Great Expectations II: 20 weeks

How Far: 20 weeks (HALF WAY THERE! WOW, where has the time gone already!?!)

Weight/ Clothes: I was a little leery to jump on the scale at the docs this week after all the good food involved with Easter and visiting family and friends. Thankfully my midwife was very pleased with where I am weight wise...phew! Hopefully with carrying through the spring and summer and chasing after Levi my activity level will be up there my weight won't be too much of a concern. It never really was last time, so I should be fine.

I'm sporting full maternity wear these days. I needed to bust out my maternity jeans and capris this week because I'm sporting a full on bump these days. I also picked up some great short sleeve tops and a couple dresses since it's getting warmer and I don't have much in terms of warmer weather options since I was bigger through the cooler months with Levi.

Cravings: Nothing exciting to report...womp womp!

Gender: We had the big reveal on Wednesday. We went to the ultrasound that afternoon and right off I explained to the tech to please not tell us the gender because we'd be finding out that evening at the Red Sox/ Yankees game. She was tickled at the idea and kept commenting on how cool and idea that was. Even the doc who came in to look things over at the end of the appointment commented on how this was one of the coolest gender reveals she'd heard of. We were pretty excited that it was all lined up and going to work out!

For a few minutes the ultrasound tech commented on how the baby had his/her legs crossed...Adam wasn't sure at first why that was a big deal, but I explained that in order to see what we were having the baby would need to quit being so modest, haha...then he got it. Now that could have thrown the reveal for a loop...Adam and Jess you're expecting a ???...Thankfully she was able to see what we were having and we were off to Fenway Park with sealed envelope in hand. I passed the envelope on to a Red Sox foundation person and knew the announcement would occur first thing mid second inning when the teams switched who was at bat. Only a couple hours to wait for the exciting news...

It had been a rainy day, but thankfully the rain has cleared up by game time. The temperatures weren't bad, but we had roof deck tickets so it was quite breezy but we dressed for the occasion. I was so excited/ anxious to find out! Thank goodness the message was scheduled for early on in the game. The first inning went pretty quickly and next thing we knew it was time!

So we headed over to a prime viewing location and waited for the message...and drum roll....

It's a BOY. Levi is going to have a little brother! Adam said he was pretty surprised because of how different things had been this time around had he really expecting a girl. I was less surprised because as I mentioned last week I had started to lean towards a feeling that we were having another boy and the feeling was right. Nonetheless, we were both very excited! How fun that Levi will have a little brother to bond with and we have a name in mind too, which is nice.

Movement: I definitely feel flutters here and there especially at night when I'm getting ready to go to sleep since I'm really still at that point. The placenta is on the front this time, which will also affect how much movement I feel, but it's definitely fun to feel those flutters every now.

Symptoms: Yikes on the round ligament pain! At the ultrasound there was this super sensitive spot that she kept having to put pressure on as she was looking at the baby. I was able to breath through the discomfort and as soon as she moved on it was totally fine. WEIRD!

My face is broken out lately, which is much fun. I'm looking forward to the clear up period...my skin was at its best EVER towards the end of my pregnancy with Levi. No break outs, my eczema cleared up...it was AMAZING! My skin stayed pretty clear even afterward though my eczema did return especially with such a cold, dry winter but not nearly as bad as in the past which was great. I'm hoping for similar effects of pregnancy this time. Fingers crossed!

My eye twitches pretty much all the time now or periodically every day, so thankfully I'm getting used to it and I'm able to ignore it pretty well. Thankfully it doesn't hurt, it's just annoying!

Mental State: Early on in the week my mind was consumed with thoughts of whether we were having a boy or a girl. The second half of the week was spent processing the news that we will indeed be welcoming another little man into the world. This has left me wondering what to do with my feelings regarding the desire to also have a daughter someday...do we just plan on adopting? Is that in the cards since we don't currently have the space to do so through foster care in our current living situation or there's the expense of traditional adoption? Do we have a third biological child possibly and roll the dice, though I have a strong feeling we would have a third boy, which depending on how having two sons goes I might be okay with...I thoroughly enjoy Levi and I hear sons continue to be sweet to their moms and there's usually less drama involved...but we are definitely not making any decisions for all that until we have two and adjust to life as a family of four for a while. People have over the years asked how many children we would like to have and my response was always, "Well we'll start with one and see from there...and that has definitely become my philosophy." Perhaps I'm meant to be a boys' mom and that's God's will...guess we'll see! Only time will tell.

Appointment Updates: Everything was perfect at the ultrasound. I am so thankful for a healthy baby because I know friends who on a few occasions have found out about health issues they'd be dealing with after the baby was born that in some cases even involved surgery. That is what is so nerve wracking at that appointment because it really isn't about finding out the gender at all though they are happy to take a look. The appointment is about examining every limb and organ to see that everything is forming properly. I am so, so thankful that Jellybean is healthy and developing beautifully. We are very blessed!

Best Moment of the Week: The GENDER REVEAL was EPIC!