Half-way there!!

I'm heading to Washington D.C. tomorrow for a quick business trip, so I'm posting the 20-week post today. According to the standard pregnancy cycle, I am half-way to my due date. Charlotte is kicking quite a bit lately, and people are finally starting to tell me I look pregnant. March 13th still seems so far away though.

Here's what BabyCenter.com says about Charlotte at 20 weeks (be forwarned - it's kind of gross!)--

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).