WEEK 23: What's Happening

How Far Along:  23 weeks 1 day

I have to say - knowing which week I am in is getting really confusing. What to Expect sends you notices one week ahead... meaning my week 24 newsletter just came today, but my Gerber/The Bump/Baby Center newsletters are for week 23. I always have to look at my calendar, so technically I am on the first day starting week 23, but am in the first day OF week 24, (of meaning leading up to) so they are both right, but the information is tricky and jacked up a bit! Of the 4 options, I like The Bump the best.

Baby's Size: 10.5"-11.8" the size of a papaya - should be over a pound now! 

Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs 

Maternity Clothes? My clothing options are dwindling! Maternity Jeans, Maternity Pants, a few skirts, and whatever my largest, loosest shirts are. It's kind of pathetic when you see how many clothes I have versus the amount of clothes I can actually fit into at this stage!

Stretch Marks? Nothing new, but my sister told me this week that she got stretchmarks on the top of her belly with Danielle... YIKES! Totally going to keep applying my Cocoa Butter Oil.

Sleep? I keep having weird dreams... whether it be the people in my dreams, the situations that I am in, or the location that they take place.... I've even had a few in Belgium where we only speak in french! Outside of dreams, my legs hurt quite a bit Saturday after prepping the month's meals, so it took me a looonnnngggg time to forget the pain and fall asleep. Last night I dreamt of my 20 year reunion, but instead of having it at a hall, it was a concert room, and everyone was surrounding a stage. It was SOOOO strange, and annoying because we couldn't mingle or visit and it was hard to hear each other.

Best Moment this Week: Seeing a chiropractor that said with a few changes to my routine I should be feeling better in a week! 

Miss Anything? Wine - Red Wine, specifically Shiraz. Not sure where that flavor came into play, but its been on my mind this week.

Movement: I have been feeling little earthquakes for the past week. My guess is that she is kicking my bladder - it feels like when someone drops a rock in a lake - and the water splashes and laps and waves for a moment or two. It's kind of strange when it happens... you're like "WTH!" and then you remember that you're pregnant and that its probably the baby. LOL.

Food Cravings: Baked Potatoes. We tried to make one at home last night, but it just wasn't the same caliber as the BJ's one last week. 

What Makes you Queasy: Chicken. and Peanut Butter. I have gotten past every other aversion it seems, but those two continue to send me reeling. I hope that this peanut butter aversion doesn't mean she (like her father) is allergic to peanuts. That would make me very sad. Alas, almond butter is a tasty substitute. I just wish they didn't come in glass jars - I keep being clumsy and breaking them - and almond butter is like $7 a jar!

Gender: Still a girl, no word otherwise of yet.

Labor signs? None

Symptoms: Fatigue, muscle pain, back pain, waddling. The chiropractor I saw said that it seems my hip flexors are SUPER tight, which is throwing off my height (one side was 2" shorter at first measurement!) and my gait (of course, I am walking crooked as a result.) The hip flexors are the muscles above the inner thighs, they are the muscle that houses the sciatic nerve... so when they get tight the sciatic becomes compressed causing lots of other problems. We are trying very diligently to stretch them back out... currently though the most comfy position is near fetal position... even laying flat hurts like heck!

Wedding Rings On or Off?  Off I think they will fit right now, but I am too tired to try. Ive placed it in a very safe place until after the baby is born and I don't have to worry about it.

Mood: Saturday was very productive, Alicia and I made a month's worth of meals for 3 families (we've started cooking for her boyfriends family as well). It was a lot of work but everything looks amazing and we can't wait to try them!

What's the Daddy-to-be Doing? He is playing catchup for work. He is spending his labor day collecting his time sheets by client, which is just as tedious and boring as it sounds. He is currently behind since June, when the companies only business client became extremely needy. The schools and his paperwork have been behind ever since. Hopefully they can figure this mess out soon so that I can get my husband back at least a few hours an evening and on the weekends. It's becoming a bit annoying!

DADDY SIDE NOTE! Jeremy was feeling the baby's heart beat last night, and she kept kicking his fingers... he said it felt like little waves that were breaking up the heartbeats. :) I told him that's what the kicking feels like to me! :) He got to feel her kicks for the first time too!

Notes to the Little One: I just can't believe how big you are getting! I can see and feel you much more these days. The other day you scared the bajibbers out of me when you were moved all the way to the right! My whole belly was over there! The earthquakes I have been feeling are a little strange too. Our friends Ignacio and Cecilia laughed when I told them how much I dislike the weird feelings of being pregnant. (They are pregnant too! Can't wait to meet little Leonardo in a month!) I can definitely say that, though I will love you forever and ever, this 9 months will not be the best time of my life. It will be the hard time that I had to go through to get you. The sacrifice before the blessing! And of course it will be worth it, it is not fun - for me at least!

On a happy note, Mommy had some help around the house this weekend! Alicia came back after our crazy cooking day on Sunday to help me clean the house - from top to bottom! She did such an amazing job that I am still on cloud nine! Filled with glee at my happy, clean house! :)

NOTE TO MY READERS:
No picture this week, but next week I should have a new ultrasound pic from Dr Medrano and I will try to take an updated belly pic! We will have a new 3d (BABY TV!) ultra sound pic the following week. :) Hopefully she is more active for that appointment than she was the last!