Ooooooh! We're halfway there.

The weeks are diminishing and as I enter the second half of my pregnancy I can hardly believe that in 4 short months I'll be a mommy. 

Besides the occasional heartburn, painful lower back, an emotional outbreak (or two) and having to refuse that glass of wine at dinner, I've hardly felt pregnant up until this week.

All of a sudden the belly is getting bigger, my core strength has disappeared (nothing makes you feel more pregnant then having your husband pull you out of bed) and a grocery shopping trip leaves me feeling like I have just run the comrades marathon.  

Since finding out that we are having a baby girl, it has all of a sudden become a lot more real. We have had a girl name picked out for a few months (which we are keeping secret until she arrives) so it's been fun practicing saying it out loud and thinking of all the times we'll be yelling calling that name out it in the future. Another factor that adds to the reality of this whole 'baby in the belly' thing is that I've started feeling her move more and more. At first I had no idea what I was feeling because it felt like a very faint muscle twitch. A week later I felt stronger movement which made me burst out laughing because it was so ticklish. At the 20 week scan I was looking at the monitor when I felt a "twitch" and saw her move her arm at the same time which reassured me that I wasn't just making it all up, this little human being was squirming and very much active in there. After that, I started feeling both the legs and arms moving about on both sides of my belly, lets hope that with all this activity she loves swimming like her Mama or is a tennis star like her Dad. Sometimes I prod back and talk to her which makes her move more and makes my heart sing! I can't wait for Mike to start feeling his daughter too.

With 19 weeks left until baby Llambok arrives I feel ready, yet so unprepared. 

To be done

Move to bigger apartment with a room for the nursery

Paint nursery

Decorate

Purchase crib and mattress (on sale for Black Friday, woop!)

Buy baby's 1st stuffed animal (a big grey elephant)

Begin baby registry

Find out sex

Choose a name

Pick a middle name

Make space for baby's clothes in the closet/drawers

Pick out bedding

Make sure we have receiving blankets, burp clothes etc.

Set up changing table

Get all the big stuff like car seats and strollers

Get as much sleep as possible before baby arrives

Research and book hospital classes (birthing/breast feeding/parenting)

Tour the hospital

Stock up on diapers

Pack hospital bag

Make a plan for someone to feed our fur-son while we're in the hospital

Get calling card to call South Africa on D-day

Choose pediatrician

Is there anything I'm missing?