Let's talk Details!

How far along: 20 weeks/3 days

Total weight gain: 11 pounds (up 1 pound since last week!)

Maternity clothes: Oh yeeeeeah. Got the GAP maternity pants but only like one pair, so am returning the other. It's really hard to find comfy work pants! So far my Target and Ann Taylor LOFT pants are my faves! I also just ordered a bunch of maternity tops from Target that were on clearance, free shipping and buy 2 get 1 free! I got 13 tops for $100! Go me..... Plus, I go this totally cute top that I am wearing today! Love it!

Stretch marks: No.

Main symptoms: Bigger belly. Still sort of tired. Bathroom trips have picked up again! Arg!

Exercise: Prenatal yoga on Sunday.

Best moment of the week: Finding out that we have a little princess on her way! And seeing her on the sonogram screen. She's already soooo cute!

Movement: Definitely feeling baby Lima! Usually after I eat or when I am still, like sitting at my desk or reading in bed at night. It's great!

Food cravings: Frozen fruit bars! Cookies! More cereal!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: Being skinny! Hahaha. Maybe I'll get this T-shirt!

What I am looking forward to: Being really, really big and pregnant!

Weekly wisdom: Target is the way to go on maternity clothes!

Milestones: Found out that Lima is a girl! Had our Week 20 sonogram and appointment. Finally caved in and got some pregnancy pillows. Also purchased two new books, Baby Bargains and The Happiest Baby on the Block. Reviews to come!

20 weeks down ... 20 to go!

I can't believe we're already at the halfway point! Yay!

Well baby Lima has been growing and she is now the size of a CANTALOUPE! That is a little freaky because, wow, those things are BIG! My belly has been sticking out a little more, so I'll have to work on getting an updated bump photo to share.

In the meantime, here is the fruit pic:


So what's going on with Little Lima? Lots!

• She can now respond to external sounds, such as the music I am listening to or my voice. So Papa Bean has taken to saying goodbye to me in the morning and then leaning down and saying goodbye to his little princess too! Yes, we are those silly parents-to-be!


• She can now grip with her fists. So, watch out to any bullies on the playground!


• Toenails and scalp hair are growing, which is good since we'll need both in order to do a mother-daughter spa day to get our hair and nails done...


• And this coming week, she is developing taste buds on her tongue, so in 21 years we can enjoy some nice wine and champagne at our mother-daugher spa day. Or, am I getting ahead of myself?


• Lima's digestive system is now so advanced that she can absorb water and sugar from the amniotic fluid... That must come first. Then wine. In, you know, 2030.


• Finally, this is pretty cool: By now we could hear her swoosh-swoosh heartbeat with a stethoscope!

Ooooh, I want a stethoscope so bad!!!

Re-cap of our 20-Week Appointment

Yesterday's news cycle was dominated by the announcement that we're having a girl! But I wanted to get back to the appointment to share some other details from our big day.

First of all, we're at the HALFWAY POINT! Pregnancy is 40 weeks, so I am half done growing our daughter! Of course, I didn't know I was pregnant until Week 5, so this half will seem longer. And, I'll LOOK more pregnant this half. But still. Yay!

Back to the appointment.

I weighed in at +11 pounds since my first appointment. My doctor said that usually women gain about 10 in their first 20 weeks and then about 20 pounds in their second 20 weeks. So I'm right on track with the weight gain. But now I'm starting to think about the 30 pounds that I'll eventually be carrying and it's freaking me out! Eeeeek!

Also, if you recall, last appointment, my blood sugar spiked, but I had just eaten. This time I ate a full two hours beforehand, so it came out normal. Good sign. Don't want to get gestational diabetes! And my blood pressure was also normal, too.

I discussed running (well, slow jogging and walking) with my doctor and he said he sees no reason for me to discontinue this. However, after the recent Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, I have decided to cut back to short jogs and lay off the distances.

Finally, have I mentioned here yet that I have fibroids? I didn't know until our first ultrasound, which my doctor says is a good thing because that means they weren't a problem either in comfort or in conception. During the ultrasound, the technician said one of them is a little bigger, but that's normal. She also said one of them has moved to the side and should no longer be blocking the birth canal, which is good news. I'll have more ultrasounds as I progress to check on these. But, really, it'll just be cool to see more pictures of Lima!

Now back to the gender news.

We're super excited for a little girl! Papa Bean says he knew I was growing a girl the whole time! He says it's his destiny to be surrounded by women. Ha! But I have to say that I'm a little surprised! Since I had no morning sickness and my pregnancy has been pretty easy so far, I figured it had to be a boy. I thought girls would be more difficult!

Well, as it turns out, maybe that's not the case. Our ultrasound technician said that our baby's demeanor suggested that she was a girl even before we got a look at her, um, stuff. She said our baby shows a very calm and laid back manner, as opposed to a boy, who might be flipping, bouncing, jumping and basically rough-housing around my uterus!

Papa Bean says it's only a manner of time before this laid-back baby turns into a diva, however. So we'll see if it's possible to raise a laid-back girl. Maybe? Until she turns 13?

Also during the ultrasound we saw her playing and sucking on her fingers, so cute! My mom, who is an OT, says that shows that even early on she knows how to entertain herself and keep herself busy. I did some looking and finger sucking does appear to be a sign of a baby who knows how to soothe themselves. This is a good sign both cognitively and temperamently!

Papa Bean is convinced that she'll either be the first female member of the Yankees (how about the name "Dereka"?) or the first female president.

Oh, and in terms of houses, we now have new criteria. Papa Bean says there is NO WAY are we getting a place with our room on a separate floor than hers and her room must be on the 2nd level. You know, so that boys can't sneak in and date her. Because, like, that's what infants do, apparently!

Is Lima Bean a boy or a girl?

Funny thing is, little Lima Bean is the only one who knows the answer to that question right now. And even funnier, Baby Bean most likely does not even know that the other sex even exists! (There was a day...)

As you all know, the sex of a baby is determined at the moment of conception by the father. So, whether we have a boy or a girl, you can blame - or congratulate - Papa Bean!

After conception, the ball of cells that turns into an embryo looks about the same whether it's a boy or a girl. It isn't until Week 8 that the magic starts happening. By Week 8, Lima Bean's genitals began development, although they are difficult to identify this early on.

At Week 10, Lima Bean officially graduated from the embryonic period and became a fetus. Bones and cartilage began to form, elbows on little Lima Bean's arms started working and tiny buds of baby teeth started forming under the gums.

Farther down, Lima Bean's stomach started producing digestive juices and the kidneys started producing - get this - urine! If Lima Bean is a boy, then by this time he had already started producing testosterone (boys will be boys, even this early on!)

If Lima Bean is a girl, then by Week 11, she already started developing ovaries!

And by Week 12, the pituitary gland at the base of the brain already started producing hormones - so that Lima Bean will one day be able to make babies of his or her own!

Unreal.

All this before we, the parents, even get to find out whether Lima Bean is a boy or a girl!

By the way, if you have not voted yet, what are you waiting for?! We should be able to find out the sex by Week 20, so considering that we are at Week 13/Day 4 right now, you have about a month and a half to register your guesses!

In the meantime, we can't help trying to figure out on our own whether Lima Bean is a boy or a girl...

According to the Chinese conception gender chart, we're having a boy! But according to this version of the Chinese conception chart, using lunar months, we are having a girl!

According to this quiz, we have a 76 percent chance of having a boy! According to this chart, however, my age means that we have a 58 percent chance of having a girl!

Let the guessing begin!