Half Way There: Week 20...and kicking

Little One,

You are 20 weeks old...and kicking.

That's right! Your mother feels you kicking many times every day...mostly at night.

She says it feels "like little bones kicking"...which isn't as poetic as I would have hoped. Despite the 'day of the dead' mood that conjures, I am extremely jealous! I still haven't been able to feel your little kicks. Every time your Mom announces that she feels a kick, I put my hand on the belly and wait patiently...and the kicks never come.

Last night, your Mom woke me up and said "give me your hand." I was confused since I had just come out of a slumber, but I was compliant enough and gave her my hand. She placed it on her belly, since you were being very active.

Alas, I still couldn't feel the kicks. I guess they're still only feel-able from the inside. But when they're feel-able  from the outside, you know I'll be first in line.

Even though I couldn't feel you kick, I was content with my hand hovering somewhere near your little foot, and I dozed off holding your Mom's belly.

And even though you're not yet big enough for me to feel from the outside, you're certainly getting bigger. And this week I have proof! Your Mom begrudgingly agreed to take her week 19 and week 20 photos!

Week 19

Week 20

Week 11..WOW!

See, you're waaaay bigger than you were back on week 11!

In fact, now that you're at week 20 and you're half-way here, you're the size of a banana!

Good work! Keep on growing and hopefully soon you'll be doing the banana splits...and I can feel you kick!

Belly Explosion

So, as we near the end of Week 20, your Mother is undeniably pregnant. Outside observers have noted that your Mom's belly seems to have exploded from the end of last week to today. And, while I thought the belly would be a gradual growth, your Mom has me convinced that she's growing with leaps and bounds.

While I was asleep the other night, I half-noticed your Mom getting up, going into the closet, doing something and coming back to bed. The next morning she told me what happened:

She felt like her belly had suddenly grown in the middle of the night and suddenly, the pajamas she had put on before she went to bed were too tight. Far too tight.

So at around 1 AM, she had to get up and change into bigger pajamas!

Whether or not this belly bump is bursting spontaneously, you can most definitely tell that, after 20 weeks of pregnancy, your mother is shaped much differently than she was before (in fact, she's now shaped much more like I was in college after 4 years of buffalo chicken calzones!)

Of course, though, your Mother is gorgeous pregnant (as she is un-pregnant). I was just fat.

But, as pregnant women are likely to do, your Mom has been grumbling lately how "fat" she is, that she can't even remember being smaller and that she's never going to be the same size again. Well, that remains to be seen, but I reinforce the truth that she is gorgeous with child (does the phrase "with child" freak anyone else out?), and that she is as beautiful as ever.

Last night, while trying to help, I kinda made things worse:

Holly: "I'm so fat!"

Me: "You're not fat at all! Look, you are gorgeous! Pregnancy has given you this glow! You seem so happy all the time!"

Holly: "You mean I'm Jolly?"

Me: "Huh?"

Holly: "Jolly Holly? I'm gonna be huge by Christmas. I don't want to have a Holly Jolly Christmas!"

I don't think "Jolly" always means "Too fat to fit in a chimney..."

So, there you have it, the eratic nature of talking to a pregnant woman. Please note that she was (partially) joking around, and that I DO think (and constantly tell her) how gorgeous she is-- no matter if her belly is growing gradually, or exploding over night, as this animation I made might have you believe!

Click on Holly to see her full size! Week 8 vs. Week 20

Roger Dodger- Hiding from the Doctor

First of all, don't worry- you're not going to be named Roger.

But, apparently, you are really good at hiding (hence the "dodger")! Which is pretty amazing, considering that -now at 20 weeks in utero- you are the size of a cantaloupe!

Your Mom went to see Dr. Hagood today for the standard heartbeat-hearing-only examination. But, at first, the Doctor couldn't find you!

She said you wouldn't hold still and she was having to chase you all over your Mom's tummy with her Doppler device to hear your heartbeat.

That takes some skill, son, because a cantaloupe is pretty hard to miss!

But, after you gave your Mom a brief scare, Dr. Hagood pinned you in a corner and was able to find your heartbeat: 154 bpm!

You are consistent, for sure, with your heart rate; but this whole experience shows that you may be a crafty little guy: Playing games and hiding from the Doctor!

But there's no real hiding from you now: your Mom's belly is most definitely showing (and still growing). The belly bump is getting in the way more often, your Mom feels you kick all the time and she has gained 4 pounds! The Doctor said that Holly's gaining the right amount of weight, but - as for now - the weight gained is "all baby weight," meaning there's not much extra fat on your Mom.

It's not for lack of effort, though: we basically spent the weekend eating. I think I probably gained more than 4 pounds at the Texas State Fair alone!

4 pounds is pretty good, though; and Dr. Hagood is really happy with the way you're growing. With the added weight, growing belly and a cantaloupe-sized you, though, there's no missing that your Mom is pregnant! You may be able to hide from the doctor, but you're not hiding from anyone else!

p.s. We're officially halfway through the pregnancy! March will be here before you know it!