Rebel Yeller!

So last week, a sweet friend emailed me and told me that they saw something that reminded them of Luke because he was already showing what a, um, personality he has! He stays up and parties all night, eats all the junk food that he wants, whenever he wants, and is constantly ordering things for himself with Daddy's credit card. (She was alluding to one of my FB statuses where I noted that Luke had ordered himself a pizza since Daddy was flying at night and he even used Daddy's credit card to do it!)

Whereas Matthew leaped for joy every Sunday morning as traveled to church and he listened to Elvis gospel tunes on the way, I just get the feeling that his little brother is in there wondering when I'm going to start jamming to AC/DC or something along those lines.

He's quite the little Rebel Yeller, this little Luke. I love it.

We saw Dr. Sweeney for what will be the last time for another 3 weeks (I know, I know...I'm VERY spoiled in how often we go!). We go out on our cruise this Saturday (provided the hurricane situation doesn't affect things) and then when we get back, we told Dr. Sweeney it was ok for him to take a vacation, since we know how hard he works and all. So, by the time he's back, it'll be September 20 before we see Luke again. Seems like a long time, but I know it will just fly with all going on in the interim.

Luke was pretty chill yesterday. Actually, it was more that he was sleeping off the all-nighter he'd pulled the night before. He was measuring 19w6d (which is just perfect as I was 20w0d) and a respectable 11 oz. He definitely looks like he's filling out some! He was practicing some yoga, avoiding pictures, and swallowing amniotic fluid quite a bit to get those little lungs good and mature.

He's kicking more and more (mostly after meals and at night...alllll through the night!) and John was able to feel him two nights ago. I love that the kicks are getting stronger! Keep growing, little one!

I started measuring my waist at 8 weeks and wish I'd started a hair sooner. It was 30 inches then. (When I first told this to John, he said, "Are you sure? That big?" Yes, if my husband wasn't so clueless about some of the things that come out of his mouth, I'd have some BIG issues with him. Seriously. Like 30 inches is big. Not to mention I had just had a baby about 4 1/2 months before. And was PREGNANT again. Geesh.) I measured earlier a few days ago and was at 33.5 inches. I measured this morning and was the same. So, I've added 3.5 inches. I've also picked a few pounds up. The average for the last week's nights has been 104.2, but for a few nights, I was back in the 102s. For this week's progress, I'm going to go with 104, which means that I've gained a total of 4 pounds so far. I know this is going to start changing rapidly.

It already is.

Luke likes his food. He LOVES his candy. He has been on a caramel kick like you read about. Bull's Eyes can't be consumed fast enough and I think the words Sugar Babies were written for babies like him--that seems to be what that boy is made of. So, he's been rocking the caramels and sour skittles. Good energy for his nighttime parties, right?

Here are some of the most recent pics of my boy. He's quite Bad To The Bone, if I say so myself!

Mommy and Luke at 20w0d

Good grief, people...don't you know how late I was up last night?

Knees to nose...to have that flexibility again...(or ever!)

This is his Fonzie Thumbs Up! "Ehhhhh"

More?

I hear my mommy has a thing for sweet feet!!

Getting plump!

Look at those sweet cheeks!

I'm getting tired of this!!

Lights out, people. Lights out.

Here's how Luke's developing:

Week Twenty: The halfway point
Congratulations! You are halfway through your pregnancy, 20 weeks marks the midpoint. Remember, pregnancy is counted as 40 weeks from the beginning of your last period if you go full term. You are 20 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 18 weeks) Baby now weighs about 11 ounces and is roughly 7 inches long. Baby is 17cm long crown to rump, and weighs about 310 grams. The baby can hear and recognize the mother's voice. The mother will probably start feeling the first fetal movements. The toenails and fingernails are growing. The growth of hair on the rest of the body has started. The skin is getting thicker. The heart can now be heard with a stethoscope. Your baby may react to loud sounds. Baby can actually hear noises outside of the womb. Familiar voices, music, and sounds that baby becomes accustomed to during their development stages often are calming after birth. This is an important time for sensory development since nerve cells serving each of the senses; taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch are now developing into their specialized area of the brain. Your baby now weighes about 11 ounces and at roughly 7 inches long they are filling up more and more of the womb. Though still small and fragile, the baby is growing rapidly and could possibly survive if born at this stage. Note: Babies are measured from the crown (or top) of the head to the rump (or bottom) until about 20 weeks. After that, they are measured from head to heel. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against the torso during the first half of pregnancy and very hard to measure. Weight: 10.6 ounces - 300 grams Length: (crown to rump) 6.5 inches - 16.5 cm (crown to heel) 10 inches - 25.5 cm.