20 Weeks

Baby is the Size of a Mango

New for baby this week?  10 inches long (the major "growth spurt" is only half true, since measurements are now made head to toe instead of head to rump), 10.5 oz, starting to plump up, practicing breathing amniotic fluid, ovaries or testicles are in place, teeth buds, eyelashes, and eyebrows are forming

Total weight gain/loss? 6 lbs 

Maternity clothes? Fewer and fewer non-maternity clothes are fitting. Shirts areh getting too short/tight. But I haven't had to move up in a size in scrubs yet at work.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep? Normal.

Best moment this week? Anatomy Scan

Miss Anything? No.

Movement?  Lots of little baby kicks.

Food cravings?  Halloween candy has been delicious

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really.

Have you started to show yet? Growing bump.

Gender? I think boy!

Labor Signs? No.

Belly Button in or out? I call it buttoned.  

Wedding rings on or off? On.

How is mama feeling? Pretty normal.  Some ligament stretching pains here and there.

Looking forward to?  Thanksgiving

20 weeks, the official halfway mark.  I just can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is going.  As the weeks sneak by I get nervous about being the mama of two and finding a new normal.  But I am also so in love with this new baby and can't wait to see how he/she changes our little family. 

Our most exciting event over the last couple weeks was Baby L 2.0's anatomy scan.  It was a little different than with Bran because we went to a separate outpatient center through OSU for the ultrasound. The sonographer was very nice, and very tolerant of the wild toddler in the room during the exam. Bran was much less interested in this ultrasound and kept Daddy very busy.  I don't think Daddy actually got to see much to be honest. The great news is everything looks great, anatomy is normal, and baby is growing right on schedule.  He/she is in the 55th percentile, yay for an average sized baby! Lets hope it stays that way.  The baby was super active through the entire exam which was a lot of fun to watch.  He/she kept touching their face, waving, and kicking their little feet. 

So compared to Bran this baby is measuring smaller (at the 20 week mark, Bran was in the 70th percentile, but he was in the 50th percentile closer to delivery time). The heart rates are very similar.  Baby L 2.0 was 136 BPM and Bran's at his 20 week ultrasound was 141 BPM.

Feet

Lower leg

Heart, 4 Chambers (Normal anatomy, so thankful!) and 136 BPM. 

Hand

Wide open mouth.

Nose, skull, eyes.

Profile with hand under chin,

I can't wait to see this cute little face!

More feet :)

The following week I had a follow up 20 week exam with Dr. Turner.  They apparently did not disclose the gender to her either, so it looks like we will all be surprised come April! I told her that walking out of the ultrasound I just had this feeling it was a boy.  (Daddy still hasn't committed to a guess.) She said that was interesting because she has seen a research article claiming that whatever the Mom feels like she is having usually ends up being right. Hah, we shall see!  Only other fact she pointed out (which they had not said at the scan) was that I have an anterior placenta this time. It should have no affect on me carrying out a normal pregnancy.  Movements will feel different this time (probably more out to the sides, should I be nervous for my ribs?!) because the placenta is essentially acting as a cushion between my belly and the baby. I also may experience a lot of back labor this time, which I did not experience at all with Bran.  Another interesting fact (after an anterior placenta google search) is that apparently it is much more common for baby GIRLS to be anterior.  Interesting. But I am still sticking with my boy guess.

Childcare has always been a challenge for us, especially with no family living in town and needing care starting at 6 a.m. because of our work schedules. We have been so incredibly lucky to have found Jennifer, who has been watching Bran for us in her home since I went back to work.  Bran just loves her and has done great in her care.  Unfortunately with both of her girls in school, and her school program winding down, our days with Jennifer are going to be numbered.  So Bran and I set out to find a daycare nearby.  We have toured 3, and I think I found one that meets all of our needs (added bonus is it is only 5 minutes from our house).  I just got a great vibe from the facility and think it will be a good fit for our growing family.  Now we just need to work out details with the daycare and make some decisions about when we want to make the transition.  Bran has so many big changes coming, so it makes Mommy a little nervous.  But I am sure he will love it when the time comes.

Bran upgraded to the big table with a real cup at Jennifer's house.

Photo Ops

Izzy makes a great chair. 

Obsessed with "the bucket" after Halloween.

The Indorfs came for a visit.  Bran and Cohen had so much fun.

Bran has the wrong idea about his potty.

Playing with his picture from Frankie.

Ride!

Bath time hair fun.

"Brush, Comb!"

His hands used to be so tiny compared to mine.

Buddy thinks Bran makes a great seat, he deserves it! haha

18 Weeks

Baby is the Size of a Sugar Glider (An Australian Flying Squirrel)

New for baby this week?  5,5 inches,  7 oz., has fingerprints, nervous system is going through major developments, thumb sucking/clasping hands/curling finger around umbilical cord 

Total weight gain/loss? About 4 lbs.

Maternity clothes? I gave into maternity pants last week, and to be honest I am not sure why I fought it so long.  I am so much more comfortable now! 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Good, minus the waking up once a night to pee.

Best moment this week? A baby free game day, Halloween 

Miss Anything? Having time to nap.

Movement?  I have definitely started to feel some tiny baby kicks.  It feels like popcorn popping, but I can only feel it when I am very still.

Food cravings?  This Halloween candy has been very tempting.

Anything making you queasy or sick? No. But I can tell I have a lot more fluid on board and my blood pressure if shifting.  I feel a little queasy if I try to get moving too quickly (especially if I am starting to get hungry).

Have you started to show yet? Yes, and I love it.

Gender? Everyone continues to guess girl.  I don't think a single person has guessed boy honestly. I still just have this feeling it is a boy though.

Labor Signs? No.

Belly Button in or out? In but I think it looks funny.  

Wedding rings on or off? On.

How is mama feeling? Pretty good.  I love second trimester.

Looking forward to?  Anatomy Scan 

We took Bran to the Dublin Halloween Spooktacular.  It was Bran's first opportunity to wear his Minion costume (his favorite movie right now). It was a gorgeous sunny day, and Bran was actually getting a little too hot in his costume.  Bran's favorite part was the mini corn maze. He also really liked petting the turtles with the Turtle Lady. Not pictured is Sparky the fire safety dog.  Bran was super excited about him until he got too close. He was scared of that and the big inflatable T-Rex.

The Haunted Forest with Dada

Laura and Andy came over to carve pumpkins.  We didn't try to carve pumpkins with Bran last year, but I thought he would enjoy it this year.  Boy was I wrong. He wanted nothing to do with the pumpkins and wouldn't even touch the gooey insides. So we let the poor little guy go to bed.  Maybe next year?

Aunt Renee and Jaden came to watch Bran so Joe and I could go to the OSU vs. Penn State game. It was a chilly day, but Joe and I had a great baby free (well minus Baby L 2.0 in my belly) time.  OSU ended up being down the entire game.  But JT Barrett had an amazing game (mostly 4th quarter) and led us to a come from behind 39-38 victory.  So we are officially ranked number 6.  There is a chance we might be able to fight our way into the playoff.  Come on Buckeyes, baby wants a "Born A Champion" blanket in 2018!

How Bran likes to watch the game.

Pouting because Daddy made him pose for a selfie after giving him his buckeye necklace.

Trick or Treat was so much fun this year.  Joe and I busted out our old Gru and Minion costumes from a few years ago (Joe forgot to put the scarf on though, whoops!) to accompany Bran's minion costume. The temperatures were in the 40's so we all had to bundle up.  Bran walked (or ran) the whole way.  We just went around to a handful of neighbors we knew close by.  Bran was instantly excited as soon as we walked outside and he saw all of the kids in their costumes.  He started yelling "Hi!!!!" to everyone. We explained to him that he was supposed to say "trick or treat" and carry his bucket.  He never did quite figure out trick or treat and started saying "the bucket" when we would go up to the doors instead, it was pretty funny. He also was super sweet and said thank you when we were leaving most of the time. He insisted on carrying his own bucket around the entire time. Bran was sad to come inside and leave all of the fun, but perked up after we took off his Minion costume.  He started running around like a goofball with the bucket or "hat" on his head. We ended our evening watching Curious George's Boofest, his favorite Halloween movie. Next year we'll have two kiddos to trick or treat with, Baby L 2.0 will already be almost 7 months old by then.  This parenting stuff is the best. And we live in such a great neighborhood to raise our little family. 

Bran's babysitter Jen put together a Minion goody bag for him for Halloween, he was so excited.

Playing around while getting ready for Trick or Treat.

Our neighbors, Tom and Cindy had a little Minion and other goodies waiting for Bran during Trick or Treat.  He loved it!

Bran and his buddy Blake. Their little siblings are both coming soon.

Dada can we go back outside?

Maybe he thought he was No Noggin' from the Boofest movie?

The morning after Halloween Bran woke up, and immediately starting yelling about "the bucket!" from his crib.  He came downstairs and wanted to play with his candy (taking it in and out of the bucket), and insisted it have breakfast with us.

Bran took the whole Minion thing to heart, and continued his orneriness even after he was done wearing his costume.  He got himself stuck climbing where he wasn't supposed to.  I hear "help", and once I realized he wasn't in serious distress grabbed a camera for a quick photo op before rescuing him.  Boys will be boys.  I can only imagine how much trouble Bran and his little brother or sister will get into together. 

Not qutie sure how he even managed to get in there.