Genetic ultrasound, 20 weeks!

On Friday, October 21 I had my 18 week ultrasound down in Boston. Getting to the actual building was quite an adventure.. We went to the original building where I had my last ultrasound only to find out once we got there that they had moved to a completely different building a number of blocks down. Instead of paying the $8 for parking (even though we were there only 5 minutes) we decided to leave our car in the garage and walk (of course we didn't bring the stroller.. we left it in the car and didn't have time to go back and get it since we were going to be late for my appointment) the 15 minutes to the new building. Luckily Nathan carried Ian the whole way. We managed to get there just in time only to have to wait about 20 minutes until we were seen. And sure enough, the first thing the technician asked when we walked in was, "Do you want to find out the gender of the baby?" I immediately said, "No" before I could change my mind! It was so nice to have a good 10 minute ultrasound to see all the parts (minus the 'gender defining parts of course) of the baby and to see him/her move around so much. And Ian kept saying "baby" as he looked at the monitor. He did so well during the appointment. The coolest part was definitely seeing the heart beating and then finally the baby's profile. It took a while to see the profile - I had to empty my bladder during the appointment so that the baby had more room to move around so that we could in fact get that profile shot. And we sure were happy once we did! After the first technician did her measurements etc. a doctor came in afterwards just to go back over everything to make sure what the technician saw and measured was the same as what she saw. So it was so wonderful to have another 'round' of looking at my baby. It really is absolutely amazing that I'm growing another baby in my belly. I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl! But I'm about 99% sure it's a boy.

18 weeks

We went to Douglas' Halloween Party again this year. And at one point, apparently one of Doogie's friends walked up to him and asked if I was pregnant. HA! I think it's pretty obvious at this point!

We were obviously in CT for that weekend, but instead of driving back with Nathan Sunday morning (we drove separately) I decided to stay back so that I could take a nap and then leave after lunch. I got no sleep Saturday night and just couldn't drive without more sleep. And it was a good thing Ian and I didn't head back because Nathan texted me around lunch time to say we were without power! It had snowed the day before, October 29 and caused a lot of branches to fall down. So Ian and I stayed in CT a few more days. Being pregnant, uncomfortable and sleeping in freezing cold weather would not have been fun!

Ian and I went to a playdate at Kristen Chantrell's house that week we were in CT and talking to her about having a 2nd child was quite reassuring. I'm very nervous as to what life is going to be like with a second, but she said things are actually easier because you already know what to do and you feel more 'complete' with the second one. And her hospital was also 45 minutes away so it makes me feel a little better that other people are willing to travel such a distance when they are in labor. But she went into labor at 2am with her second child so there was no traffic. I can only hope for such luck. Anything but rush hour time since I will have to wait the 30 minutes for Nathan to get home from work so he can pick me up and we can drop Ian off at my friend's house. There is just so much more to think about this time around which seems strange since I've done it before. But having to worry about Ian is a lot. Kristen said she had 3 plans on where to bring her oldest child when she went into labor depending on what time of day it was and who was home. I may need to do the same thing even though only 2 people have offered to take care of Ian. I wish my family was closer.

I had my 20 week OBGYN appointment on Friday, November 4 and I was shocked that I now weigh 136 lbs! I gained 8 pounds in 5 weeks! But I was reading my pregnancy journal from when I had Ian and I did the same thing (gained 9 lbs) around this time in my pregnancy. It makes sense - I was reading that women in their 2nd trimester crave sweets more than anything else. And it's true! With all this Halloween candy at my house I have been eating a lot of sweets. The doctor isn't concerned and just says I need to watch what I eat and try to exercise. Taking Ian for walks is going to get more difficult as the weather gets colder. But the baby's heartbeat sounds great at 150. And it's weird that I can't do public cord blood banking in MA because my hospital doesn't offer it. There is only 1 hospital that does and will only do so if you deliver M-F from 9a-5p. So strange. Oh well. The doctor also said the cramping I have been experiencing is not a cause for concern - it's just round ligament pain. Phew.

Later that night Nathan and I got to bring Ian trick-or-treating for the first time!! Since Billerica was without power, 'Halloween' was rescheduled which made me relieved because I didn't want to miss it. A few times while we were out I kept thinking that next year at this time I will be bringing 2 kids around (most likely carrying Baby Due in the Bjorn or something). So fun! Bringing Ian trick-or-treating was a fun way to celebrate my half way point in my pregnancy!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier but what I crave are sweets, cereal and salad. Most days I have 2 bowls of cereal (one at breakfast and one after dinner). And the sight / smell of garlic makes me a little sick.But I've been able to eat kimchi this time around - I usually just take a Tums right after to prevent heartburn. And the most annoying symptoms I'm dealing with are exhaustion, lack of energy, breathlessness and nasal congestion. I'm really hoping I don't experience nighttime leg cramps this time - that was awful. But one of the best parts of being pregnant is how great my hair is! I can go over a week without washing it (as long as I have blow dried it straight). I forgot what a luxury that is!