Twenty Weeks.

Dear little one,

You're not even here yet and you're growing so fast! Now all my emails are measuring you from head to toe instead of head to rump! You're about 10 inches including those little legs, well, I think they're long legs like your daddy's! And we're halfway through, another good sign! I don't think my belly is growing a whole ton, but you are moving a lot. Your daddy got to feel you, well he said he did, but I couldn't feel you from the inside, so who knows if he thought something else was you moving around in there. 

Daddy procrastinating at taking Mommy's 20
week pictures!

I feel like a bad mommy - I lost the ultrasound pictures we had of you! I think when we took them to your cousin's house, they were accidentally thrown in the garbage. Krissy said she searched through the garbage, but there's only so much garbage you can go through before it starts to get really messy. I called the hospital and it seems like they can print me out more copies. Your daddy and I do have them on our phone, so we can show anyone we like, but I just feel bad for loosing them! Hopefully we can get them printed again without too much fuss.

20 Weeks - Side View

I'm still eating pretty healthy, and I'm weighing myself every day now in the morning so I can see how much weight I've gained each day and how much I'm fluctuating between days. I don't get worried, but it's definitely a hard balance between gaining enough and gaining too much. So this week I think I gained between 0.5 - 0.75, which is definitely on track! I make sure to get my smoothie in every day, the freezer is filed with frozen fruits - pineapple, mango, strawberries, bananas and blueberries. I try really hard to put spinach in every day, too. Especially on the weekends when I know that I don't get enough veggies. I had a little bit more heartburn on Saturday, but nothing too major. It's just kind of weird and awkward, but I had no trouble falling asleep. I've been sleeping pretty good, too! I still get up at least once to go to the bathroom, but no huge problems. I really love being pregnant!

My exercise still hasn't been too good, but today I did a lot of cleaning so I think that counted as a little bit of exercise! Yoga is something I've been meaning to do, too. I know it's just going to help me deliver you and hopefully have the delivery I've been praying for!

Bare belly shot! 

Speaking of delivery, your daddy and I ordered two books so far to help us. Your daddy wants to be my birth coach since he wants to be the only one in the room with us, which is fine, but I told him that he some research to do! I am aiming for/wishing/planning on a natural childbirth (more on that in later months) and since we'll be having you at a hospital, I want to do lots of research so your daddy knows what to say and how to help me the best he can. I know that not all births go as planned, but I want to do as much research as I possibly can, and we're starting now!

I also signed up for my childbirth classes - breastfeeding and prepared childbirth. I'm assuming that we'll be taking a tour of the hospital and I'll ask lots of questions about the hospital's rules. I'm planning for the worst, but really hoping for the best delivery possible. I want to focus on laboring and I want your daddy to be the one to talk to doctors if something isn't going right or they have an opinion about something. When I'm in labor, all I want to worry about is laboring and getting you out safe!

Frontal bare belly.

Speaking of breastfeeding, the women in my family don't have the best track record for long term feeding, and it makes me a littler nervous, so along with preparing for labor/delivery and having you as a newborn, I'm trying to read as much as I can about breastfeeding and helping my supply. Your great-grammy didn't do very well, your grammy or your great aunt didn't have good luck either. Your cousin was so-so at it, she had to supplement formula a little bit, and I am very determined to do the best I possibly can with breastfeeding. I'm praying about it daily and we'll see how it all works out. I will use every ounce of help I can to do the best that I can for you - I know how important and how good it is for you!

We're also planning on taking two vacations in August next year, and I'm hoping you'll be really good in the car because both of them are about 6 hours away! I think you'll have a blast, and you'll be surrounded by love, but I know it might be hard for you to change your schedule - I hope everything works out! I think your Grammy thinks I'm a little crazy to be taking you next summer, but I know I'm not the first mom to take their little one on vacation, and one vacation is for your uncle's graduation and I would hate to not be able to go. So be good, okay little one? Don't worry, we'll love you any way you come out!

Keep growing (and kicking)!

Love,
Mommy