23 Weeks

Hello Everyone. I just feel like I'm breezing thru the "20's". Already at 23 weeks and really enjoying being pregnant. Overall, I feel great. Of course, by the end of the day when I'm tired and a little puffy, I usually feel a bit differently.

This week the baby is a little over a pound and a bit over 11 inches long. For those of you who remember my wine bottle comparison from last week, this week is still in the neck of the wine bottle. Not quite to the top yet.

I just can't get over the fact that I look more pregnant clothed than I do showing my belly. I can't figure it out. It seems when I'm un-pregnant, the absolute worst fat picture would be me bearing my belly. But now that my belly is getting big, it all of a sudden looks smaller. What gives? Oh well. I've included a bare-belly and a normal picture for this week. Of course, I'm in my 'Wednesday' jeans again. I now have 4 pair of maternity pants but seem to be wearing the same jeans in every picture. I made a consious decision not to wear my purple shirt(s) this week. Every girl needs a bit of variety.

I feel like I've really popped out now. I have even had people who didn't previously know I was pregnant ask me when I'm due when they see me. Today, I even had someone ask me if I'm having a girl. When I confirmed, she told me she could tell because I'm carrying high. I do actually feel like I'm carrying high. My ribs are a littles sore and I think the bottom ribs are actually starting to spread! Yikes! I'm not sure if I'd rather have my ribs or my feet spread. Hopefully the ribs go back to normal.

Aaron and I finally made it to Babies R Us this weekend to register. It was quite the experience. I can't believe he actually went with me! He was very brave. I really don't like going to that store. It's so overwhelming and stressful! Seriously, it's like a Costco full of baby stuff. We were walking around trying to figure out what was "frivolous crap" and what was "useful." If I never step foot in that store again, I'll be just fine. Kudos to Aaron for going! I'm not sure he'll ever set foot in another baby store as long as he lives, so this was very memorable.

Not much else happening here. I'm hoping to get a pedi sometime soon. My tummy is getting big enough that I can't reach my feet very well. I have a feeling this will be just the beginning. Plus, the thought of a nice foot soak and an hour long foot and leg massage sounds divine! If anyone is up for a pedi, let me know!

Week 22

Hello Everyone. Week 22 and all is well. My feet haven't grown in the last week, so I consider that a huge plus. This week BG is 11 inches long and about a pound. Of course I need to include my 'food comparison of the week' to her size. This week, my pregnancy web update told me that BG is about the size of a spaghetti squash. Yeah, that meant nothing.

So, for the rest of you who aren't spaghetti squash coinsures, I have another comparison for you. BG is about as long as a wine bottle from the bottom to half way up the neck of the bottle. Please let me know that's a better comparison. I think I'm just missing wine at the moment. Actually, I'll be honest....I've been missing wine for approximately 22 weeks. Oh, and the non-alcoholic wine is NOT a substitute. It tastes like grape juice and doesn't fool anyone.

I keep hearing from friends at work that I look more pregnant in person than I do in the pictures on my blog, so I included one of each. You be the judge. Of course, this would be the one time that I photograph thinner than I actually look in person. Isn't it usually the opposite?


Nothing really monumental to report at this stage in the pregnancy, so I thought I'd blog about a few things I've learned so far:

1. Burgerville makes the BEST milkshake of all time (i'm happy to report I've only had 2 since I've been pregnant)
2. If your feet are super huge to begin with and you were already self-consious about them, chances are they WILL grow during pregnancy and probably not go back. Murphy's Law in action folks.
3. Dreams get stranger the more pregnant you get. Last week I had a dream that I gave birth to a hoagie sandwich! Really creepy and just plain wrong.
4. Running errands for a few hours will require a nap later on in the day. Even at this point I just don't feel I can do as much as I did before.
5. Not sleeping thru the night begins far before the baby arrives. I haven't slept thru the night since I found out I was pregnant. Too many bathroom trips!

Also, I thought I'd include one of the cutest onesies I've seen so far. Check out the little strawberries. I love it...kind of reminds me of my Strawberry Shorcake obsession as a child. Nothing cuter! This one is courtesy of Grandma.

Week 21

I can't believe I'm 'over the hill', so to speak. I'm still feeling great with the exception of being a bit tired, although this time change is killing me. I haven't recovered from losing an hour of sleep over the weekend, but I can't really complain. I feel good otherwise.

BG is about 12 ounces this week and about 10 1/2 inches long. I can really feel her kicks, punches and flips now. She's quite active - especially after I eat. This girl loves food - kind of like someone else I know :-)

My mom and sister came up this weekend and we did some baby shopping. They couldn't resist being the first to buy some of BG's first outfits. My mom bought her a 3 month old onesie that is covered in pink and red strawberries - very cute. My sister bought her 'babies first bikini'. Totally adorable. I didn't take a picture of her first onesie, but here is a pic of the bikini.

I was so exhausted from shopping this weekend. We shopped for about 5 hours and it took me an entire day to recover. Of course, my mom could have shopped for 5 more hours. When we got home I was complaining of my feet really hurting. They weren't swollen or anything, but just hurt. I managed to get a nice foot rub from Aaron that night and another one on Sunday. When I put my shoes on for work this week I realized why my feet hurt so bad. They totally SPREAD! My leather shoes were now tight! Not good. For those of you who don't know, I already have MASSIVE feet and don't want to go up a size, or have them get any wider (although I'd prefer to have them be a little wider instead of longer). If this keeps up, I'll look like I have flippers on the ends of my legs.

Here's a pic from this week. I skipped my photo last week. You didn't miss much. I can't tell a difference between the two weeks. I almost feel like I look less pregnant here than at 19 weeks. Camera angle must make all the difference.

Week 20

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aaron and I just returned from our ultrasound and got the news! I'm so excited to be able to refer to the baby as 'she' instead of 'it'. We were both shocked to find out it was a girl since we were both really convinced it was a boy. She is quite the active baby. We were treated to what looked like an extreme aerobics class combined with extreme yoga. In fact, she spent most of the time on camera with her legs up in front of her face. We also watched her yawn and then punch me! She's quite the ham.

In the past, the baby has been measured from crown to rump, or head to butt. Now we measure the entire body. So, from crown to rump she is 6 inches long but her entire body is about 10 inches long and weighs about 10 ounces. My good ole 'food comparison' this week is: she's about the size of a banana. Finally a fruit that makes sense! The ultrasounds also confirmed a clean bill of health for little baby Gore. Her heart beat was strong - 158 beats per minute (my first clue it was a girl before we actually received confirmation), other organs looked good. She is about average size for this age as well.

I'm still feeling well. My heartburn has started to chill out, which is great since I'm a bit more hungry now than I was a few weeks ago. I've enjoyed some delishious, spicy food lately - my favorite! I still feel like I'm operating at about 70% of my pre-pregnancy energy, but overall doing well and getting good sleep at night.

I should be able to post a picture shortly.....

Oh, PS - the Ancient Chinese Birth Chart LIES!