20 weeks

Oh, dear me. I can scarcely believe it, but today I have reached the 20 week-mark in my pregnancy. 20 weeks. That means I am half way done with my pregnancy, folks! It is utterly delightful and utterly terrifying all at once. I am already so in love with our little one and it's such a magical experience to be growing and carrying our child with me at all moments. I just can't wait to meet this little person, yet I am feeling really, really unprepared for the big arrival.

Work has still been keeping me on the go at all times, and there's the busyness of the holiday season ahead. The one pregnancy symptom that started first and that is still going strong is the fatigue, which makes it hard for me to be as productive as I'd like. I feel pretty darn proud of myself just for being able to stay on top {mostly} of grocery shopping, running errands, and laundry. I have so much research to do to prepare for our baby...but, oh! Where is the time?! Clearly, baby takes top priority, and now that I have reached the top of the hill in the pregnancy timeline, I'm really feeling each tic-toc of the clock.

I realize I had yet to post any bump pictures to share, so here you go!

And yes, we now know if we're having a little boy or a little girl. I promise to share about our gender reveal very soon!!!!

Here are a few random updates on my pregnancy thus far:

~My second trimester has been much kinder, thank the Lord. The nausea has almost completely passed, save the rare moment.
~My biggest aversions? Sweet potatoes and any kind of Southwest Chipotle salad dressing. Please don't mention them to me. Ugh.
~I haven't had many intense cravings, though I am still favoring salty to sweet. However, the other night, I jokingly mentioned to Matt that I was having a pregnancy craving for ice cream. My wonderful husband then graciously volunteered to run to the grocery store to get some! Ah, he's the best.
~I feel fairly certain that I have felt our baby move! It's still very faint at this point, but still so amazing. I can't wait until I'm feeling it all the time!
~I haven't been too overly emotional thus far, but a few weeks ago, Matt and I were watching the movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale {a wonderful movie, by the way}. I'm such a sucker for dog movies, and I was a blubbering mess with this one--there was no keeping my sobs silent. So, no more dog movies for me until baby comes!
~I found some really cute maternity clothes at our local Salvation Army thrift store. And great brands like A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity nonetheless!
~We're still working on pinning down a baby name and still planning to keep it secret once we've decided.

I am so excited because tomorrow, Matt and I are heading off on a mini-getaway to Mackinac Island. We have dubbed it our "babymoon" since we know this will be our last little vacation before our baby arrives. It is also serving as a celebration of Matt's 30th Birthday, since his birthday will take place on this trip. We haven't taken a trip with just the two of us since he returned from his deployment in May 2011. And since we're going north, we're really hoping to see some amazing fall colors!

I just couldn't be more delighted that Fall is here. And this year more than ever before, I am acutely aware how the significance of the changing of the seasons reflects the change coming upon our own lives...the most exciting change possible.