Week 23

So I am obvioiusly experiencing some technical difficulties on this end (our internet router is acting mildly possessed, I misplaced my camera cord to download pictures, and I somehow never posted last week's update - grrrr!) but I'm hoping to redeem myself today. I'll try to combine last week with what's going on this week and we'll see how it goes :) After I post this I am going on a manhunt to find that camera cord, and will hopefully have some pictures up later today. Cross your fingers!!

I've been feeling pretty good lately, with the one exception being that I've been waking up a couple of times a night with aching ribs. Is this normal?! With my increased size, turning over to sleep on my other side is becoming more difficult (but it's the only thing that seems to relieve the pressure on one side of my rib cage or the other.) Perhaps I am falling apart...but otherwise I've felt great. I have tons of energy and have even been making it back to the gym throughout this trimester. I feel like a bit of a slacker at the gym because I haven't gotten back into a running routine yet, so I am either walking or trying the elliptical machine. I used to love when I would run on the treadmill because I always made sure that either my speed or distance was faster or longer than anybody around me and I felt like I was winning some imaginary race. (Seriously, what is wrong with me?!) Now that I can't really run I get so frustrated when I see all the in shape people going faster than me. Hopefully it will give me the motivation I need once Ethan makes his debut to get myself back into shape. Patrick thinks it was absolutely ridiculous for me to "compete" against those around me (not that they ever knew it!) but I told him if it kept me motivated it wasn't all bad. In the interim, I have developed an appreciation for the elderly men that are all at the gym at the same time as me now, because we're all going at about the same pace and it's kind of nice to have a sense of comraderie with them. We're all trying, so that definitely counts!

Ethan has definitely been making his presence known. He gets really active in the early evenings and Patrick has finally been able to feel him kick. The first time was so cute - he looked at me and asked me if I felt that kick. Ummm, yes, I feel every one (even if my hand isn't on my stomach!) Before I was pregnant I dreaded the day that I would feel the baby move (for some reason it just really grossed me out. I always avoided touching a pregnant belly if at all possible because it seemed so weird!) but now that he's moving all around I kind of like feeling him in there. I understand if that sounds totally weird to anybody that hasn't been pregnant before though, because I never would have believed it until it happened to me.

I have also discovered the joys of consignment shopping for Ethan's outfits. A friend of mine introduced me to all the different sales in my area (most are held twice a year) and I made it to four different sales this time around. If you are interested in visiting these sales, I have a couple of tips to help make it a fun experience. First, go with a friend! I went to one by myself and it seemed like a chore, but when I went with a friend we had a great time looking at the clothes and deciding if something was a worthwhile purchase or not. Second, the last day is typically a half price day and I highly recommend waiting and going on the half price day. There is still a huge selection, and there is nothing better than finding a cute pair of khaki pants that were originally only $4 and paying $2 for them. (And I've been finding some quality brands too - baby Gap, Gymboree, Polo - all for a fraction of the original cost!) And third, there is no point to waiting in line just to get in first. I did this at one sale, and the selection was no better than at any of the others. Going at off times means there are fewer crowds to fight off and you can still find everything you need. So although I am obviously no expert and have only made it through one season of consignment shopping, those are my observations for making it fun so far. One of the pictures I'm going to try to post once I locate my camera cord is of some of the outfits I've picked up for Ethan. They are so cute!!

Our next doctor's appointment is going to be next Thursday. I don't think they'll do much at this appointment besides weigh me (gulp! - the official count at home is that I'm up 14 pounds right now, but we'll see what the doctor has to say), check my blood pressure, and check Ethan's heart beat. The following appointment will be the dreaded glucose test. Since both diabetes and gestational diabetes run in my family, I'm a little nervous about this one. Hopefully it will go well!

I've started working on the nursery, and we have the pattern picked out and are deciding on paint colors now. Patrick likes one shade and I like another so we have the swatches hung on the walls and once we come to an agreement we'll start painting. I ordered the chair for the nursery this week. It was my big spluge - this chair is fantastic!! It looks like a big arm chair, glides, and has a hidden latch in the cushion to turn it into a recliner. I am already in love with my chair, and it won't actually arrive until the end of May or early June. I had a moment of guilt after ordering the chair because we're not really in a position to be making any big purchases right now, but I justified it by knowing that I waited until I had a 20% off coupon to order it. Oh, and if anybody recently got the coupon to Buy Buy Baby and isn't planning to use it, a friend of mine is waiting to order her chair until she has a coupon and for some reason they never sent her one. If you are willing to part with your coupon, I think you may have made a new friend for life! As soon as we paint and start putting things together I'll take some pictures of the room (but for now it's just relatively empty.)

This weekend my sister and I are driving up to Virginia to visit my aunt and cousins. I'm really looking forward to getting the chance to visit with them (and for some time with my sister too!) We're meeting up at the halfway point where our routes converge and riding the rest of the way together. It should be pretty fun!

Here's the official word on Week 23: "Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango) you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner - probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb."