20 Weeks – Size of a Banana!

 20 WEEKS PREGNANT!

Milestone week, we’re halfway there! Baby Sandee is the size of a banana, or at least as tall as one! 20 weeks was AWESOME to me in comparison with 19 weeks, which was an emotional roller coaster! I’ll tell you why. Because we really felt Baby Sandee kick! HARD! Enough that winecoach was able to feel it for the first time this week, which has been so exciting for me, but mostly for him. I always imagine it’s difficult for the father to bond with a baby inside of us, so that was sort of the first line of communication between them and it was everything! Baby really went nuts when he was talking to him/her, aka, my belly and kicked extra hard! So funny!

Thankfully, physically it has otherwise been stable. No embarrassing episodes this week like 18 weeks (aka, the sneeze and pee episode(s) in Singapore), read more about that by clicking here. I also haven’t been as tired, likely because the jet lag has finally left me, thank God!

All in all, I’d say it’s been a pretty good week. I got to visit my mom in Jersey, who also just came back from her trip to Brazil and brought back some serious goodies from my grandma, which just means the world to me. I was planning on visiting Brazil early in July this year but had to cancel my trip since the Zika virus was still rampid and the CDC advised against all pregnant women traveling south of the border, basically. This saddened me a little since I never miss a year of traveling there to see my elderly grandparents, who are very much alive and a part of my life, but this year it just wasn’t meant to be. I can’t wait to go to Brazil with the baby so they can meet their first great-grandbaby though! I wonder how soon we can go after baby is born and that should be around Christmas.

Baby bump is solid now, no hiding, no “sucking in”, it’s out there and wants to be seen. Visiting NJ was great, even though I didn’t get to see most of my friends since it was super rushed, but got to see my family which was amazing. My cousin is also pregnant, so spending time with her was fantastic, we are only 10 days apart!

It’s really cool to feel all the baby motion everyday. I’m no longer obsessed with getting an ultrasound as often as I can because well, I feel baby moving so I’m not worried like I used to be. I used to neurotically worry that something could be wrong, but thankfully that’s passed. I feel healthy, but I do feel I need to increase my activity level, so next week I will step up my game. I have been tired after work, and of course that makes me less motivated to move, but I will make more of an effort in the upcoming weeks and take advantage of this second trimester, because I have no idea what the third trimester holds, and I fear it will be more morbidity, for obvious reasons.

• Cravings: Cheez-its! Oh my goodness, it’s just insane. I ate 2 boxes of cheez-its, one at work and one at home. Also, nutella, still. Sometimes after dinner, sometimes just when I get home from work, by the spoonfuls. It’s insane. Also, having gone to Jersey, I had the sudden urge to have rice and beans again. I think I should be it part of my diet, more. It’s a food I grew up with and it’s only normal that it comforts me. Plus it’s good for you! Beans are an amazing source of protein and iron, and brown rice is an awesome complex carb, so, there is no reason to avoid it! Plus I’m Brazilian right? It’s what we do. Here is some of the food I enjoyed while visiting Jersey and my mom.

• Aversions:No aversions! Funny that I couldn’t even smell coffee for a whole month between 8-12 weeks pregnant, and now the smell also comforts me. A cup a day has done wonders for me, and has also helped the digestive system!
• Mood: General good mood this week compared to 19 weeks. Hormones are behaving well.
• Ultrasound and Baby’s sex: Earlier this week I had a visit with the midwife to review our anatomy scan. Needless to say, we did find out what the baby’s gender is! At least we think we did! I would like to wait a little longer before we share with you guys, just to make sure!
• Movement and Positioning: Yes! Fish bowl feelings, which means baby is moving up, down, side to side and all around! Midwife said every 30 minutes baby can be breech or not, so not to worry about positioning just yet!
• Weight gain: Definitely noticed weight gain on the scale! My goodness! I’m a good 13-15 lbs over my start weight, depending on what time of the day I weigh myself. I feel like I gained 5lbs just this week, although it seems to only be in the belly. Another reason to really get going with walking, some weight training and yoga. Would you guys like me to share some modified exercise routines with you on here?
• Nursery and registry: The registry is up, but far from completion. I actually finally signed up for “The Bump” as well, so I’m getting there, slowly but surely! Please have a look and criticize me (constructively please! be kind to this first time mom who doesn’t know what she’s doing), letting me know what it is that I really need. Click here to see our registry from Babies R us, or the consolidated list on The Bump. Taking suggestions of where else to register besides Babies R us and Amazon. Think clueless…That’s Winecoach and me.
• Names: Also keeping this private for now, at least until finalized.
• Midwife or OB: I love my midwife. She suggested I take classes on the Bradley method, since I’m leaning towards a natural birth plan. Any thoughts of birthing classes?
• Aches and pains: Back pains occasionally, and stretching helps. I also get swelling on my feet, but mostly when I fly. I’ve been wearing compression stockings during, and that helps.
• Sleep: On my side. Do I have another choice? Still not friends with body pillow because it elevates my body temperature. Sleeping like a champ until I have to wake up at 4 am to pee. Hey, these days it’s only once a night, I know it’s going to get “better”, as in, hourly probably at some point. 
• Currently wearing: Whatever fits. Haha, still in my dresses as you can see. And flowy pajama looking pants. I haven’t bought one piece of maternity clothing yet (except for uniform for work), I think now that we are halfway, it’s probably time. At least for bras! 
• Traveling – New Jersey for 3 days! Short trip but totally worth it. Was pretty smooth and slept most of both flights. Flying with winecoach is always better, because I get to put all my weight on him and he doesn’t seem to mind. I’m planning on getting all the travelling out of the way in the next 8-10 weeks because I will be grounded after that, at least for flying. It was recommended I slow down in the third trimester, and definitely no flying after 34 weeks, so I’ll try to be good and listen. 

Thank you for following my journey! Please leave me comments with any tips for the upcoming months as baby continues to grow, especially on birthing classes, birthing methods and what I need for the registry. These are the things I’m most needing help with right now. I sure appreciate you! Don’t forget to follow @ColorfulPregnancy on Instagram for my nutrition tips during pregnancy!

Xo, Ana
Count Colors, NOT Calories!
Color your Plate, Color your Life.
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SNAPCHAT: AnaSandee – I will continue to snap and cook so get the recipes in real time before they make it to the blog! Of course I’ll also be sharing some more awesome things about the pregnancy as I learn them! Videos stay up for 24 hours. I may condense them into YouTube videos after!