Halftime!

On Wednesday I hit the halfway mark. 20 weeks already!? I found out I was pregnant quite early in my pregnancy--4 weeks and 2 days to be exact. The last 16 weeks have really flown by!

I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm still having round ligament pain, but I expect that to be the trend for the remainder of my pregnancy. My back is still hurting. I received the back support cushion our supply person ordered at work. It doesn't work. My back pain is no better, but it's also no worse. I've tried sitting in the secondary chair that's in my office, but it doesn't help either. It sits too low and isn't adjustable. Today I'm trying out my colleague's chair. He just moved to a partner office and they have different chairs than associates. We agreed to swap chairs if I like his better. I don't. The best positions are standing and laying down. That's the only real relief I'm getting these days. This is a pain in the back! (Okay, that was corny....) On to more exciting stuff.....

Zoe this week: our little angel is getting plenty of practice for her digestive system by swallowing more these days. She is producing meconium, which is a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This will be what her first BMs will consist of. Zoe's uterus is fully formed this week (amazing!) and her vaginal canal is starting its development. Her ovaries contain 7 million primitive eggs, although she'll only have 2 million at birth. More than enough to bless Trevor and me with grandchildren MUCH later.

There's still plenty of growing to do, but Zoe weighs approximately 10.5 ounces and is approximately 6.5 inches head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. About the length of a banana:

Is That Even Possible?

I weighed myself Monday morning as usual and was sufficiently satisfied that my weight gain was under control. While I'm gradually gaining, I was happy to see that I was still 3lbs lighter than I was pre-preggers. I haven't been starving myself. Just trying to eat sensibly. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Fast forward to this morning. I don't know why I decided to weigh myself, but I did. Boy was I in for a surprise! It seems that I've gained 2.8 lbs (I refuse to round it to 3 lbs), I repeat, 2.8 lbs.....in four days. Huh?! Really?! Is that even possible???? Four days!? I mean really. It took God seven days to create the heavens and the Earth. Yet I managed to gain 2.8 lbs in four days. Wow! At this rate, I stand to gain 98 lbs before Zoe arrives. I have 138 days to go. At a rate of 2.8 lbs every four days, that's a whopping 98 lbs. Really, it is. I did the math.

Okay, so I know I'm not going to gain 98 lbs. I'm completely exaggerating. I'm just completely in shock right now.

Confession: My sweet tooth is back. I made the awful mistake of buying some of those break-and-bake cookies. Chocolate chip w/ walnuts. Yum....especially straight out of the oven. I ate twelve gooey cookies last weekend. In three days. But I weighed myself on Monday and the damage wasn't too bad. Or so I thought. How long does it take for twelve cookies to register on the scale?! Apparently four days. Must throw away cookies TONIGHT!

Second Trimester Screening

Last Friday, we had our second trimester screening done. The screening was largely uneventful, other than finding out we're having a Zoe!!! :- ) But uneventful (i.e., boring) is good for a pregnancy. Everything looked great during the screening. The doctor was able to get a very good view of Zoe's anatomy. All of her vital organs looked perfect! Her heartbeat was nice and strong---150 bpm. We'll go back again in approximately six weeks for another look, but everything looks great. We are so thankful.

I did find out during the screening that I have an anterior placenta, which explains why I haven't been feeling Zoe move. When an egg implants in the uterus it usually implants in the posterior uterus (i.e., back of the uterus). Occasionally, an egg will implant on the front of the uterus. That's what happened in my case. It means absolutely nothing in terms of the health of the pregnancy, but it does mean that I have a barrier between Zoe and my stomach, thus the placenta is cushioning her movements. When she gets a little bigger and her movements become stronger, I'll be able to feel them. Mystery solved.

What's in a Name?

A lot. Several people have asked how we came up with the name Zoe Alexis. As Trevor and I were brainstorming names, it was important to us to choose a name that not only sounded nice, but that meant something that we'd want to impart on our child. Trevor and I are Christians and we know the importance of a name. I won't get preachy, but throughout the Bible people were named for very specific reasons and those names shaped their personality and destiny. Knowing this shaped our philosophy for selecting a name.

With that said, Zoe means "life" in the Greek. Zoe has been translated further to mean the abundant life or the God-given life. Essentially, Zoe means the life of God. That's what we want for her. We want His life to be evident in her and all the people she will encounter during her lifetime. Alexis means "defender" in the Greek. This signified strength to us, and we want our angel to be strong and to stand for something.

So there you have it. That's what's in a name!

Do You Believe in Angels?

I do, and I always have. It's often been debated whether angels have a gender. While I don't know the theological answer to this question, I know that the angel growing inside of me definitely has a gender. Today Trevor and I found out that our little angel is a...........girl!!!! We are so thrilled!!! Trevor has been predicting that we're having girl for over a week now. He was right.

So, not only is our angel a little girl. Our angel also has a name. Zoe Alexis! A perfect name for our perfect little angel!

Boy or Girl? THAT is the Question!

After mulling it over, Trevor and I are certain that we want to know Baby D's gender. While the idea of being surprised on Baby D's birthday would be great, we just can't hold out that long. We want to know for practical reasons, primarily nursery planning. We also want to begin bonding with Baby D in a very special way by referring to him/her by his/her name in the womb. But more importantly, we want to know because we just want to know! I'm the same girl that used to sneak and open her Christmas presents and then tape them shut again when I was a little girl. (Sorry, Mom!) Clearly, curiosity always gets the best of me. If I could figure out a way to conduct (and interpret) my own ultrasound, I'd be slathering on the jelly and rubbing my belly with the probe right now!

While we both want a healthy baby (who doesn't?!), I really want a girl, and Trevor really wants a boy; however, I think I want a girl more than Trevor wants a boy. Regardless, one of us will get what we want.

This Friday we are having a second trimester screening done. It is similar to the first trimester screening, however, the doctor can see more of Baby D's anatomy and can check for things such as open spine defects and heart defects. We fully expect to be able to find out Baby D's gender as well. I can't wait!!!

19 Weeks!

Today marks 19 weeks! YAY!!! I'm still feeling pretty good, but I am starting to have minor aches and pains here and there. First, I'm still experiencing round ligament pain, but nothing like I experienced in San Francisco. I mainly feel it after I've been at rest for a long period of time and get up too suddenly. The solution is easy: get up slower. Second, my back is beginning to bother me. I experience back pain daily, but thankfully it doesn't last all day. I only experience the back pain when I've been sitting for long periods of time, particularly when I slouch. I can generally address the problem by sitting upright, but I am in the process of trying to order a back support cushion at work to improve my posture. Lesson: work on my core post-baby, and look into prenatal yoga.

Most exciting this week....I've officially popped! There's no hiding this belly. The people at work that know about Baby D have commented on my bump this week. One of my friends even shed some tears of joy when she saw my belly yesterday. It was so sweet. Those that don't know I'm pregnant give my stomach an uncomfortable and suspicious glare. Too funny!

Baby D this week: Baby D's arms and legs are in proportion to each other and his/her body. The kidneys are producing urine and hair is starting to sprout on the scalp! Baby D is undergoing sensory development this week as well. His/her brain is starting to designate specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He/she can even hear mommy and daddy now. Last, a waxy coating called vernix caseosa, which is cheese-like in texture, is starting to coat Baby D to keep him/her from pruning up in the amniotic fluid. The vernix caseosa will shed before delivery. I tell you, I really don't know how people can deny there is a God because He really thought of everything!!! I've always known that, but this experience has me in awe!

Baby D weighs 8 1/2 ounces and is measuring 6 inches. About the size of a large mango: