You've come a Long way, baby

We've officially hit the halfway mark, and yesterday was my 20-week ultrasound. BL was measured all over the place, from top to bottom, and she looks great.

And she's still a she - what a relief. Matt and I were not looking forward to calling back our family and friends to tell them BL turned out to be a boy. Not that they wouldn't have been excited either way, but still. And then I would have to return the super-cute bedding that was shipped to the office last week and is still folded neatly in its packaging. Just in case.

What a happy ultrasound appointment to see BL is a girl and she is healthy and all of her parts look as they should!

I go back on Monday for my actual doctor appointment, and I have been updating my list of questions to review with Dr. Uribe. Informed patient, that's me. A few days ago on the week-by-week pregnancy email I receive weekly I read that women who are "small in stature" may sometimes experience trouble breathing - and sure enough, I have been from time to time. I guess my internal organs are just starting to get cramped in my short-in-stature body.

I also have not been sleeping very well. My belly isn't that big, but by the time I roll from one side to the other and get positioned properly amidst the three pillows around me, I am huffing and puffing. All Thursday night before my ultrasound Friday morning I had terrible anxiety dreams (seems to happen before every sonogram), and last night I tossed and turned some more.

Then this morning I met my friend Amber for her prenatal yoga class at Yoga Yoga and it was quite different from the prenatal yoga class I took two weeks ago. That class had been great, but it was intense and was truly a modified workout. The Yoga Yoga class was great for entirely different reasons. I felt wonderfully rested and relaxed afterward - for the first time in days.

After we went through some stretching poses, the yoga instructor had us partner up and take turns pressing up and down along each others' spines, and then we sat in a circle and each of us massaged the person's shoulders in front of us. It was something to see...25 pregnant ladies sitting in a circle rubbing each other's shoulders and oohing and ahing about how good it felt. And it felt good. Amber said it wasn't the regular yoga instructor for that class and the massaging was something they'd not done before, but even without that extra treat the class was just what I needed. I intend to go back, for sure. The next time I go Amber probably will have delivered Blueberry, so I'm glad we were able to take the class together today. Throughout the rest of today I have been feeling the effects of my yoga practice, and I hope I sleep well tonight.