Week 20: Halfway There!

We made it! Halfway through this pregnancy! In many ways, this week was uneventful. I'm trying to come to grips with physical limitations of pregnancy all over again. We went for a short kayaking trip in Saturday and it didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped for. I really couldn't take more than a few paddles without stopping to adjust the lifejacket or catching my breath, and I ended up feeling pretty sick/awful afterwards. I just keep trying to remind myself that this part is temporary. I'll be back to hiking, working out, and generally feeling well within a few weeks/months after having the baby. Patience, patience, patience.

In other news, the mural is all done in the nursery and all the furniture is in! WAY faster than with Frankie's pregnancy, but since we had the crib already and a ton of baby stuff that needed to be unpacked, it made me more inspired to work on it. Still need to get the sheets, rug, and other small decorative items, but it feels good to have so much of it done so soon! My nesting instinct is kicking in a lot earlier this time, probably because we don't live in a brand new house, like we did last time. There are ALWAYS little projects to do! I also put a baby gate up at the entrance to Lark's room. Frankie will be ripping every outfit out of the dresser and stealing all of the toys given the smallest opportunity, I'm sure. We try to talk to her about her baby sister daily, but the connection still really happening. We've got time... plus, she will figure it out when a baby shows up and doesn't leave. LOL.

How far along? 20 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep 
Stretch marks? No, fingers crossed.
Ankle Watch: Sore, but no swelling.
Sleep: Fine, but lots of pee breaks.
Best moment(s) this week: Getting all the furniture into the nursery and cleaning out our stored baby clothes.
Miss Anything? Beer and wine. It's probably in bad taste to keep putting alcohol here, but I live in Asheville and I have a toddler. I want a LARGE, good, crisp sour beer so bad!
Movement: For sure, a lot more now. She gave me a few GOOD punches this week, and she wiggles for at least 10 minutes a few times a day.
Food cravings: If you put any food in front of me, I'll eat it... 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat :( Especially with any kind of fat. 
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Pregnancy Symptoms: My belly feels a lot tighter. Like, any moment I could be getting WAY bigger. I'm short of breath and physically exhausted a lot more easily. Constipation and gas. Fun!
Belly Button in or out? In and shallow
Rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, for the most part.
Looking forward to: Daniel's sister, brother, and their spouses are visiting us this weekend. It's the first time we've seen some of them since the beginning of the pandemic! The last time Joel saw Frankie, she wasn't even walking. I am so happy to see them all!