Halfway to You: 20 Weeks With Our Mini 🤍

How on earth are we halfway already?

On Wednesday I'll officially be 20 weeks pregnant, which means somehow we've already made it halfway to meeting our little Mini. 🤍 It feels like only yesterday I was standing there staring at a positive pregnancy test — two weeks after our wedding, completely shocked, ridiculously excited and probably already overthinking absolutely everything. And now here we are, halfway.

Pregnancy is such a strange concept of time. Some weeks have absolutely flown by, while others — usually the ones where I've convinced myself something is wrong — have felt about three months long. But when I actually stop and look back at the last 20 weeks, I genuinely can't believe how quickly they've gone. It feels like we've only just started this journey, yet somehow we're already halfway through it.

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It's Starting to Feel Real

I think one of the biggest changes lately is that this whole thing is finally starting to feel real. Obviously I've known there's a baby growing in there for months now, but in those early weeks it almost didn't feel possible. Apart from feeling exhausted, sick or having one of the other hundred random pregnancy symptoms nobody warns you about, there wasn't really anything I could see.

Now I'm definitely starting to have a proper little belly, and I LOVE it. There's something about looking down and actually seeing my belly growing that makes everything feel different. It's this constant little reminder that our Mini is actually in there, getting bigger every day, and I feel like I've finally reached the point where I actually look pregnant rather than wondering whether anyone else can tell yet. 

The nursery has been another thing that's made everything feel so much more real. We're slowly starting to unpack things and put little bits and pieces away, and I think that's been one of my favourite parts so far. Every tiny outfit, blanket or baby item that gets put into its place makes the room feel a little less like an empty room in our house and a little more like our baby's room. I still walk past it sometimes and think, there's actually going to be a baby living in there.🤍

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Apparently I Can't Walk Past a Baby Section Anymore

Another thing I've discovered about being pregnant is that it is now physically impossible for me to walk into a shop without taking a detour through the baby section. We could have gone in for milk. Doesn't matter. I'm going to look at the baby things. And somehow, more often than not, a little something comes home with us.

There's just something so exciting about slowly collecting things for this tiny person we've never even met yet. Picking up a little outfit or something for the nursery and imagining our baby actually wearing or using it one day makes me ridiculously happy. It's not like we've gone out and bought absolutely everything at once either; it's just been little things here and there, slowly getting ready for this completely new life we're about to step into.

Then I come home, unpack whatever little thing we've bought and find a place for it in the nursery, and suddenly it becomes even more real. Slowly watching that room fill with things for our Mini is probably one of the sweetest parts of pregnancy so far. Somehow February still feels like it's ages away, while also feeling way too close at the same time.

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I'm Finally Not Completely Exhausted!

One thing I am VERY grateful for at the moment is that I finally seem to have escaped some of that ridiculous pregnancy exhaustion. The first part of pregnancy absolutely wiped me out. There were days where I felt like I could fall asleep standing up, and then somehow I'd get into bed at night and my brain would decide that actually, now would be a fantastic time to be wide awake. Make it make sense. 

Lately, though, I've definitely noticed that I have more energy and I'm starting to feel a little more like myself again. I'm not constantly fighting to keep my eyes open during the day, and it's actually really nice being able to get things done without feeling like I need a nap immediately afterwards.

From speaking to other mums, I've been warned not to get too comfortable because apparently the third trimester may humble me all over again. So for now, I'm going to enjoy this little sweet spot while I've got it and appreciate having some energy back before I'm carrying around a much bigger belly and probably complaining that putting my shoes on has become a full workout.

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Twenty Weeks of Learning as We Go

I don't think I realised before becoming pregnant just how much of pregnancy is spent wondering whether something is normal. Every new ache, feeling or change seems to come with a moment of "Is that supposed to happen?" I've definitely had my fair share of worrying over the last 20 weeks. I've Googled things I probably shouldn't have Googled, overthought completely normal symptoms and had moments where I desperately wished there was a little window in my belly so I could just check that everything was okay in there.

But I'm learning. I'm learning that my body is doing an incredible amount behind the scenes, even when I can't see it, and that I can't control or check every little thing. I'm also learning that pregnancy isn't necessarily nine months of glowing and lovingly rubbing your belly. Some days are exciting, some are uncomfortable, some are emotional and some are scary.

Then there are the days where you find yourself standing in the baby aisle holding the tiniest little outfit you've ever seen, or putting something away in the nursery, and suddenly you're reminded exactly why you're doing all of it. I think that's been one of the biggest lessons of these first 20 weeks — there is room for all of it. I can worry about our baby and still enjoy being pregnant. I can be nervous about what's ahead while also being ridiculously excited for it. Apparently those feelings can all exist at once.

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The Next Half 🤍

It's crazy to think that we've already lived through an entire half of this pregnancy. Twenty weeks ago, we didn't even know you existed. Since then we've seen your little heartbeat, watched you grow on a screen, started preparing your room, bought you far too many little things already and spent countless hours wondering who you're going to be. And somehow, we're only halfway through the story.

There are still so many things ahead that I'm excited for. I'm looking forward to feeling those unmistakable little kicks and movements, watching my belly grow even more, finishing your nursery, getting everything ready for the hospital and eventually reaching that point where we realise meeting you could happen at any moment. It feels like there are still so many milestones ahead of us, and I know the next 20 weeks are probably going to disappear just as quickly as the first.

And, of course, one of the biggest surprises is still waiting for us. We still don't know whether you're our little boy or our little girl, and as hard as it is sometimes not knowing, I absolutely love that we're keeping that surprise for the moment you're born.

Twenty weeks down, twenty-ish to go. 🤍 There is still so much we don't know about you. We don't know whether you're our little boy or girl, what you'll look like, whose personality you'll inherit, or exactly when you'll decide to make your entrance into the world. But we already know you're so incredibly loved.

For now, I'm trying not to wish these next few months away. As impatient as I am to finally have you in my arms, I know there will come a day when I'll miss having you tucked safely in my belly, coming everywhere with me.

So here's to the second half, Mini.

We're halfway to you. 🤍