits. For example, I always got work pants at middle-of-the-line Express and Limited. Pregnancy work pants: Motherhood. Dresses are where I really notice quality. All my dresses came from White House Black Market, and now I shop for dresses at Pea in the Pod. I do have two Motherhood dresses, but the quality is significantly worse. I pair them with black knee-high hooker boots and they make good work dresses, but I would never wear to events.

Sleep: Up to 3 pillows! 2 down pillows and 1 "normal." (How do you people sleep with non-down pillows? Awful)

Cravings: Salt. For two days straight, I've wanted salt. I made myself garic bread Thursday night and put more garlic salt on it than ever before. We went out to an Italian place for dinner last night, and I put salt on the bruschetta (!?) and my pasta. This has only been a 2-day thing, but it's weird.

Anything make me sick? I made myself a peanut butter pumpkin smoothie this week. I took one sip and wanted to throw up. The heavy creaminess was way too much. Wow. Disgusting.

Pregnancy Symptoms of the Week: I've changed this from "worst symptom," because they aren't particularly awful, to just "symptoms." I am constantly getting the "stretchy / cramping" feeling, both in my sides and lower belly. OB said that's totally normal as my ligaments stretch in my belly. I'm also starting to get out of breath for stupid reasons. Like carrying my laptop, purse, and lunch box to the car in the morning; by the time I sit down in the drivers seat, I'm huffing. I know it's only going to get worse, but right now it's still frustrating. I feel so fat and out-of-shape. :(

What I miss: Eh. Despite complaining above about getting fat and being out-of-shape, I do enjoy being pregnant. I love feeling Wolfgang kick; I love imagining what he/she will be like. I don't mind not drinking and I cheat on the "banned" foods every now and then. Now, if I had to go without Wawa hoagies, sushi, and red wine for the rest of my life - I'd be pissed, but to know it's such a short time really doesn't make it that bad. So far, halfway there, it's fun.

Movement: Yes yes yes! Sometimes Wolfgang kicks a lot, sometimes I won't notice him for hours. If I'm active, I won't notice him at all. If I'm reading a book or lying in front of the tv, I'll notice him kicking up a storm.

Embarrassing Cry of the Week: Call it the "motherly instinct" kicking it, but I'm getting very emotional (choked up / tears brimming) about stupid things. i.e.: "Heart-warming tv moments," anything from commercials to movies to tv shows. Perfect example: those Olympic commercials where the athletes thank their parents - yup, I'm tearing up. Pathetic.

Excited for: WE FIND OUT THE SEX ON MONDAY! Wolfgang BETTER not have his/her legs crossed for that appointment! I want to know! I want to know!

Gender Prediction: Boy (hence, I still have "HIMs" up above). As a disclaimer though, I'll keep referring to said baby as "Wolfgang," but am going to drop the his/her and refer to Wolfgang primarily as 'it' until January 19th when all is revealed. :)