20 weeks - Halfway there!

20 weeks already?

20 Weeks!

Time has kind of flown by, and I can't believe our little girl is at the halfway point! 20 more weeks and we'll have a baby in our arms. A little mind-blowing.

In other news, we thought we'd go ahead and let everyone know our little girl's name: Zoie Elizabeth Bowen! We LOVE the name, and have thought about the name Zoie for several months now. It's a variation on the spelling of Zoe, which is Greek for "life".

Tomorrow we begin our drive to Kansas! It's been a hectic few days getting back from Florida, vacating our house, coordinating carpet cleaning and inspection walk-throughs (quickly patching nail holes in the walls...), and finally turning in our keys. Tonight, I'm writing from our cozy Holiday Inn Express hotel room. Tomorrow, we'll be somewhere halfway to Kansas!

We're really going to miss all the Army friends we made here in Alabama. We had a wonderful get-together at the Mellow Mushroom pizzeria tonight and said our goodbyes. Of course we'll all see each other for visits and trips, but hopefully we'll get stationed somewhere with our Alabama friends again!

Speaking of trips, I just bought my ticket for a trip to Seattle in late April! It'll be sooo good to see my family and friends again. A few of my best friends in Australia are returning to the Northwest in April, and I can't WAIT to see them!


How far along are you? 20 weeks along - only 20 more to go!

How big is Baby?  After 20 weeks of development, babies are measured from head to heel instead of head to rump. Zoie should be about 10 inches long (about the length of a banana!), and should weigh around 10.5 ounces.

Weight Gain? Haven't found a scale since ours was packed up last week, but I'm guessing I'm at least 137 now. Tummy is starting to pooch a little more!

Gender? We're having a baby GIRL!

Maternity Clothes? I think I have one pair of pants that still fit comfortably around my waist. Otherwise, maternity pants and BeBand!

Sleep? It's been good! I make a bathroom trip in the middle of each night, but it's alright.

Movement? I've been feeling Zoie move quite a bit! Several times a day. Mostly soft pokes, but today I felt something kind of move sideways. Even though her movement is gentle, it often startles me if I'm focused on something!

Food Cravings? Food in general tastes really really good. No real cravings, but no aversions either! Except pickles. I keep trying them, but they don't taste very good anymore.

Labor Signs? Nothing.

Belly Button in or out? Looks normal. I wonder when I'll have to take my belly button ring out?

What I miss?  Missing wine and beer a bit. In Florida this weekend, we picked up a few bottles of our favorite Georgia Wines Blackberry wine. I can't wait to drink it in July!

Best moment of the week? This weekend was EPIC! We drove down to Panama City Beach in Florida, and rented a huge mansion of a beach house with 15 of our friends for 3 nights! It was pretty chilly and windy, so we didn't exactly sunbathe, but we had a blast! I was actually glad to be avoiding alcohol... not everyone fared so well in the mornings. A shining moment was when the office manager knocked on our door to check on us - someone reported that we were being loud and looked "quite young" (what a compliment!!).

What I am looking forward to? Arriving in Kansas and spending time with James' parents, hunting for the perfect rental home (3-bedroom, big kitchen, and fenced yard are musts!), and getting settled into our new house! I can't wait to decorate the nursery :D

Cheers,

Martha