Today we are officially 20 weeks along our pregnancy journey. I can't believe we are at the halfway point. We moved our sonogram appointment up to Friday, June 18. After many pictures of our little developing baby, the picture came up that we are expecting a baby boy! The picture was really quite clear. He is not a shy little guy and is definitely ALL about being a boy. We are very excited and are now going to start making some decisions on our nursery and baby boy names (although Jeremy says he will be called Will regardless!). As well as showing us that we will be having a boy, the sonogram showed so much more. It showed that our precious baby boy is growing and developing right on schedule and just as to be expected. Everything looks great. Jeremy and I were so amazed at all of the details they could see looking at the sonogram. They were able to look closely at the four chambers of the little hear beating away at 153 beat per minute. They were also able to look at the other developing organs like the kidneys and make sure they were working properly. He even gave us a big yawn while we were watching, this was pretty neat to see also. Besides that baby Will was not to active at 2:45 that Friday afternoon, but then who really is! We were so thankful for the continued blessings of our perfect little angel growing right before our eyes. This entire experience has been made so much more real for sure.
Things have been pretty good over the last few weeks. I thought I felt the official first inside movements of the baby kicking on June 12. We were eating dinner at Chili's with my parents and that's when I thought I felt a little something. I continued to feel the "I think that was something" movements over the next week. There is just nothing consistent and I am just not sure what to expect. What are "butterflies in your stomach" anyways. I also started a summer class on June 7 and water aerobics on June 8. Both are going well. I go to water aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. It is a pretty good workout, which I am thankful for - if I can just figure out how to keep my head above water!
Here is what is going on with our little man this week:
Baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).
I just can't believe how much the baby has grown and that I will be feeling him move more regularly and soon Jeremy will be able to feel him too. The next 4.5 months are going to go by pretty quick. We have a lot to do but are going to try and pace ourselves along the way. We are looking forward to November and meeting the newest addition to our family. Thanks to all of you who are following and praying for our family. We love you so much!
