23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks and 2 days. 
Total Weight Gain: My total weight gain is now 26.8 pounds.  The overall number is still high; however, I have only gained one pound total over the past two weeks, so I’m very pleased about that!  Hopefully my weight gain will remain more slow and steady going forward.
Maternity clothes? Yes, except for pajamas and the occasional extra-long regular shirt (like the one I’m wearing in today’s pictures).
Stretch marks? No, and still using the Palmer’s and/or Burt’s Bees Belly Butter.
Sleep: I’m sleeping pretty well, but still needing at least 8 hours or more a night or I feel very tired in the morning.
Best moment this week: A few good ones this past week.  Last night, Justin felt the baby kick for the first time!  I’ve only felt her from the outside maybe 4 or 5 times so far, but last night she was kicking quite a bit, so Justin put his hand on my belly for a couple minutes, and sure enough, she kicked a few times and he was able to feel it!  I don’t think I will ever tire of this particular experience.  It is special beyond all words. 
Justin and I also tagged along with his parents to IKEA outside of Austin this past Saturday, and got a changing table for baby.  It’s very plain, but we’re going to paint it a soft dove grey, and then use a colorful changing pad cover (there are two that I love from the Land of Nod that I put in our registry there), so it will be great, and at $29, the price couldn’t be beat!  And Justin’s parents, Pam and Glen, very generously bought us a crib and crib mattress as well, so we are starting to really get some stuff together for this baby!  I included a picture of the crib below.  We also ate some of the famous BBQ from the Salt Lick in Round Rock on Saturday for lunch – very good and a cool atmosphere too. 

Miss anything? Red wine, and I had a random craving for salami and cheese the other day, but that’s pretty much it.  Though I really, really miss autumn in the Northeast, as I am so tired of this Texas weather with 75 degree days in November.  No thanks.  I’ll take snow in October over summer in November any day!  I have been aching to go to New England lately. 
Movement: Yes!  Over the past week, I have felt movement daily and often several times a day, including about 4 or 5 kicks that I have felt from the outside with my hand on my belly (see above under “Best moment this week”!).  I usually feel her at some point when I am at work, leaning forward or to the side in my desk chair, and then at night, usually when I first lay down flat in bed.  Justin felt her kick for the first time last night.  J 
Food Cravings: This week it has been ice cream and milkshakes.  Not a very healthy craving at all, but I’m giving myself a bit of a break here because I’ve done well with my weight over the past two weeks, and it just tastes so delicious!  I’m on my second pint of Ben and Jerry’s since last week – first was “Half Baked”, now I’m enjoying some “Milk and Cookies”! Yummy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I think Chinese food and Indian food are out for the foreseeable future.  And meat fat just really grosses me out these days.  I cannot bite into any fat at all while eating meat, or I can’t eat any more of it.  And I mean no fat at all.  So I’m going to have to stick with extremely lean meat, or meat that is prepared in a way that the fat cooks off (like a nice Trader Joe’s Cabernet Roast slow-cooked all day in the crockpot).
Have you started to show yet? Oh yes, and even though I feel very bulky these days, and nothing but a few shirts even fit, I’m okay with it because I love my sweet baby girl.
Gender: Girl! 
Labor signs: No.
Symptoms: Mainly just the restless legs, occasional heartburn, and (sometimes) nasal congestion. 
Belly button in or out? My belly button is getting very flat!  It’s almost totally flat after I eat now, so I’m sure it will be “out” pretty soon.  It itches sometimes too, probably from all the stretching.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Mood: Work is a bit stressful as always, especially with the new company struggling a bit to be profitable, which puts everyone a little on edge.  However, I’m taking it one day at a time, and trying not to worry about things that are out of my control.  And I do miss my mom a lot.  But overall, I am feeling very happy, and thrilled about this baby and how she grows bigger and stronger every day!  I can’t wait to meet her in less than four months!
Looking forward to: Four days off of work over Thanksgiving in just a few short weeks!  And traveling to Nashville for Christmas.  And hopefully, some cooler weather to come here in Texas. 
Random Thoughts: I was thinking the other day about how many books I have read on pregnancy and parenting over the past year.  So here’s a list.

My Pregnancy & Parenting Reading List (so far):

·        Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, by Pamela Druckerman (this has been one of my favorites, and embodies many of the principles that we’d like to use while raising our children)

·        The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, by Vicki Iovine (a classic, and generally honest and funny with some good real-life advice)

·        What to Expect When You're Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel (a classic, but here even the updated edition feels slightly outdated and basic to me)

·         A Green Guide to Your Natural Pregnancy and Birth: The Kind Way for You, Your Baby, and the Environment, by Claire Gillman (a beautiful hardcover guide, with a much more natural and modern philosophy)

·        Taboo Secrets of Pregnancy: A Guide to Life with a Belly, by SLP, Michelle Smith MS, Chris Smith & Leslie Fossen (I read this maybe 6 months ago, and it was terrible – it portrays pregnancy in a very negative and often traumatic way – I would never recommend this to a pregnant woman ever)

·         Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us, by Karen Moline, Mary Ann Zoellner, Alicia Ybarbo, & Laurie Kilmartin

·         Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin (I can’t say enough about this book, and how empowered in makes me feel both in my pregnancy and in my decision to see a practice of midwives – this is highly recommended reading for all pregnant women!)

·         I’ve also read bits and pieces of the following: Dude, You're Gonna Be a Dad!: How to Get (Both of You) Through the Next 9 Months by John Pfeiffer (a book I got for Justin that is always in our bathroom); Be Prepared by Gary Greenburg (same situation as previous book!); The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant by Jean Twenge; Mama Glow: A Hip Lifestyle Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy by Latham Thomas (I wish I had finished this book, but I’ll come back to it), and I’m sure a few more that I’m forgetting…

 

More Pictures: I look very happy in my pictures today, so including a few more!  Juno looks a little freaked out in the picture where I'm holding her, but I was so glad that I remembered to take one with my sweet little dog in it!  (I love Freddy too, but Juno was my first "fur baby" after all!)