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Time while mothering is a funny thing. Days can feel like forever and then suddenly weeks and months seem to have flown by in the blink of an eye! The same is true for this pregnancy. Somehow, I am halfway through. I am 20 weeks pregnant — 21 weeks tomorrow actually. And here I am writing my first “bumpdate.” Ah, such is life with a toddler. Delilah keeps me busy and leaves little time for creative pursuits or penning blog posts. (Once she goes to bed,I’m ready for sleep myself!) But it is important that I document this pregnancy, just as I did hers, as best as I can — even if the updates aren’t as frequent and the bump photos not as cute! Without further ado, I’ll jump in, using the same “pregnancy update” format I used the last time :)
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Let's begin with a few images of baby from today's anatomy scan...
Due date: July 26, 2019
Gender: As we announced, Baby Thilgen No. 2 is a BOY! While I didn’t have a strong feeling either way with Delilah, for some reason I felt like this baby was a boy. Greg and I were kind of hoping it was a boy since we already have a girl. But we also would have been overjoyed either way. It would have been so sweet to give Delilah a sister (and maybe someday we will!) but instead she is getting a little brother. Since they will be close in age — about a 21-month gap — I have high hopes that they will be great friends growing up. Not to be naive or delusional, I know it will be quite an adjustment for Delilah at first and there will be sibling rivalries I’m sure along the way, but I believe having a sibling will be a gift for both of them.
Baby’s size: Baby boy is the size of a banana this week. At our 20-week anatomy scan today, he was measuring right on track at 14 ounces.
Weight gained: Weight gain was slow in the first trimester but has picked up steam the last few weeks. I’m up almost 10 pounds. I’m about how much I weighed when I had Delilah, which is somewhat alarming, BUT I have to remember that I also weighed 10 pounds less when I got pregnant with Delilah than when we transferred our embryo this time around. Plus, Delilah came early. I surely would have gained a few more pounds at least if she had arrived on her due date! I’m trying not to stress too much about the number on the scale. My OB said Monday that she is happy with my weight gain thus far and just to keep eating healthy and try to walk a bit everyday — something that was easy to achieve while pregnant with Delilah thanks to working in retail! But my toddling-almost-running little girl does keep me on my toes and now that the weather seems to be slowly warming up, I’m sure we’ll be outside a lot more.
Symptoms & Sleep status: Well, this is not pregnancy related, but week 20 has been spent sick with a cold. Ditto for Delilah, and Greg recently joined the sick club. As far as pregnancy symptoms go, I don’t really have many now that I’m in my second trimester. The first 14 weeks I was predictably exhausted, and probably even more than I was with Delilah because this time I have a toddler to care for and cater to from morning to night! But during the first trimester there were many days where I felt like I could legitimately sleep all day. I could nap for hours. After about 12 weeks or so my energy came back, but motherhood itself still makes me tired. Once I/Greg put Delilah down for bed and the dishes in the kitchen are clean, I turn into a couch potato and all motivation and productivity is lost.
Movement: Just like with Delilah, it took a long time to feel baby move. With Delilah, it wasn’t until 20 weeks. With baby boy, I finally felt him *for sure* at the start of 19 weeks. And then I felt him every day — usually at night, but I’m feeling him here and there during the day, too. He also gets more active when I eat, ha!
Food love: Carbs like last time, but honestly I just love carbs in general. But I have been in the mood for pickles and olives more lately, and I’m dangerously addicted to the garlic dip from Trader Joe’s. So strong flavors are a preference it seems. I will say that during the first trimester, Chick-Fil-A always sounded like a good idea, and since there is a drive-through about five minutes down the road I gave into that temptation (too) many times. (Meaning, I sent Greg to get the goods.)
Food hate: I haven’t had many food aversions this time around. The first trimester was tricky because I was nauseous fairly consistently throughout the day, but never to the point of throwing up. Food often didn’t sound appealing though, or I’d finally eat and regret what I ate. Or I’d have a bad taste linger in my mouth for hours! That was annoying. Suffice to say, I’m glad all that is over with now. If I remember correctly, those pesky symptoms magically disappeared with the start of the second trimester. It’s weird how that works.
Currently living in: The standard SAHM uniform: leggings! All my pretty Anthro dresses that I wore last pregnancy are hanging in my closet, untouched. No reason to get all dolled up these days. But I am at the point — and have been for a few weeks — where my pants don’t fit comfortably or at all, even my stretchy ones. So leggings really are where it’s at right now. I think I may need to invest in a few new pieces soon, but I’m hopeful that warm, sunny days are near and that at least some of my bump-friendly dresses can come out of hibernation.
Baby/pregnancy-related purchases: We have bought our little dude a few small things so far. For our announcement photo, I purchased a darling nautical romper, a mustard-hued muslin swaddle, a wooden rattle, and a cuddly little bear wearing a matching romper! While at TreasureFest recently, I picked up a handmade wooden “pocket car” toy and an adorable two-piece outfit with a badger embroidered on the shirt. And then while at IKEA this past weekend I got him a colorful soft ball to play with and another stuffed bear (I see a theme forming) with a big heart on the front.
We won’t be creating a full, separate nursery just yet, which makes me a bit sad, but since he’ll likely sleep in our bedroom for at least six months it would be silly to takeover our only guest space right away. So I’m instead going to create a “nursery nook,” as I am calling it, in our master bedroom. On the list of things to buy: changing table, storage baskets, hamper, another diaper pail (yippee!). And I may DIY a mini “wardrobe” for hanging special clothing.
What I miss: Oh, the same as last time: Eggs Benedict and wine! But the eggs more than the vino. Except on those exceptionally long toddler-taming days when a glass of red would really hit the spot.
What I’m loving: Feeling the baby move!
Looking forward to: You know, I’d love for Delilah to be able to understand what is going on, but I’m not sure she will be able to until he is here. But maybe in another two months or so she’ll be able to grasp the concept that there is a baby in mama’s belly.
Best moment of the week/month: Feeling (with certainty) baby boy kicking and flipping. It took almost half the pregnancy to finally feel him move with consistency, and in a way that was unquestionably the baby (and not just gas). It was worth the wait!
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Now for a few more bump shots. (I have only managed to capture the bump at three different points in time this pregnancy... all via mirror selfie, all appropriately in leggings!)
17 weeks (and one day)
19 weeks (and four days)
20 weeks (a day shy of 21 weeks)
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