Elyse Love ~ 23 Weeks

23w4d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Well, I was planning on getting another official number yesterday, but my dr's appointment had to be rescheduled due to my doctor being in surgery longer than expected. In the last week, I've really tried to make an effort to avoid lots of extra "junk" snacks and I'm trying to really only eat when I'm actually hungry. The weight seems to be appearing more in my thighs and backend now, but I guess that's all part of being almost 6 months pregnant!

Gender: We're having a precious little baby girl...Elyse Ann. As everyone learns her name and starts calling her Elyse or Leesy, I fall in love with the name even more and more. I just know it's going to be the perfect fit for our precious girl!

Movement: YES!!! A ton of it! Recently I'm wondering if this little girl is sleeping or resting at all!!! Not a good sign for the future of sleeping in our house. She seems to be moving at all hours of the day (and night) and I've even been able to witness my belly moving as she kicks and moves around in there!

Sleep: Sleeping without my Snoogle has been a great transition. I feel like I can move more easily throughout the night and I'm not noticing that I sleep on my back anymore than I was before. If I wake up on my back, I just use that as a good sign to turn over. Sleep is still great, you know, minus the trip to the bathroom every night!

What I miss: I can tell that the physical things I will miss are going to start appearing...I miss being able to paint my own toenails. Yup, I did that for the last time on last Friday night and it about killed me! Needless to say it was a less than perfect job. I also miss just being able to bend over easily and pick something up or not be out of breath as soon as I finish a very easy, small activity. I'm also starting to miss the way all my clothes USED to fit. Talk about a dose of humility for a pregnant woman...

Cravings: It's still so crazy that I haven't had any super weird cravings. I still enjoy my sweets, and my fresh fruit but honestly I've always enjoyed those things...even pre-pregnancy. As I mentioned above, I'm really starting to watch my food intake. No, I'm not dieting but I'm also really trying to avoid the "I'm pregnant so I can eat WHATEVER I want" mentality. I know this will be good for both Elyse & myself in the long run!

Symptoms: The easyness of this pregancy still continues to amaze me and I hate to even mention it for fear of Sure, there are times when I get a slight headache or I have a minor case of heartburn, but those were all things that would have happened pre-pregnancy so I certainly don't consider them symptoms!

Maternity Clothes: The bump is definitely showing! I did breakdown and order a couple of pairs of pants from Old Navy this week...most importantly a pair of maternity jeans and some new leggings. Contrary to what everyone has told me, I'm carrying this baby girl extremely low...which is resulting in my pants not fitting as long as I would like them to. I'm still able to wear most things with the Bella Band, but there are a few pairs of pants that have been officially retired until this whole process is over! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into them after Elyse arrives!

Best Moment this week: Well I hope it continues as a best moment...I survived the glucola drink and the blood test after it (which if you've been reading my posts at all, you know that this is a huge accomplishment)! I didn't even feel light-headed or start sweating or anything! As silly as it is, I'm so proud of myself! I won't hear the results until Monday morning but hopefully I passed...I may not be so courageous if I have to undergo the 3 hour test! It's also been absolutely incredible to feel her moving around so much more in there...when I stop to think about the little miracle growing inside of me it truly becomes a bit overwhelming!

Baby To-Do List: Well, the baby registry is practically complete! We decided not to register at Walmart, and just complete the entire list at Babies R Us or our local baby boutique. The selection at our local Walmart just isn't great and if people decide to order online they can just use Babies R Us. I've also finalized the plans for which fabric goes where in regards to the bedding & window treatments along with starting to research some options for the wall above Elyse's crib. I'm so excited to see the finished product...even if it will be several weeks before it's even close!

And of course, here's the belly photo...complete with the Bella Band working it's magic!