20 Weeks....

THE HALFWAY MARK! My love took me out to dinner for a mini celebration. I started the week with a new attitude. A more positive one. And it's made me a happier person. Exactly what I want my lil man to feel. At the same time, I've cried more in this week than in previous weeks. They were much needed tears. No sobbing, just tears. It's a step up. My lil girl dried them away. It makes me feel better. I miss her so much, but I know she is with me always. It's comforting to know that. I've been reading a lot more about Cholestasis. If I'm going to get it again, I want to be as prepared as I could be. I started reading blogs from woman who've had it. I'm tired of reading all of the medical websites about it. I think I've read every single one out there. I believe that reading about actual woman who have gone through it can be very helpful. It gives me a sense of hope.

Well Joey has been kicking me harder and harder each day. I love it. However it does freak me out how hard they are going to get once he gets bigger. He's about the size of a banana right now. It makes me giggle when I read weekly updates about pregnancy and they compare your child to fruits. I've been forever having to go to the bathroom too! It's nonstop. I honestly think he is jumping up and down on my poor bladder. And last but not least, those dreaded leg cramps have begun! Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I thought I was going to be on the clear this time around since I hadn't experienced them, but oh boy was i wrong. I've woken up almost every night this week with the most intense pain in my calf. At least I know now how to get rid of them. I just get up and start walking. It usually goes right away. So much for wishful thinking, hehehe.

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/:

This week marks the half way point of your pregnancy. It has been 18 weeks since the date of conception and your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.6 to 6.4 inches. The fetus weighs about 9 ounces and your belly definitely has an obvious bulge. Your waistline has expanded and is no longer visible. Your uterus has now moved up enough that it is pushing your abdomen outwards. The top of your uterus is even with or just below your navel. Your baby's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Your baby's sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the upper lip and eyebrows.

~Tomorrow we start week 21