20 weeks...Half Way There!!

We have reached the half way point. I am at 20 weeks with roughly about 20 to go. It seems like time has flown by so far so hopefully the second half will too. I had my 20 week check up this morning and everything is going very well. I have really started to sport a growing belly these days, so it is good bye to regular clothes (especially pants), hello elastic waist band! I jinxed myself last month about my weight gain and have packed on the pounds in the last month. I reached the doctor recommended 10 lbs weight gain for the first half. Baby's growth and heart beat are very strong. My doctor commented also that I have a very active baby, as she tried to get a good heart beat on the doppler she kept having to move the wand because baby did not want to sit still. I am feeling the baby move a lot more these days. Still not strong enough for Derek to experience the joy, but it is pretty cool to be sitting at my desk and all of sudden feel him/her moving around in there.

We have had a busy month this past month. We had our ultrasound at week 18 which I already commented on in another blog. We also registered for my upcoming shower(s). I will tell you this was the MOST overwhelming experience I have ever had. I asked around and took notes from all my "mom" friends before we went, but still, Derek and I stood and stared at a wall full of bottles and nipples for a good 10 minutes before I called my friend Jenny for reinforcements. We wandered our way through Babies R Us, picking and choosing the things we thought best. 2 hours later I felt like we barely even started but we were exhausted. We headed to Target to get a registry started there, spent maybe 30 min. there and headed home. We decided we will add more online as we go along and learn more about what our little one will need.

We have started to receive some gifts and nursery necessities in the past month also. My Auntie Danielle that lives in CA was awesome enough to ship us the crib she used with my cousin Jade. This crib is absolutely gorgeous. It is a natural wood color and has a drawer and the capability to be a rocking crib also. We got that all set up in the nursery earlier this month. My parents also bought the crib mattress and changing table online which arrived a few weeks ago. I put that together also, now we are just missing a dresser and hopefully if we can find one we like priced reasonably a rocker/glider. We have also picked out the colors we will be painting the nursery. We will be doing two walls yellow and two walls green. It will look very cute with the jungle theme nursery bedding I ordered. We are going with a very cute jungle theme in the nursery and have all the bedding, a lamp, nightlight and switch plate. We just need to find a rug and some cute wall decor still. The nursery is not yet painted so none of this is put together yet. Once it is, I will be sure to post pictures.

Besides the gift of the crib from my aunt, she also sent some very cute sleepers and toys. We also got a gift package from Nana and Grandpa (my parents) with a cute bath towel set. My sister, as our shower gift, got us our travel system, which was so very great of her. It is an infant car seat and stroller. It arrived yesterday and I was going to leave it for Derek to put together since there was some assembly required, but I was just too excited and impatient so I put it together myself. We will now have a stroller in our dining room for the next 5 months, ha ha. Also, my friend Trish was in town this past weekend for the Muddy Buddy race she and I were suppose to do together (Derek was my fill in) and she brought the baby a very cute "Jump Around" Wisconsin onesie.

I am sure this baby has learned already that he/she will have to love football. Derek actually had to tell me to calm down a few weeks ago while watching the Badgers play the Gophers. It was an intense close game and I tend to get a little overexcited watching my beloved Badgers so Derek kindly reminded me to calm down so I don't cause too much stress on the Badgers. Good thing I missed the Iowa game or it might have been a repeat.

It has been a very busy month even without everything going on with the baby. Earlier this month I took a work trip to Virginia for some meetings. Derek bowled in a PBA Regional here in Dallas, which he did very well in. We are continuing to play softball, though we haven't played much this fall due to all the rain we have gotten. I am not sure how much longer I am going to be able to play so hopefully the season will end soon. We are bowling in our work league every Tuesday. And, this past weekend Trish was in town for a visit and the Muddy Buddy, which is a running/biking race you do with a friend. If you have never heard of it, check it out at muddybuddy.com and sign up next year. It is tons of fun and I can't wait till I can actually participate. This weekend we are heading to Waco, TX for the Baylor vs. Nebraska game. Hopefully NU can bounce back and win one.

I think that is all for now. Who knows, I try to keep notes but my brain cells are being depleted by my growing baby. Next appt. will be Nov. 23rd. I will write after that and of course after my shower in WI.