20 Weeks- HALFWAY THERE!

I cannot believe we are HALFWAY through this pregnancy.  Riley is getting stronger and stronger every day. We went in for our anatomy scan on Friday, and it was so wonderful to see our sweet girl again. During this scan they check everything they possibly can on your baby. They count toes, fingers, look at the spine, make sure there is no cleft lip, look at the femur, humerus, calculate the circumference of the belly and head, etc. Those are most of the things I noticed, but I am sure they did much more that I didn't know about. Even though it is a longer ultrasound, it seemed like it went by so quickly.

We are so fortunate to have such a healthy girl- 10 fingers, 10 toes, no cleft lip, strong and long humerus and femurs (that's your upper arm bone and thigh bone). I felt so fortunate that I took anatomy in college because I knew exactly what the nurse was talking about throughout the entire process.  The doc came in (this is not my usual doc--they sent me to her for this anatomy check, as they do all their patients) while the nurse was measuring the circumference of the skull. First thing she asks me is if I had taken the spina bifida and/or down syndrome tests.  I told her I did the spina bifida but wasn't sure if I wanted to do the down syndrome screening because it wouldn't change anything. She acted very concerned that I never took that test. I told her that I thought it was one of those tests that would put you more at risk for a miscarriage and it didn't seem worth it to me. She corrected me and told me it was just a finger prick. So I said, "Well okay I will do it then I guess". (She was getting me really worried... I was just ready for her to tell me Riley has down syndrome.)  She goes... "Oh, no its too late for that." I was like, "Okay well should I be concerned?" She goes... "It doesn't look like it, if there are any abnormalities then we might recommend a different test you could take, but it costs the monies." (Yes she had a weird accent and dialect.)  Anyway, I was so frustrated with her that she made me worry like that for nothing.  Turns out everything was normal.  I think she noticed how big Riley's head was and just thought she would ask if I got tested for it.  Apparently, Riley is measuring one week ahead in size.  All three of us Geffert kids measured very big, and according to my brother my niece and nephew were/are both measuring one week ahead of schedule. So it is nothing to be concerned about.  The doc also assured me that she was well within the "normal" range and not to be worried. She got me so concerned that there was something wrong with my baby at first... but I think she was just trying to get the facts, and saw that she was a bigger baby than normal.  All I can say is apparently we grow big babies in our family!  They said that just because she measures a week ahead of the norm in schedule, doesn't mean that they will move up the due date--it just means she is most likely going to be a bigger baby.  Oh boy, I mean girl! :)  We are just so very thankful that we have a healthy baby.

The entire time they were doing the scan we were watching her move around.  She loves to put her hands over her face a lot and point out her index fingers.  She kicked a little bit, but not too much.  Her head was RIGHT on my bladder which makes COMPLETE sense as to why I keep having to go to the bathroom so bad every half hour.  They tell you to drink water while you are waiting so that the baby will be closer to the ultrasound machine. Well we waited for an hour and a half and by the time we went in the room I had to go to the bathroom SO bad.  My bladder was so full that they were having trouble reading the circumference of her head and considered having me empty it. They showed me how incredibly large/full my bladder was...pretty impressive if I must say so myself! ;) It was the first time anyone has ever pointed out my bladder to me.  At the very end of the ultrasound, she turned it to 3d.  It was so AMAZING to see so much detail of Riley's face.  It wasn't the clearest image they printed, but I'll take it!  She has such a CUTE button nose and sweet soft eyes.  I cannot wait to meet her in person.

Here is her 3d image--It is of her face and her right arm is up by her right ear (on the left side of the photo).  The other thing you are seeing on her left side (right side of the picture) is her umbilical cord.  No worries, it is not attached to her neck.  This is just where is was floating when the image was taken--right in front of her.)  Everyone, meet Riley Grace in the womb:

So excited to be at this halfway mark. Just twenty more weeks and we get to meet this sweet angel.

The nursery is finally making progress. They painted it yesterday, and now I can get started on the fun stuff! :)  Andrew is going to put together the crib today and we will put both of the dressers that have been stashed in our dining room for the past month in the nursery!  WAHOO! Can't wait to finally have it all together.

How far along? 20 weeks--HALF WAY! 

Total weight gain: UGH... got on the scale this morning... I am finally up 10 pounds! YUCK! Research says that I should expect to gain 5 lbs in my first trimester, then about a pound a week after that.  So if their calculations are correct, I should have gained 11 pounds by now.  So, I am not too upset about it.  :)  Hopefully it is all pregnancy weight!
Maternity clothes? Over the Christmas holiday my sister told me that my pants were too tight and it was "time".  I knew the time was coming, I just did not want to admit it. I was so thrilled that I could still fit into my own jeans, that I was in denial that they were too tight.  Yes, I was Gloria from Modern Family. Not that extreme, but it happened. Andrew agreed that they were too snug and wanted me to feel comfortable in my own pants, so he took me shopping! I bought a pair of maternity jeans (which I think I might still wear post baby... they don't have a zipper or a button just a long elastic band that goes up really high on the stomach.  Talk about keeping shirts looking smooth and being ever so comfortable!  I also purchased two sweaters.  (Which the sales lady @ Baby Gap so was incredibly obnoxious. If I have time I will write a post just about that experience.)
Stretch marks? Nope, luckily not yet.  I will continue to put on Mustela stretch mark cream ritually and pray it doesn't happen.
Sleep: Well, once a night potty break has become 2-3 times a night potty break.  Not fun. Oh, and I cannot sleep on my back anymore (which is how I ALWAYS sleep), so I keep waking up throughout the night very uncomfortable.  When I sleep on my side my arms fall asleep so I keep accidentally rolling over to my back and wake up thinking "CRAP NOT AGAIN!", roll back to my side only for my arm to fall asleep again. All in all, sleep sucks lately.
Best moment this week: Having Andrew feel Riley kick from the outside for the first time. Such a sweet and special moment that both of us will NEVER forget. Oh and I am pretty sure Riley got the hiccups the other night!
Miss Anything? Surprisingly, nothing right now. Well, I take that back... SLEEP!
Movement: YES! She will be incredibly active for a few days... then just a few kicks here and there for the next few. 
Food cravings: None. I kind of wish I had more... I have so much trouble deciding what I want to eat because I want everything on every menu in every restaurant. If I actually had a craving for something, it would make my decisions so much easier! Come on Riley, I need an excuse to eat whatever I want. What do you want? Ice-cream? Donuts? Pickles?  You name it... I'm on it!
Gender : A sweet baby girl, Riley Grace.
Labor Signs: N/A
Symptoms: A little more round ligament pain recently (I suppose my uterus is growing quite a bit lately).  Lots of fatigue.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On. Still fit the same so far.  With this cooler weather, they are a little loose.
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! I wish we were two months ahead from now so I wouldn't have to wait as long to meet her!