Kickin' Around

Kent and I have found out, much to our glee, that the Barley likes music! We were listening to Viva la Vida last week and the Barley went wild for it. Kicked me right in the gut as if to say "Mom! Don't touch that!....I'm pondering death and all his friends." It was such a swift kick I could see it out of the corner of my eye. Promptly this led to "I wanna see I wanna see" from Kent who at that point hadn't seen or felt the Barley move yet. They had been playing a game of hide and seek for a couple weeks and Barley was the one in the kitchen cupboard refusing to come out full knowing that it had hit upon the world's best hiding spot and to leave now would be to forfeit glory in what would be called the greatest round of hide and seek the sentient world has ever known, and become fodder for the BBC and children's songs alike.
But, a little bit of food, some good music and the Barley can be coaxed... Hoof! We have been enjoying an active and lively little Barley all week.
Like mother like Barley.

Gimme gimme gimme!

So, for the first half of my pregnancy I figured that those notorious "cravings" women get didn't apply to me. For me the definition of a craving at that point was finding the only thing that didn't make me want to throw up and die...and eat it for the sake of the Barley.
Well, happy days are here again! And with gusto!
Not only is nausea a thing of the past but I am even surpassing my previous (notorious) hearty appetite with records heights I'm surprised at!
In particular I want sweeeets. No, I don't want, I pine and will do dangerous feats for sweets. This is almost as exciting as my new belly button! It used to be that when we went out with friends for dessert I would be the only one sitting there with a BLT.
But now, I would straight trip someone for their ice cream cone.
For those prudent and worry-prone readers out there, don't worry, I haven't thrown all caution to the wind (mom). I still eat all my fruits, vegetables, whole grains, blah, blah, blah... but my new rapacious appetite allows me to have my cake and eat that too.
And the best part of it all... It is 100% guilt free! I was never one to put too much stock in what people thought about my second and third helpings, or order salads because everyone else was... That's balls. They can be fabulous and hungry and also inevitably mad at the world if they want to, but it's always been pass the gravy for me!
And now eating is like doing someone a favor! I learned yesterday that the Barley can taste now, and what I eat, the Barley tastes in the amniotic fluid whether it is sweet, savory, or mediocre Thai. And I am bent on making The Barley's first culinary experiences ones to remember.

It's a.....?

So we had our 20 week ultrasound today...and the good news is it's a human! and it's healthy! But the bad news is we still don't know what kind of human it is. I'm not talking about character qualities either. We already know all about how the Barley is genuine, kind hearted, unwilling to tease others even when provoked, and has an exceptional knack for picking good friends and resisting unsavory influences. It's whether the Barley has literal balls or not that we haven't quite figured out yet.

Unfortunately for us the technician who helped us was less than talkative and even less charming. She took some fabulous pictures, and images of almost every inch of the Barley's body...except for the most crucial and interesting inches in the nether region!

There were other discoveries however. The pictures showed that Barley has a few small cysts in it's brain that they want to make sure clear up. (The midwife assured us that it is normal given their small size, they're not dangerous during this stage of pregnancy and that they should clear up.) They also want to make sure that my currently low lying placenta hikes up where it should in the next 4 weeks as well. Which means...we won't know for sure if it's a Barley Girl or a Barley Boy until I go in for tests next month!

As disappointing as that is, it was still such fun to see our little Barley grown up so much! It was wiggling and kicking the whole time and even gave us a thumbs up, just to say "No worries dad I'm doing fine, aren't I cute?"
And yes Barley, you are cute. However, I'm not gonna lie you could scare the the habit off a nun with the look you're giving us in your front shot. We have lovingly entitled that one "THE BARLEY IS WATCHING YOU". For those who are not pregnant or nursing and at least 5 feet tall you can check it out at the above link or visit kentwalter.com. He is posting all our pictures from today.

Look what I found!

What you are looking at is the 20 week mark! Half way, ladies and gentleman!...gestationally speaking.
People have been clamoring for the "belly photo." Mostly, I think, so they can tell me how large I look. I am starting to learn, however, that during pregnancy this is usually intended as a compliment. Nonetheless, it is a compliment that takes getting used to. "Yes, thank you ma'am, no I am just 20 weeks......yes I am large for my fetus's age."
However, I am pleased to announce that along with being given the gift of pregnancy, which is the most fun I have ever had being uncomfortable, I have also been given a rare and once in a lifetime opportunity! To see the bottom of my bellybutton! I have a smallish sort of button the bottom of which has never before been documented... until now! it is growing more shallow by the hour, and its progress fascinates me!
It is a visible countdown much like those turkey timers that go POP when it's done cooking. Keep roasting, little Barley!