Week by Week: Week 23

Our Baby (Lil' Feisty): 

• Is in that weird stage where the length says 10.5-14 inches for weeks now. Apparently Feisty could be any length in that range. 
• Also has a wide range of weights available (12.8-20.8 ounces), so who knows where they are?
• Now has a fully formed little face!
• Can hear not only my voice and my heartbeat, but also loud sounds around me like dogs barking and cars honking. This means that Feisty heard the fireworks last weekend, the massive thunderstorm and the tornado sirens a few nights ago, and the sounds of The Office coming from the laptop on my lap RIGHT NOW.
• From here on out lung development is a BIG DEAL, and every week closer to 40 means those lungs are that much stronger. 

I (traditionally):

• Have LOTS of swollen things (hands, feet, ankles, lady parts). 
• Am still having those Braxton Hicks contractions. 
• Have back pain to spare . . . and it ain't going anywhere for a LONG TIME.
• Have gained around 12 to 15 pounds by now. 
• Have a big, heavy uterus sitting on top of my bladder which might cause me to, get this, LEAK URINE from time to time. Lovely. 
• Also have lots of warnings from websites to SMELL THE PEE just to make sure it's not amniotic fluid, which would be a "VERY BAD THING."
• Have become best friends with my hormones because they are a very real presence in my life. 
• Could be suffering from anxiety. 

I (actually): 

• Have ALL the swollen things. 
• Still have Braxton Hicks contractions, although I barely notice them now. I'll suddenly realize that my abdomen is really tight, and I'll need to adjust my position, but otherwise it really seems like no big deal. 
• Have more back pain on some days than others. Not surprisingly, it coincides with the days that I over-exert myself. 
• Just stood on the scale (and I do measure myself at the same time of day), and I have gained 11.8 pounds thus far. 
• Have not leaked fluid of any kind, thank goodness. But WOW, I sure am peeing a LOT. 
• Am not friends with my hormones. They are more like the terrible lab partner trying to screw up my project, but I put up with them because I need that A+. 
• Have not really had any waking anxiety, but my dreams have started to take on a more anxious tone. 

So, those hormones. Here's the thing: my parents and Levi's parents were visiting us over the last two weeks. I wrote most of my blog posts ahead of time, so this is my first time processing it all. I LOVE my parents, and I LOVE my in-laws. If romance was a lottery, then I hit the jackpot. Like, not just the jackpot, but the 300-million JACKPOT. All of my relatives in law are amazing, and having them here was such a treat. But (couldn't you just hear it coming?), hormones are mean and will choose any moment to strike. And it's most often a moment in public or a moment when you're with other people. 

• I didn't cry, but I sure got MAD at Levi when he wanted to turn our ceiling fans off at night. It was a logical and money-saving decision, but I was furious that he couldn't just suck up a few dollars to leave them on for me. And by the way, it got so cold that night WITHOUT the fans that I had to put our big blanket back on the bed. 
• So there was definitely a time when I had a big surge and then cried in front of my mother-in-law. It sounds ridiculous, but the cure for that was a long, solitary walk in the rain. While crying, of course. I felt so much better. 
• There was a second time that tears started to roll down my face while we were all sitting at the kitchen table, but I escaped to the bathroom (without much grace, I'm afraid) where I could cry a bit under the pretense of doing my hair. 

Here's something else: this belly is getting big enough to be in the way of most things by now. Tying shoes. Clipping toe nails (and forget about PAINTING those nails). Grooming and shaving the lower half of my body. And, ok, I know that this is WAY too much information, but going to the bathroom is a big event now. First, there are all of the extra layers to take off (a belly band or super high-waisted pants). Then, it can be a bit awkward if you have to do any wiggling or maneuvering while on the seat. And after that, reaching around the belly for clean-up . . . WOW. That's so hard now! And yes, I know that back-to-front is bad and front-to-back is good, but sometimes you're just peeing and I have super short arms, so . . . And then, finally, you have to shimmy back into all those clothes again. 

I made a MASSIVE list over the weekend. It's full of all the things that "should" be done before the baby arrives and it's quite alarming, but it felt so good to write it all down and see it in front of me. It's crazy to be on the tail end of the pregnancy and thinking about all of the stuff that goes along with that. I'm starting to think about what we'd want in our hospital bag(s). Wow. Crazy. 

Freak-Out Moments:

Unless you count trying to escape people so they wouldn't see my tears, then it's been a great week!

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Next week? I'll be taking that glucose test, so be ready to hear all about it . . .

Keep it real,