19 Week Bumpdate!

19 Weeks! I am only one week away from being halfway through...or if you come a little early, then I am already past that point (:
Still waiting on some "for sure" movement. I think I may have felt the baby a few times the past couple of nights when I was laying in bed. It's almost like a muscle spasm, but not regular (like a heartbeat) and it lasts 2-3 times and stops. I am hoping over the next week I will feel stronger movement finally.
We have our 20 week appointment on Friday, but won't get to meet with the ultrasound technician until  next Wednesday. I REALLY hope she is still a girl. I ultimately just want a healthy baby and I know we won't care, even if the gender changes. It will just be hard to switch our mentality, since we have pictured having a daughter for the past 5 weeks (and we have so much adorable girl stuff).
I can definitely tell that the real baby bump is forming:
18 weeks on the left and 19 weeks on the right. My lower stomach is starting to push out even more and the bump is turning into a smoother bump, rather than just looking like lower belly pooch. I really would not be surprised if by next week there's an even bigger change.
If you want to depress yourself, compare your pre pregnancy self to your (even minuscule) bump. I would always think I didn't look that skinny...

Holy smokes! And that is from 12 weeks. I know it is silly, but every day I'm like "What if my body never goes back?!" Last night when I was getting ready for bed, my shirt would barely go down and cover my belly. I looked in the mirror and said "Bye bye belly! This may be the last time you ever look like this." Ryan shook his head and said that I am ridiculous.
So right now I am most excited to go and see the little bean next Wednesday. I know that once I REALLY know the gender and I start to feel ::her:: move, this pregnancy is going to start flying by. The weeks leading up to now there has always been something that I was desperately waiting for, which makes the days pass so slowly. First, waiting for a heartbeat - then another heartbeat - then making it to 12 weeks - then finding out the gender- then confirming the gender- and now really waiting for movement.
I think when I can feel the baby move on a daily basis, I will be less stressed out and will truly begin to enjoy the pregnancy more. I am also really excited to go to Florida to see my family for Memorial Day. Then we have our baby shower in Chicago in July. After that we will have just two months until she arrives!
I cannot believe I am basically halfway through. It seems like just yesterday, I was waking up on Christmas morning to another period...sad and so discouraged...wondering if I would ever get pregnant again. And now I am halfway through a healthy pregnancy and am so grateful to God for every day I have with this little gift.

"Each day I rediscover what my body is capable of doing."
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