Diaries of the Newly Enciente: The Big Reveal @ 20 weeks

20 week scan

Last time I blogged, I admit I was still experiencing the after effects of my first term nausea. That however, has since abated. Thank Fudge!

I am now well and truly into the good months or as I like to call them, my normal months. This is as close as I've felt to my usual self since being preggers, apart from the big belly.

My "mini bump" at 20 weeks

Speaking of big bellies, I am now looking properly pregnant vs just someone who has a beer gut. Still not as big as other pregnant women, but at least this time the belly is pronounced enough that if you cared to look, you can tell that I'm preggers.

I've gained 4kgs since finding out, which is 1 over the recommended 2-3kg weight gain up to 20wks. They also tell me I should expect to gain 1/2 kg every week after till I give birth -- so if I am waddling now I can only imagine what my state will be close to D day. 

One perk of the weight gain is that my rings now fit me again! My weight has seen its up and downs in the 7 married years I've shared with PIC and I've had to resize my rings twice now. Last time I actually witnessed the jeweller sawing into my ring before resizing it. That was so gutting that when my fingers got skinny again, I didn't bother with the resizing any more. Now, as it dawned that I am now chunkier than usual, I tested my rings out and not only do they fit, but they are actually snug now! No more fears of a ring flying off my finger as I shake excess water off my hands or just because.

Other women are so good at taking pics of their belly month on month, but I just cant be bothered. We are going on another holiday in a month though -- so maybe I'll have my collection of bellyful pics then.

My Alien Bug Tormentor
(source: www.elfwood.com)

Anyway moving on from the weight drama. Those vivid dreams are still acting up! The other night, PIC had to get up with me for my nth toilet break as I had just woken up from a sci-fi horror dream where a giant alien bug was trying to pry me out of my blankets and eat my face off. Random!

Hmm what else has been the focus of our waking hours lately? Oh yes. December. 

PIC is flying home in December to be grooms man at our friends' wedding and while this is exciting stuff, and I would have normally jumped at the excuse to fly home, there is the baba to consider. I have done some research though and found this really comprehensive list of tips for flying with a 5 month old. Kudos to the mommy who came up with these! So while it is reassuring to see that the feat doesn't necessarily have to be as hard as it sounds there are still issues of practicality.

Party themes anyone??

Remember that by December I would have been on leave for 6 months with no pay. While PIC is more than capable of supporting our little family without my input, a trip home to Manila is never a simple affair. There's also the question of flying home with baba and scheduling a Christening while we are in town as this would mean 90% of his / her godparents would be available vs having one in Auckland where none of them can be present. While a Christening can be a small and quiet affair with only immediate family and friends present, its still another item on the list of things to think about.

Basically, where I have been the frivolous little wifey who drags her husband to various adventures and misadventures without a thought to the practical -- I find myself suddenly donning the mommy hat and thinking of what happens in the aftermath.

Apart from the practical, there's our friends from Ireland who've brought their children home and each time, their kids were taken to hospital due to asthma, fever, flu and so on. Can we deal with the trauma??

To be honest I think half my mind is made up about going home already -- it now depends on how it all turns out and if baby's cheery, healthy, and happy enough not to mind the adventure.

So did you read through my whole spiel or did you just scroll down to the bottom waiting for the big reveal??

We just had our 20 week scan and baba is still proving as wriggly as he-she's been since the beginning. The technician clearly had a challenge on her hands. I'm lucky to be one of the few first time moms who's had a very active baby since week 11/12. So much so that I've even been able to time myself to baby's activities as the little bugga seems most active around 9PM each night. These days, the movements now feel like full on belly rolls and every now and then a sharp poke on one side as baby practices kicking.

Its official folks. We're now halfway to welcoming Aoife (read as "Eee-fah") Harper L to our family, our very own little girl...

Source