Alien? No, it's a baby...

20 weeks today! Holy crap, has this gone by fast!! I'm hitting the halfway mark, and at this point, I feel like we're scrambling to get ready. I guess not so much scrambling as realizing, "wow, if the first half went by this fast, then the second half will be over before we know it."

My belly is starting to pop, my clothes don't fit, and I'm running to the bathroom every ten minutes. 

I've gone this far without buying maternity pants, but looks like I'm going to have to give in very soon. Bella bands are great when you can't button your pants anymore, but when you can't zip them either? I think that's a sign it's time to start shopping more in the maternity section. But what does getting bigger mean? Means you're baby is growing, healthy, and if you thought he/she had taken over your body before, think again.

I've been feeling twinges for a couple of weeks now, but for the past few days, I swear that kid is doing olympic-worthy gymnastics in there. I can actually feel the little bugger rolling around and, yes, kicking the crap out of me. It freaked me out at first, and I automatically had these images from the movie Alien when the nasty critter pushes it's way through the guy's stomach. Yeah. That's me. Instead of having a tear-jerker moment, I think of a screaming, brutal extraterrestrial. 

What can I say? After I got used to it, though, it became less weird and more amazing, making the whole thing a little less surreal and a lot more real. 

Poor Taylor. He wants so bad to feel this kid kick, and every time I feel something, he puts his hand on my belly and you know what? The baby stops moving. As if he/she's playing this mischievous little game, "let's see how frustrated I can make Daddy." I'm sure it won't be the last time.

The funny thing is, I swear I can feel movements on the outside, little pushes against my hand, but that's only for the past two days or so. Taylor thinks it's because I'm feeling it on the inside, so my mind is tricking me, but I've been feeling twinges and kicks for a couple of weeks now, and this is definitely different. Of course, he won't believe me until he feels it for himself. 

Feeling this little munchkin move around is cool, but sometimes the fact that he/she can wiggle into places where nothing has wiggled before = OUCH! 

A little over a week ago, I had a hard time sitting down. Walking. Laying. Pretty much just being conscious. Apparently, little Mahaffey found a comfy spot right on my tailbone. Actually it felt less like he/she was getting comfy than he/she was having a party and tap dancing on my sciatic nerve. Now I could sugar-coat it and say that my lower back and legs hurt, but let's be honest here. This kid was literally a pain in my ass. I felt like Forrest Gump, but instead of the whole something "jumped up and bit me," I felt like something tomahawked a sledgehammer into my backside. 

More than appropriate...

One sick day of being horizontal later (yup, it hurt so bad, I couldn't go to work), and all was well. 

Another thing I find funny about this pregnancy is the fact that I have a super nose. I can smell everything. Taylor prides himself on having super senses, and I used to swear he was making up half the smells he claimed his divine schnauze could supposedly detect, but I get it now. Oh boy, do I get it. You think having well-honed senses would be cool? Ummm... when you have a gassy husband, think again. I swear he could patent that stuff and sell it to the government as a secret weapon. We'd be millionaires and world peace would prevail. 

Aliens, throbbing butt cheeks, and stink-bombs aside, this is starting to feel real! My friend at work brought in her baby the other day, and while babies usually freak me out a little and make me nervous, I was surprisingly fine. Yeah, I've always been that person. The one who stands in the background praying they won't ask me if I want to hold him/her while everyone else goes googoogaga begging for a turn. It's just the way I've always been, but seeing my friend's little guy got me pretty excited, and knowing I can be a semi-normal person when it comes to babies is pretty encouraging. Why encouraging? Because I've never been great with kids and the fact that they make me nervous made me... well... nervous when I found out I was having my own. However, pretty sure this is a whole new set of circumstances.

Now that I've hit the halfway mark, there's a lot to do. The baby's room. Baby stuff. More baby stuff. And more baby stuff. Reading. Researching. Praying. Plus, I need to register at the hospital and start thinking of a birthing plan. A what? Wow. I'm looking through my thick preadmission packet right now and... umm... 

That's a post for another week, I think. Don't want to get too overwhelmed in one sitting. 

Cheers!