20 weeks | Baby #4

2.19.17 | 20w1d

Photo thoughts: The bump looks small to me here. Henry looks comfy. I wonder how long I can wear non-maternity joggers? And hello, sunshine!

Size of baby: A banana! And we know he is 13 oz according to the ultrasound, and measured 6 days ahead for overall size. This means nothing and I will not tell myself I'll go early this time...for now.

The Bump: Still fluctuating by the hour, sometimes seemingly small and others big. Belly button holding on for dear life but nearing outie status.

Cravings/Aversions: No aversions whatsoever. I'm loving all foods, some healthy and some really unhealthy. This week I made baked oatmeal and granola, and rediscovered my love for cucumbers with hummus. But also burgers, fries, Jimmy Johns, and cookies completely hit the spot throughout the week. Food tastes so amazing lately and I am a never-ending pit, it's hard to show any willpower.

What I’m loving: This sweet spot of pregnancy. Knowing baby is healthy. Knowing he is a boy. Feeling movement and feeling connected to this little guy. Plus, it's been abnormally warm here, with temps in the 60s for the past few days. Sunshine and warmth and fresh air will always make for the best days around here. I wish it would stick around until 'real spring' comes but alas, we know better. It's only February, after all.

What I’m anticipating: Now that the ultrasound is over and went extremely well, I don't have a huge event hanging over my head. It's time to look at the last half of this pregnancy and try to embrace it the best I can, since I have a feeling it's going to fly by....until the last few weeks when time stands still. ;) Non-pregnancy related, we met with the architect this week and have some plans to consider for our house addition. So we are anticipating major changes with our house, pinning up a storm, and trying to channel my energy into cleaning out the attic for good. The sketches look awesome and we are pumped to move forward with the house growth.

Miss anything? With the warmer weather, lots of runners have been jogging past our house and I'm eager to get back to my favorite hobby. I walked four times this week and notice that I get pretty short of breath if I walk quickly. Henry was also huffing and puffing on our latest excursion...two old bags trying to get active.

Worries? Nope, feeling immense relief after the ultrasound. 

Differences between pregnancies? Truman's pregnancy, Cecelia's pregnancy, and Porter's pregnancy all seem pretty similar to this one in different ways. I'd just started to feel pressure down there with Porter and was hungry all of the time, and headed to the ultrasound right after writing my 20 week post. With Truman and Cecelia we hadn't had our ultrasound yet and I was feeling pretty good overall. My belly was still crazy small with Truman but it's pretty similar for the other three pregnancies at this point. 

One, two, three, and four at twenty weeks: My how my hair has changed. 

How I’m feeling: Pregnant and happy. 

Sleep: I can go to bed before 9pm most nights and still feel tired in the mornings, but I am sleeping well and without complaint.

Movement: So much, it's the best. He was sleeping during the ultrasound at first, then the tech tried to get him to move around by bumping him with her wand. That made him mad and he started to do backflips in there for the rest of the time. She commented that he's kicking me in the cervix a whole lot and he likes to lay sideways, across my belly. I'm still loving all of this movement because it cannot be ignored, and if I forget I'm pregnant for a second he will remind me with his kicks.

Boy or Girl: BOY! We were shocked at first since everyone thought this was a girl. It didn't take long to feel like this is the way our family is meant to be, with two little boys at the end of the bunch. It seems like we know a lot of families with three boys and I think I'm being initiated into a special club of #boymoms. The noise, the dirt, the trucks and trains.....and the mother-son bond that is indescribable. Bring it on, again!

So who do you think he looks like? ;)

Milestones: Halfway through this pregnancy, big ultrasound completed. Also, had someone ask me if I'm pregnant when they didn't already know the answer. That's always a fun milestone. Pretty big week, indeed!

Best Moment of the Week: The ultrasound, of course. Comparing this one with a perinatologist to our 'usual' tech from the past, it wasn't all that different, honestly. They did do a vaginal portion of the ultrasound to really look at my cervix and placenta, but time-wise it wasn't that much longer or more detailed than before. The nice part was having the OB come in immediately after to give us our normal results, when usually it would take a day or so for my own OB to call and give me that report. The tech focused on the brain and heart but talked throughout the exam, so we weren't just sitting in silence wondering how everything looked. Modern technology is certainly amazing and Nate and I both loved getting this detailed look at our boy.

Sweetest babe, sucking his thumb (or at least, trying to)

Sibling Talk: Lots of comments from Truman about how much he loves his baby brother, and discussion about names. Cecelia has also come up to me and kissed my belly, showing her love for this baby. Porter mentioned teaching him to 'play trains' and has seemed extra snuggly this week, declaring that 'I'm still little,' and 'you are my best friend, Mama.' I'll take those hugs and sweet words any day and am happy to cuddle him for reassurance. I think he gets the idea of a new baby more than we initially thought and I don't want Porter to feel lost in the shuffle of four kids. I guess moms always feel like this before having another baby---concerned that the current 'baby' won't adjust well to the new role of big sibling. Whenever I start to worry about that, I remind myself that Porter is one-of-a-kind and a tough little dude. I don't think it's possible to forget about him as he's talking a mile a minute and making others laugh non-stop. Ah, the transition of a growing family, with four individual personalities needing attention and love. We are up for the challenge!

A note from Truman, on the back of the note I sent to school. Note the little baby curled up at the bottom. I mean, come on!