I'm going to be really honest with y'all here, I was sort of hoping for a girl. When we first found out we were expecting again, I was hoping it'd be a girl. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having my boys and wouldn't change a single thing about either one of them. Well, maybe I would have them magically potty trained now at 14 months. But other than that, they're perfect. But I think it is natural for women to want a little girl. Early on I truly believed this one would be a girl. This pregnancy has been so different from when I was pregnant with the boys. I've had less indigestion and heartburn, I wasn't quite as wiped out in the beginning as I was with the boys. And overall, I have just felt different. I thought surely since this time was so different that it would be a girl. Fast forward to about 2 weeks before we had our gender reveal. Zach and I both changed our minds and thought "its another boy". As Zach was nervously opening the envelope that would tell us girl or boy, I said "We both know its another boy so I don't know why you're acting nervous" lol. Sure enough, BOY! And although I was initially a little disappointed, this little boy is going to be loved so stinking much by his mommy, daddy, and big bothers. Every time I feel him move, I fall deeper and deeper in love with him. I think he's going to be feisty because he is constantly moving. Zach has even gotten to feel him a few times. It literally startles me sometimes by how violent his movements are. I love it!
23 Weeks
How big is baby? My BabyCenter app says he weighs as much as a large mango. 2 weeks ago at my appointment, he weighed about 14oz so I think its safe to say he weighs more than a lb now.
Total weight gain? Haven't weighed this week but I'm sure I've gained some….or a lot ;) (That ice cream is just so good!)
What is baby up to? Practicing his kung fu. I thought Smith moved around a lot in there but this kid takes the cake.
Started showing? I feel like I've really popped this week. Even more than I already had. A couple of ladies at church this morning said "Oh! Aren't you just so cute! You've really popped out this last week!" lol Thanks ladies…I was already feeling massive.
Maternity clothes? Of course. I tried to wear a non-maternity maxi skirt to church today and boy was I miserable. Since it wasn't maternity, it either wanted to sit above my belly or below but nowhere in between. It looked stupid above my belly but when it was below I was self conscious that my shirt wasn't coming down far enough to cover me completely. Plus, it made the skirt too long and I ended up tripping all over it. It was a good idea but the execution just wasn't up to par. I'll definitely be retiring that outfit for a while.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep? I'm starting to have more and more trouble. My carpal tunnel still isn't miserable which is good but I wake up several times a night. Plus, this darn sciatic nerve has been bothering me a lot this week. I had a lot of sciatic nerve pain with the boys (I've had issues with it since 9th grade -about 12 years ago) and it eased up after I had them but never went away completely. Pregnancy just magnifies it. Fun stuff. It helps if I wear comfy shoes though. I even bough some Birkenstock sandals today in hopes that they will be more supportive than my flat sandals I've been wearing a lot. Zach said I'm "bringing sexy back".
Best moment this week? Zach has gotten to feel baby boy kick several times and I love the look on his face. He's going to hate me for saying this but its a different kind of smile he gives me and I just love it.
Miss anything? Umm I guess maybe my energy. This little guy is starting to kick my butt. This pregnancy is so close to the last one that I know my body hasn't had time to heal and so I'm afraid this time is going to kick my butt as much or more than the boys did. But, I am so thankful for this blessing and I don't mind taking a nap every now and then ;)
Movement? Umm YES! I don't remember being able to see movement on the outside until later with the boys. But I've been able to watch this dude kick from the outside for at least a week or more. Seriously, maybe 5 minutes ago I was sitting here typing and I swear he made my belly flinch a good inch outwards. It was insane. Now I'm laying in the bed with my shirt pulled up so I can watch the movements more easily. I love those jabs. It is seriously the coolest thing ever.
Food cravings? Sweets. Ice cream is always a favorite. I did good today, we had BBQ for lunch and it was super good. It just didn't sound appetizing beforehand. I also had Taco Bell yesterday but it didn't do anything for me. It actually made me gag on the first bite. I ate it though because my sweet husband brought it home for lunch after he had been at work all morning on July 4th. Diet Sunkist too. It is just so good.
Food aversions? Same (the thought of BBQ, Chinese, and Taco Bell)
Symptoms? I've been feeling nauseated more often lately. Stinky diapers make me gag, weird smells make me gag, and I've had more heartburn. Mostly at night though. I feel like a hot box 90% of the time too. This SW Florida heat and humidity doesn't help either.
Anything making me queasy or nauseous? ^^^^ Stinky diapers, smelly trash, harsh smells such as gasoline and air fresheners. The heat and humidity makes me nauseous some too.
Signs of labor? Nope.
Wedding rings, on or off? Still off :( Stupid rash!
Mood? I'm definitely more snippy. I don't know what it is about being pregnant that makes me like that but its bad. It is probably just a mixture of not feeling 100% and hormones. That's what I'm going to go with at least.
Looking forward to? Of course I'm looking forward to meeting this little dude!
22 Weeks vs. 23 Weeks
I feel so much bigger this week than I did last week but looking at these pictures, there doesn't seem to be that big of a size difference.
23 Weeks (Twins) vs. 23 Weeks (Singleton)
Boy do I look worn out in the picture on the left. Going back and reading the blog post that goes along with this picture, I was obviously feeling a whole lot worse than I am this time. I'm still amazed at how different each pregnancy can be.
Beyond blessed!
