grapefruit... it's good for ya soul

how far along?  23 weeks

development: baby boy measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces - getting bigger! his face is fully formed and is hearing my voice, heartbeat and other louder sounds like living room rocksmith concerts and dogs barking (that's if fender voiced his little opinion more often, lol). baby's inner ear is also developed to the point where he has some sense of balance, and his pancreas is busy creating it's own hormones. his eyes are formed, except he still lacks pigment in the iris, and therefore an eye color.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  since i have just one existing pair of skinny jeans that i can hardly wear much longer, i went to motherhood maternity on saturday and stocked up on two more pair of maternity jeans, three shirts and another sweater. loving the long, flowy open cardigan sweaters lately! i should be good now (hopefully) with a mix of existing and maternity clothes to get me through.

sleep?  feeling pretty good overall - waking once or twice a night, though. i've also been having (or remembering more) weird dreams that don't really make much sense. i don't know if most usually do, though.

stretch marks?  none

best moments this week:  meeting a friend's five day-old newborn daughter • clothing shopping at motherhood maternity for some clothes that fit me and are comfy, and window shopping for our little man at carter's - so much cute stuff, but i don't want to go crazy with buying things (we've gotten quite a few clothes at consignment shops and other needed items as gifts, and i'm sure there will be more to come). with toys and other activity-type things, my opinion is that there can definitely be too much and i don't want a house filled with unnecessary 'junk' - we already have too much.

miss anything? a crisp, cold sam adams winter lager would be nice

movement:  small movements, usually in the afternoon or evening right before bed

food cravings:  chicken salad sandwiches on toasted bread, mac & cheese and pizza have been on my mind a lot whenever i'm figuring out what to eat

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  baby boy. tall oaks from little acorns grow. - david everett

pregnancy symptoms:  starting to notice my belly getting in the way, only i know this is just the beginning. things that haven't necessarily been hard to do, but that i've been mindful of lately with a growing belly: i've had to start propping myself up on my side before sitting up, or leaning on the couch for support if sitting on the floor, putting socks and shoes on, and i've been slower lately in zumba class (trying to stay closer to the ground with lower impact moves). in zumba especially, it makes me miss putting my all into it, but knowing that burning calories without overexerting myself will have to do for now.

have you started to show yet?  uh huh

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy!

looking forward to:  helping out this week as a volunteer zumba instructor at paxton ministries, a community for those with social, mental or emotional needs • next tuesday's checkup appointment • daycare visits in the next few weeks - already have two scheduled!

notes from dad: 4 months left in this pregnancy. We are putting into motion all the things we need to do - Karin keeps us on track, she is the best. I keep trying to do my part to make home a little easier. I washed and folded baby clothes for the first time. I had an "oh snap" were having a baby moment! I have had a couple of those moments lately - like when Karin was telling me about the cost of day care -  "oh snap," it costs what? We went and registered at babies r us a couple weeks ago. That was a big wake up call, too! I am really excited to get into the second half of this experience. Hopefully I will be able to feel the little guy more soon.

i have to give a ton of credit to anthony for putting so much time and effort into making our home what it needs to become, to meet our changing needs and family. he's working on the nursery and has moved my craft and sewing materials from that room into a cozy little nook in our laundry room, so it will still be accessible for those on-a-whim creative moments. now i don't have any reason to not get some laundry done at the same time. lol.

^^ i've had a love/hate relationship with this changing season - the cooler, comfortable weather was really nice for a little while, and i wish it would have stuck around a little longer without getting all wind-blown chilly out. but this getting dark earlier in the evening thing really isn't doing it for me, especially when i think about taking photos for this little bloggie. i dislike flash photography, unless there's some kind of purpose or effect - it's just so harsh and unflattering. so finding the right time to take photos has been a minor challenge. very minor, i know. if this were the worst thing in the world, the world would be a much better place. :)

^^ grapefruit... it's good for ya soul, according to jimmy buffett

week 23 down, 118 days to go!