Our Baby has BUMPED! 20 week update

A couple of weeks ago Ben left on a business trip to China, and I visited family in Utah.  We were apart for almost 2 weeks, and when Ben picked me up from the airport he could see that a lot had changed in that amount of time: "Wow! You have a baby bump!"

And it's true.  I've been "showing" for a long time, but these last couple of weeks Baby Boy O'Brien is really making himself part of our world!

I still haven't gained a pound (but I haven't lost any, either), but our latest ultrasound (I have one every 2 weeks) shows that he is measuring so long that his height growth almost puts him at 2 weeks ahead of my newest due date! Haha... Gotta love the long, skinny genes (not jeans.) of our families!

We have a really amazing app on the iPad called "Hello Baby" by Pampers. The only thing the app really does is show a baby's progress week-by-week.  This picture is {supposedly} actual size for a 20-week baby!

I have already started feeling him move, which seems early for 20 weeks, until I realize that something this big is living inside of me! No wonder! Maybe it's just me, but this image seems huge!

~ 6.5 in. long

~7.5-9 oz. 

Words cannot express how much we both love this baby.  We think he loves us, too :)

How Dragon shows he loves us:

- Came to us so quickly after losing Eleanor

-We saw (too small to hear) his heart beating at my 6 week ultrasound. That is really early to even see a heart formed! Brought us a lot of comfort right away

-I've never been sick or had any symptom but fatigue! I was practically on my death bed with Eleanor, and having another hard pregnancy would have made this journey much harder. 

-The one day Ben was out-of-town and I was really nervous about the pregnancy was the first time we heard his heartbeat at home using our Fetal Doppler. This was at 11 weeks when the heart can be too small to hear even at the doctor's office, but I was so worried I tried for about 30 mins to find the heart beat on my own. After saying a prayer with Ben that his heart would get stronger quickly, I heard the heart beat as soon as I tried! Thanks, Kiddo :)

-Have been feeling him move (internally) consistently since 14 weeks. Never felt Eleanor's flutters until 18 weeks. 

- He is growing even more than schedule! It is so comforting to go to a doctor's appt and hear that he is another 2 or 3 days ahead of schedule because he is so big and strong. Yay! We are now almost a week ahead of schedule!

- Felt him move (into my hand) at 18 weeks on the second day I was ever really worried about his health, even though we had recently been told we wouldn't feel kicks until about 24 weeks due to another anterior placenta.  It is the most wonderful feeling :) 

When Dragon Moves the Most: (Showing his personality)

- When Mommy eats Asian food

- Hearing the motorcycles at the circus

-When on a plane that takes off

-The Super Bowl

-When Daddy calls on the phone or talks to him

He is already such a blessing, and really does help us as much as possible-- whenever we are concerned or happy he wants to comfort us or be a part of it :)

Thanks, Little Guy! 

So, so, so glad I am already feeling him move and his heart is strong enough to hear so we always know he is healthy!