23 er, almost 24 Weeks!

Babycenter:

How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she'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 her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her 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 her when she hears them outside the womb.

How your life's changing:

You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer. Sluggish circulation in your legs — coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention — may result in swelling, also known as edema. Your body will get rid of the extra fluid after you have your baby, which is why you'll pee frequently and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, lie on your left side or put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting — or standing — in one place for long periods. Also, try to exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (put them on first thing in the morning) and roomy, comfortable shoes. You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.

Alphamom says:

Your Baby:

• Is a tad bigger than last week! Are you sensing a pattern! Goodness, I never realized how boring this stretch of pregnancy is, what with the “close to a pound, just over a pound, 11 inches long, 11 2/3 inches long” comparisons week after week.
• The pancreas is kicking into gear sometime around this week, and blood vessels continue to develop in the lungs. Lung development is a Big Thing right now, since babies born around 24 weeks gestation can often survive outside the womb. 23 weeks is pretty questionable, and 24 weeks certainly isn’t a peachy keen time to be born or anything, but still. If you’re the morbid sort who gets a tiny bit of comfort knowing that your baby has a fighting chance If Something Terrible Were To Happen, well, there you go.

You:

• “OMG, you’re so big! Are you sure it’s not twins?”
• Or, alternatively: “OMG, you barely look pregnant! Are you sure you’re 23 weeks?”
• SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. Thank you. No woman is ever going to appreciate your boneheaded commentary on her size and/or weight. Last time I was plagued with dire predictions of hidden twins and early labor and 14-pound babies. This time I get only-sort-of affectionately called names by other women when queried about my weight gain. Which is 1) none of your business and 2) yes, everything IS okay, my baby is growing just fine, thank you for your nosy and very annoying “concern.”
• I AM ALSO CRABBY. PERHAPS YOU ARE TOO.

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Me: Major procrastination with this week's update. Whoops! I have been out of town for a training class, and while I could have used my leisurely time lounging in my hotel king bed in the evenings more productively; well, I just didn't. My blog, my world.

Ah yes, training class. While it was a nice distraction from focusing on every last symptom plaguing or not plaguing me, you do start to miss the comforts of home. The class was just about useless, but it was nice to get out of town. And paid-for hotels and way too many meals out. And splurging on Gymboree deals with unused per diem dollars. Ahem.

These days I'm just dealing with getting around and fluctuating energy levels. Thankfully everything that was attacking me before (nausea, sciatica pain, Jimmy Legs, insomnia) has all but ceased. (knock on wood!!) I get tired VERY easily. Especially while cleaning house, therefore many 'breaks' are necessary. Baby Boy Bird's movement has become much more distinct, and has become a regular source of entertainment for me after meals and before bedtime.

In the news: the earth is a-shakin' these days. Hurricane Irene made her way up the east coast last week, flooding most of the northeast and freaking out far too many newscasters, Tropical Storm Lee rained on us for a good 3.5 days, a 7.1 earthquake hit southern Alaska and 25,000 acres near Austin have been torched from a wildfire. And those are just the major headlines. Thankfully Lee turned up the AC for us, probably only briefly, but it is a nice respite. 65 degrees when I drove into work this morning. Al-le-leu-yah. Even wore my boots for this one fall day.

Oh yeah, and this is me: (taken in the hotel in jacksonville) (23 weeks, 2 days)