20 Weeks

The biggest development this week is discovering that I'm carrying a BOY!!!  We went in for the ultrasound soon after school and the little guy had his legs opened right away! We were all happy, except for Bunny.  We hadn't realized how much her heart had been set on a girl until that moment.  She said she'd been asking Jesus for a girl.  I told her that God always answers her prayers but sometimes the answer is "No," because he has something better in mind than our ideas.  She didn't like that idea.  Anyway, that was before we found out.  When we went to the imaging place, the tech told us right away it was a boy.  She knew Bunny's preferences and she phrased it this way: "Well...she's not right!" so I said,
"Bunny! It's a boy!" and her face fell and she looked down quietly for a moment before saying,
"Well, I'm not going to play with him." We reminded her that her best friend is a boy and they have lots of fun playing together and she responded that she doesn't like to play with him. 
"Well, are you still going to love him?" I asked. 
"Yeah, I'll still love him," she said grudgingly.  Then she hid behind her Daddy's chair and cried for awhile.  Later, she popped her head out, still mulling over the sad situation and said,
"I'm NOT gonna love him!"  When we tried to talk to her about it.  I told her how I decided I wouldn't love her Auntie E if she was born a girl and she was and I loved her very much anyway and she responded, "I don't want to talk about it." 

Well, that only lasted for a couple of hours.  By the time we were ready to go to church that evening she was excited to tell her best friend that she has a little brother too now. In the days that have passed, she has manifested her growing love for him over and over.  She has plans for him when he comes out, she loves helping me pick out little toys and clothes for him, and she laughs when she talks about him and giggles when I tell her how much he's wiggling inside of me.  We knew that the frustration would pass over time.  She responds to things she hasn't planned much in the way I do--denial and anger and then acceptance.  She also has a very nurturing heart, she's eager to love on others--especially babies. 

After the ultrasound appointment, we did some shopping and we stopped at Moe's for dinner.  When we came home we immediately made this video to share the news with our families--most of whom live too far away for a one-on-one visit: http://youtu.be/wgAUu9a_waQ.be
Turns out, it wasn't my most brilliant idea since my parents and Dave's Dad aren't so savy with the technology thing, but it's okay.  We tried our best to make the announcement personal and special without actually being there.  All in all, it was a good effort and everyone was really excited--well, my family at least.  Dave's didn't respond. 

Once we'd given the families a couple of hours to get the message, we put this week's belly picture up on Facebook.  We figured the blue ribbon would get the message across.  After awhile, we put the link to the video as well.  In any case, it was fun spreading the news, though after 5 sisters and a daughter, the idea of carrying and raising a boy is really a foreign concept to me.  The last time I took care of a baby boy (my brother) I was 7. 

Other developments this week:

He gets hiccups a lot.  I should go back and read through my blog posts of Bunny's pregnancy to be sure, but I don't remember feeling the hiccups this early. 

I can feel his little body sometimes if he gets in the right position.  I mean, I can sometimes feel it even if he's laying still.  It's so cute!

I feel baby movement every hour when I'm sitting still.  Sometimes I can even tell which body parts are moving.  His little legs feel like little popsicle sticks. 

I've begun needing to pee more frequently.  I haven't had that yet with him because I've had such a hard time taking in liquid. 

I'm hit with exhaustion daily.   With Bunny, the exhaustion was more the first trimester.  Now, I'm just wiped after my half day teaching, and sometimes as I teach it's all I can do to keep from sitting down and/or putting my head on my desk. 

My legs have been tired and I had a couple of leg and back cramps.  This is in addition to the Varicose veins that are driving me nuts.  They're worse where they started during Bunny's pregnancy--at my ankle--and that's where they actually hurt, but they're popping out already.