I'll make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now - Pregnancy Update {Week 21}

20 Week Mid-wife check up / Twenty One Week Update

Sonogram from 20w2d - It's a GIRL!!!!

How far along? Twenty One Weeks! On the back half now!

How big is baby?

According to The Bump

Week 21: Banana
Average size: 10.5 in, 12.7 oz

However, my ultrasound on Wednesday estimated baby to be about that weight then, guess that's why it's the "average".  Also, you'll notice we've moved from crown-to-rump measurements to head-to-toe.

Baby's limbs, head, body measured an average of 20 weeks and 5 days, though some were in the 19 week range and others in the 21 week range.  But it all just depends on the angle and accuracy of the measurement. Her legs are looking nice and long though.  Is anyone surprised? :)

Total weight gain: Hovering around 20lbs this whole week.  The midwife was a little concerned that I hadn't gained enough weight since the last check up 4 weeks ago.  But she said as long as I am eating and not sick, then she's fine with it.  She said to increase my protein intake. More bacon? okay!

Maternity Clothes? Oh my yes! My bump is starting to fill out the shirts, and actually look decidedly pregnant instead of questionable weight gain. They look so much cuter now!  My new maternity bras, special ordered in jumbo size, should be here this month.  I hope it's sooner rather than later!

Stretch Marks? I have a very painful new one on my hip, right at my panty line. It hurts. There is a tiny zit next to it too. Ouchy.

Sleep: I had a few really good sleeps this week.  Once I adjusted the body pillow just right it's been much easier to fall asleep.  Most nights my hips and back aren't as debilitating as they were probably due to...


*Exercise: I've noticed that days when I eat well and exercise, even a little bit, make for a better night's sleep. This has prompted regular sitting on the yoga ball, several shorts walks through out the day, a short exercise routine suggested at the childbirth class and in What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition, and even this slightly awesome Lindsay Brin's Complete Pregnancy 4-DVD Workout Set: Cardio, Toning PLUS Yoga video that I found at Target for $14.99

Movement: Baby Ninjeena (our girl version of Ninja) has been going crazy inside. She loved the sweet tea I had the other week, lots of flips followed. I feel her mostly when I sit for meals, or lay in bed at night. The bumping makes me laugh.  She seems to switch sides every other day. 

She was in the perfect spot to do the anatomy scan on Wednesday.  She didn't give a great side profile, but we got a good bottom up view to see she's a she. 

Food cravings: Oh my, French Toast.  3x this week.  Imagine my horror when I discovered the syrup had spyrogyra, or, something nasty growing on it.  Gag. 

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.  And Eric rubs in it.  Jerk.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little princess. Watching Eric snuggle with her.

Milestones: Hitting the half way mark and getting serious about this baby coming in less than twenty weeks.  Making to-do lists. (Keep in mind my work is insanely busy Aug-Nov, so I have to get things done now!)

Say What? Saturday we went to Harry's/Whole Foods for groceries and lunch.  While inline at the pizza bar the USPS man in front of me said, "I'm so jealous. You're eating for two. That means you can have a second slice and not feel guilty." 

My brother, Alex, called and I told him I was at our childbirth class and he replied, "Oh WOOF!" (This is the kid who almost got kicked out of his birthing class for giggling).


An adult volunteer for the youth group hugged me after Mass and said, "So I hear you swallowed a basketball!"


One of the teens asked the other youth minister, "I see Elizabeth and Eric are calling the baby Ninjeena. Is that a family name?" 

Lots of sweet comments on my Facebook wall about how excited people are that we're having a baby girl! And a few folks still disappointed that we found out the baby's sex. Oh well, it's not your baby. So there.

Sweet moments:

Eric was leaving to go somewhere and kissed me and said, "Good bye, beautiful" then lifted up my shirt, kissed my belly and said, "Good bye, beautiful"  Makes me all melty inside. 

I can't help but gush over how much I love how excited Eric is that we're having a girl and how giddy he gets taking about her.  He's going to be such a great dad to a daughter. Seriously.

We found out that Ninjeena is a girl on Wednesday.  On Thursday I was out running errands and I kept getting text messages from co-workers asking if I was coming to the office. I figured they were up to something.  So I swung by with the sonograms.  Sure enough, they were up to something sneaky.  They had pink "It's a girl" balloons in the office lobby.  AND all the ladies dressed in PINK!  Some of them who didn't make it to the office text me later to say they wore pink and home, too.  HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?!  I felt so loved and I am glad they're all as excited as I am!!!  PS: Our receptionist is about my grandmother's age and people kept asking her about the balloons.  She'd reply "it's a case of Sarah and Abraham"  haha! And then she'd tell them about me :)

Make room for baby:

I thought I was going to cry just thinking about the daunting task of choosing a stroller. We popped into buybuybaby just to take a peak and found ourself just in time for a demonstration on strollers.  After, we consulted with two employees who pointed us to the same brand, different models. We "test drove" all kinds of strollers (except the $1000 one with the fancy umbrella attached. I didn't want to break it!).  We've decided on the recommended Peg Perego brand, and we really like a particular model.  It's pretty pricey, but we're going to go for it anyway. A few friends have said, there are a lot of corners you can cut, but splurge on a stroller that makes you happy. Don't you love the grey polka dots? 

We also started an online cloth diaper registry, and added few things on our buybuybaby list. Every time we have an hour, we swing by and pick out a few more things asking a zillion questions to staff, and later consulting with friends, and reading online reviews.

Oh, and THIS:  
My hands and feet have been very dry.  I can only wear my contacts for about 10-12 hours and then I get dry eyes and a headache. My belly button is itchy.  As Eric said, "it's getting ready to pop, but that doesn't mean you're done baking" bahaha


We started our Bradley Childbirth classes. It's just us and two other couples with a very spunky instructor. It's fun to know there are other couples who want to go all-natural and are even considering water births.  Most people look at us like we have two heads...even just mentioning a birthing class.  I need to *know* what's going on with my body and not rely on a doctor or midwife to tell me.  One of the girls is already going to Le Leche League group meetings and suggested I join too.  I discovered the Harry's / Whole Foods by my parents house has a natural parenting group that meets there once a month.  We might give that a few visits too!  LOVE!


* new category this week