23 Weeks!

How Far Along? 23 weeks and 6 days... Hello 24 weeks tomorrow ;-)

Size of Baby: About as long as an ear of corn! Little over a pound and a half.

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No gain or loss this week. ***TMI ALERT*** I actually weigh myself every day and was noticing about mid-week that the scale was starting to creep up a little each day showing almost a 2 pound gain! I was thinking, "What in the world is going on?! Is baby boy going through a growth spurt? Or am I snacking too much?" ...And then it hit me. I haven't been having... {{ahem}}... regular bowel movements (sorry for TMI!) this week.

 

I thought about it, and I haven't been drinking as much water as I used to. But yesterday morning, I woke up and was craving a cup of my favorite Amaretto flavored coffee. Since I'm allowed to have 150mg of caffeine per day (which is the equivalent of approx. 4 cans of Mountain Dew), I thought 8oz of coffee would be fine if I didn't have any more caffeine for the day. So I brewed a delicious cup of coffee... and I kid you not, I ended up in the bathroom FIVE times over the course of the day. Needless to say, when I got back on the scale this morning, my weight was exactly what it was last weekend. :) Goal for the week... drink more water!!!

Maternity Clothes: Yep! My favorite places to get maternity clothes are (in order of price - cheapest to most expensive): friends -thank you Abigail & Beth for letting me borrow some of yours!!!, Craving Style - an online consignment shop with really reasonable prices and great customer service, Ross Stores - just super affordable, Old Navy - classic style without breaking the wallet, and Gap Stores. What I need more of, at the moment, are some maternity yoga/comfy pants. Mine don't stay up on my hips. On a positive note, I tried on a pair of my favorite pre-preggo jeans yesterday (just for curiousity) and they still fit in the butt/legs! ...Just need about 4 inches to get them zippered ;) LOL

Gender: A mini-me of my Hubby!

Movement: Lots! I used to feel him really low - like down around my pelvic bone - but now I'm feeling him just below my belly button and on the right side of my tummy. I put my iPhone on my belly with some music yesterday and he went crazy. Not sure if he liked the music or if he was telling me to turn it off, hehe :-)

What I miss: Being healthy... I came down with a touch of the flu and a cold the day after Christmas... I'm recovering {{finally}} after two and half weeks. My husband, on the other hand, just came down with it last week and he's still struggling to feel better. We are home from church today, actually, and I just ran to the store to get ingredients for some quick (but tasty) Chicken Noodle Soup.  

 

Cravings:  Been craving citrus this week! Oranges, grapefruit, OJ... just some of my favs.

Symptoms: Well... kinda already spoke about some constipation earlier in my post. If you missed it, that's probably a good thing... LOL.

Best Moment This Week: On Thursday night, our second graders put on a Performance of Peace at the PTO meeting at my school. I was so proud of my kiddos and their work. You can see some of their work in an upcoming post! Stay tuned ;-)

Looking Forward To: Going shopping with my mother-in-law tomorrow after school for fabric for the nursery! I spoke with the lady who is going to be making my crib bedding and pillows (don't worry, the pillows are just decoration and won't be in the crib with my lil guy), window treatment, and my bags (diaper bag, tote bag, duffel bag). She told me how much fabric I need to get... so now it's time to get busy! I'm taking along a framed print that I found at Hobby Lobby that has become the inspiration for the nursery. My mother-in-law has a great eye for decorating and color coordination, so her input will be invaluable. So glad she is free to come and help me!

23 Weeks Pregnant:

Excuse the lack of make-up and the air-dried, slept on hair.

Hey, we're still trying to get over sickness in my house!

 

 

And... I can't believe I'm even going to post this, and it may be the only one I post all pregnancy...

but here is a BELLY pic.

 

 

I have a dark spot on the side of my belly - which you can see in this picture. It has gotten darker throughout my pregnancy. It's weird how hormones can cause so many changes in your body. Stretch marks? I know you're wondering. And yes, I have some. Mostly on the front of my belly below my belly button. Yes, I lather up with organic cocoa butter after every shower and before bed, but honestly I'm not devastated over the stretch marks. Found this poem (and slightly adapted it) because it is very true about how I feel about these stretch marks:

 

If I put on a bikini

I would get all kinds of stares.

Others don't know how I can act

like they're not even there.

They were once red as fire,

and although they'll slowly fade

They'll always remind me

of the precious life we made.

 

I've got a mark for every worry

and trust me, there were more than a few

One for each and every time

you kicked me while you grew.

A stripe for each chubby cheek

10 fingers and 10 toes

Another for the times I'll hold you tight

and kiss your little nose.

 

I'm watching my body swell large

while you grow big inside

and I couldn't care much less about them,

because I'm blinded by my pride.

They remind me of your smiles to come

and the hairs growing on your head

and someday they'll remind me

of the funny things you said.

 

They're my zebra stripes, my stretch marks

my war and battle scars

and I'll never be too bothered

because I know that you are ours.

They may not be too flattering

to my midsection, it's true

But I'd get them over and over again

if it meant that I'd get you.

 

Originally written by Caitlyn Blake 2011

Slightly adapted by me

  

See you next week!