Halfway There

Today marks 20 weeks of pregnancy.  I honestly can't believe I'm halfway there.  How did I begin this momentous day?  By trimming some bushes in the backyard of our rental house.  Lol.  I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be going, going, going until the actual moment I give birth.  I have to say it's been a pretty laid back pregnancy so far.  I'm not one of those pregnant women who reads every parenting book in sight, subscribes to a million different email lists, checks a daily progress app, etc.  I'm not knocking the women who do that; it's just not my style.  I like to roll with the punches and take things as they come.  I think taking a more relaxed approach has helped the time go by faster.  Having to stop and think when someone asks me how far along I am has actually made me less worried in general because I'm not constantly thinking about what week and day it is.  I do appreciate the fact that I don't really feel 20 weeks pregnant, though.  Some days I don't even look like it!  Let's see how long that lasts...

Even though I haven't been a super hands-on pregnant woman, that doesn't mean I haven't already learned a lot of things along the way.  Most of them were pretty unavoidable because my body wouldn't let me ignore them.  Here's a snippet of what I've discovered over the past 20 weeks:

- if your hips grow, the belly band doesn't really come in handy for trying to avoid buying
   maternity clothes
- you can gain a decent amount of weight in other places besides your belly when you're
   pregnant
- heartburn/acid reflux is super crappy, but Zantac (or a glass of milk) does help
- I can't sleep at all without Unisom, and even with it, I wake up 3-5 times a night
- we go through a lot more toilet paper because I pee ALL THE TIME
- I can totally see why women gain excess weight because I'm hungry every waking
   moment
- I wouldn't say I crave pickles, but I eat them because they're good for snacking and low
   in calories
- it's best to keep snacks with you at all times because they'll help calm an upset stomach
- new exercises cause sore muscles at a much more profound level now
- I will perpetually have a stuffy nose
- Meezy is always there when I need him
- the "pregnancy card" can and should be played when you need help lifting something

That is by no means an exhaustive list, but it hits the highlights.  I'm sure the next 20 weeks will bring many more realizations!