Halfway there...

I have officially reached the halfway point of my first pregnancy and I can't believe it! So many things have happened in the past 20 weeks and I can not wait to see what the next 20 weeks hold. When I announced our pregnancy I did a little post about how things were going so I figured it'd be nice to do another one so I can look back and remember how I was feeling.

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Cravings

My appetite is finally back and food aversions are lessening by the day. My only consistent craving I've had is cereal and no, not the healthy kinds...straight up Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Fruity Pebbles for days! When my mom was pregnant with me she craved Fruity Pebbles all the time too. Besides that it's been really random things like having Brian recreated a brunch BLT from a great place in Orlando, spaghetti (which I usually am not a fan of), Zoe's Kitchen, and then Mexican and pizza...but I can't really blame that on the baby because I eat those all time pregnant or not.

Energy

When people say the first and second trimester are like night and day they aren't kidding. The first trimester can only be compared to a three month long hangover. The second trimester has been soooo much better. I don't feel 100% like myself but I feel leaps and bounds better than I did. The second trimester is the best time to travel so we've decided to make the most of it with a trip to Disney a couple weeks ago, another trip to Orlando this weekend for a friend's baby shower, and off to London and Paris next week, and my friend Molly's wedding in St. Pete in May!

Missing

Hot dogs, beer, and pork. I told Brian that as soon as I deliver the baby someone better be hightailing it down to The Varsity, only a few blocks from our hospital, to get me a hot dog. When I was in Orlando the other weekend we went to lunch with my friends Brandon and Katie. Brandon got a beer and I had to smell it because I miss it! I live in BBQ heaven and every time we go to a BBQ place and I have to order chicken my heart breaks a little.

Finding Out the Gender

We found out the gender very early on, the end of February to be exact, because we did Harmony Genetic Testing. Our insurance covered nearly all of the fees so we decided to do the test since I don't know the family medical history of my paternal side. I figured it was an investment for not only myself but, my sister when the time comes for her. One of the benefits of the testing is finding out the gender as well! I got the call from the doctor's office around 10:30am and managed to keep myself from telling Brian right away. I went and got a huge stork balloon that said "It's a Girl" and walked into the house with it to surprise Brian. We then facetimed our parents to ask them if they knew what type of weird bird we had in our front yard only to reveal the balloon.

Doctor's Appointments

My very first appointment was terrible, like I probably have a note on my record kind of terrible. I was so nervous and scared to death. The doctor we had wasn't the most nurturing so that didn't help, I ended up crying through most of it. Fortunately all of our appointments since then have been wonderful! The staff has been great, especially the blood lab girls who know me as "the girl afraid of blood work with two tattoos." Our next appointment is tomorrow and we can't wait to see our little girl again. According to Brian's app, she is now the size of a small cantaloupe.

Nursery

We decided to not do a strict theme in the nursery, instead we're finding coordinating pieces. The walls are a light grey and the furniture is white. Since we don't have the blessing of being close to friends and family we want to make sure to have photos of everyone throughout her room in hopes that she will learn their faces. I love the idea of having prints of children's book cover framed and on the walls of her room. Maybe we will find some cute nursery items in London and Paris!

Transition to Motherhood

I'll be honest...in the beginning I had a very rough time accepting that I would be a mother in a few months. I was afraid of being left behind and forgotten by my friends but, after talking things through I've realized the important people in my life who truly love me will never do that.  My fear has been replaced with excitement...well mostly because labor is not fun to think about. I think I was so scared because it happened so fast. I've heard stories of how couples will try for years with no luck but I guess we are very lucky so I focused on that instead. This baby happened exactly when it was supposed to and I had to get over the constant comments of "well that was quick" and the judgmental "we you even trying?" The fact that so many other ladies I know are pregnant too, and due within weeks of me, has been a lifesaver. Having friends to talk about this crazy journey with is amazing and knowing that I have other first time moms to talk with once the baby is born is so comforting. I feel like my friend Natalie and I will be calling each other ever day asking "did your's do this" and "is it time for Food & Wine yet?"

This was in the hotel lobby at Disney, Brian had to get a "bump" pic for his app lol

We are so excited to meet our little girl and can't wait to see what she looks like. I find often that girls look like their dads but I've got some pretty strong genes (I mean look at my sister and cousins!) so who knows what she will look like. Everything we plan moving forward we include this little girl in and once she's here it's going to be crazy. We know that this parenting thing is going to be messy and nothing like what we expected but, Brian and I are more than ready to take on the challenge.