23 Weeks

I’ve decided that I want to be a bit more organized in documenting my pregnancy, so I’m borrowing an idea from my pal Sheyenne’s blog, and every week I’m going to show pictures of my growing tummy and fill out a short questionnaire about the pregnancy. If this bores you, feel free to skip these posts! (Even though you’ll be a BIG JERK. ;)

How Far Along: 23 weeks!

Size of baby: According to BabyCenter, she weighs about as much as a “large mango” and comes in weighing just over a pound and is about 11 inches long.
Total Weight Gain: Don’t you wish you knew?
Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity, though I still have a couple pair of pants that I can wear if I leave them unbuttoned. But that somehow leaves me feeling pathetic, so I mostly wear maternity to help the comfort and self-esteem issues. I tried on a normal, pre-pregnancy shirt the other day, and it was tight before the pregnancy, and holy sad I could barely squeeze it over my BOOBS. I’m a growin’ girl!
Gender: Girl! Avery Jane!
Movement: She’s getting more and more active, though it doesn’t feel super consistent yet. I’ll have a day or two where I feel her ALL THE TIME, then another day will pass where I feel her very little. Consistency should be coming more and more in the coming weeks, though.
Sleep: Sleep is fine, as long as I have my Ambien to help me fall asleep. I am an insane insomniac without some form of sleep-aid, and to my surprise, Ambien is safe to take during pregnancy, so I gratefully take it, otherwise I’d literally be up all night. I’m not big enough yet that I’m too uncomfortable during the night, so that’s good.
What I miss: Being able to lie on my tummy so Brandon can give me a backrub, and my Rock Revivals.
Cravings: Lately I’ve been craving TEDDY GRAHAMS. I snarfed an entire box of the cinnamon flavor in like 2 days.  But you can't bite them and immediately crunch into them, you have to suck on them til they're all soft and gooshy!  Yum!
Symptoms: My need to pee is truly insane – and I know it’s only going to get worse! It baffles me how I can pee out so much more than it seems I take in.
Best Moment of the Week: I know this is going to sound stupid, but I was standing in line at Hot Dog on a Stick, (ahahahaha) waiting for my veggie dog, when all of a sudden she just started kicking up a storm. I imagine it was naturally because she couldn’t wait for me to bite into that fried, fatty deliciousness, but I just put my hand on my tummy and smiled.
Appointments This Week? Yes, I had an appt and all looks well! The only thing that was not-so-cool was that my lungs didn’t seem to be great – the doc wanted me to make an appt with my pulmonologist to get it checked out to make sure all was well, and that baby is getting enough oxygen, though they’re not too concerned.
What I’m looking forward to: Stronger movements from Avery, and kissing her soft little cheeks for the first time.
One Thing I've Learned This Week: Gratitude for the little miracle growing inside me. Even though I often complain and joke about pregnancy, I truly have learned the insanely difficult way that it’s a blessing and a miracle, and I don’t take it for granted.
Pictures from this week: