23 weeks.... Mango Baby, Eczema, the Black Keys, & Clancys Visit!

Tuesday, October 2, 

 

Here I am modeling Corbin at 23 weeks. It's a known fact that if you don't pose and do something fabulous with your leg, you just look frumpy. I think I'm carrying pretty low, and I know that Corbin sits very low in there because I feel him (and pressure) in a low spot, and kicks are felt VERY low. Hopefully he stays that way, keeps his head down when necessary, and doesn't get too crowded with my lungs as weeks go by.

****This entry was originally started on my iPad, and I have no idea how to get rid of the little bubble that says the date is Tuesday, October 2nd. It's not even showing up on the desktop computer. Also, all fonts and spacing are whack. Yayyyyyyyyy Blogger.

How many weeks today: 23. Approximately 17 more to go! Please don't take longer than 17, Corbin.

Baby is the size of: a large mango. He currently weighs just over a pound and is measuring just about a foot long, maybe longer. I feel excited and happy to be reaching the pound and foot milestones at the same time!

Total weight gain/loss: +7 or +8...see, I'm coming to terms with it. I do still get on our scale some mornings and I am about 5 pounds over my starting weight. Whatever the number, I am proud and my doctor is happy.

Maternity clothes: Yes. This week's challenge: wear something more concealing at my new job before I am forced to out myself as a pregnant new employee.

Cravings: Spicy, salty, etc. Same same same.

Aversions: None.

Mood: I'm happy and excited as the weeks count down to Corbin's arrival. Today though, I am anxious and nervous about starting my new job...I'm afraid of when and how to have the "I need time off at the end of January" talk, and whether or not I will be able to choose a 7-4 schedule and make it to late afternoon doctor appointments without  missing work during my probationary period. Like most people, I don't enjoy changes or uncertainty, but I am trying to welcome it all as a fresh start, more income and regularity with a work schedule, double coverage of benefits, more time with Conner, and a somewhat secure position rather than a contractor position. Another thing to add to my mood is my newfound love of daydreaming about Corbin's birth day. I imagine it going so well, and it's very specific. I imagine the first week at home with him, and visitors, and taking him to Disneyland when his cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents come visit. It's way too much fun thinking about it all!

Physical symptoms: Listed in order of how much they are driving me absolutely CRAZY.... Eczema, acne, headaches, cramping, lower backaches, having to pee all the time, thirsty, tired, whiny, irritable. All in all, it's really not THAT bad. My new discomforts are my skin (which is being a total jerk) and my huge belly that rolls and aches and makes me feel like I am on a roller coaster sometimes. It also makes me feel like a turtle stuck on its back. I do love my belly though, and the little boy inside it. 

Miss anything: Tanning. I know it was never good for me, but if it had one huge benefit, it was my eczema cure! I had great skin! Very little (or no) acne and NO eczema breakouts. I'm currently sporting a rash that looks like a rosy blotchy necklace and I promise you it has sprung up in many uncomfortable places.....hands, inside of elbows, legs, armpits, and I'm about ready to throw away all bras. It makes me miserable. So yes, I miss tanning, at least until I find another remedy (yes, tried all of the creams and allergy meds, I've had this my whole life). I also miss margaritas. Mmmmmm. 

Showing yet: Yes. 

Labor signs: I was feeling very achy and crampy on Friday and as the day went on, my cramps were more of a tightening feeling, and my belly would get slightly harder. I think I was having Braxton Hicks contractions, but having never had them before, I have nothing to compare them to....only go off of what I've read and what I've been told. With the tightening came the sense of someone stepping on my chest (only slightly). A mild shortness of breath with each cramp. It didn't last too long, and lots of water and a really delicious burger and the Black Keys quickly took my mind off of it and I felt better by the end of the night.

Baby movement: Corbin is still pretty much the same with activity. He still doesn't want to kick for Daddy, still won't respond to our pokes and pushes, and still feels like he's cozy in there. He will go hours with no movement at all and then suddenly kick once or twice. Or completely roll into a new position and make me feel like I'm going to be sick. There is no rhyme or reason to his movements, he is active when he wants to be, but mostly sleepy and still. The one spot where I feel his kicks throughout the day is really low, at the bottom of my uterus, right in the middle. Could he be standing straight up? No clue. I wish I had a window to see what is going on in there. One day last week I felt movement on my right and left side at the same time. There have been a few days when I have felt hiccups, and I only assume they were hiccups because I felt his usual kicks in a rhythmic pattern for a couple of minutes.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Items purchased for baby this week: Corbin's books arrived, and that's about it. :-)

How is Daddy doing: Daddy is anxious for Corbin's arrival! He loves my belly so much, and still (and always has and will) tells me I am beautiful and he is proud of me and yadda yadda yadda. So far, he is a great partner in all of this, and I know he will be a great coach day-of. He has his stressed moments, but we both feel like with the start of my new job, we are about to pass this hump. Daddy loves the books that we have for Corbin and is antsy to start seeing more baby items build up in our collection. Okay, maybe that is me who is antsy, but I am sure Conner is too. Life is about to be very different! We have discussed taking a "babycation"....a super small one-day trip as our last hoorah before our time is occupied by a tiny human being. We both completely agree that having Corbin won't end our social lives.... we never had them to begin with. We don't go on trips really, we don't go out to eat much, and we certainly aren't the "party type". Having Corbin means one more cute one in tow. Another fun family member to take up to Washington, or to Tahoe, or over to family events at my parents' house or grandparents' house. To celebrate our last little bit of "freedom" though, we are planning on heading to Santa Barbara for the day. We will eat good food, hit the zoo (and daydream about having a baby boy with us there someday soon), visit the beach, etc. It will only be a few months after he is born before we celebrate our one year anniversary and can happily hand him over to my parents or an auntie for the weekend while we celebrate our first year of marriage. Life is not over. Life is about to get soooooo much better!
 
Favorite moment this week: Seeing the Black Keys (and Tegan & Sara) on Friday night with Conner. We went to dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, saw some crazies, drove quite a bit in sight-seeing traffic, and made it to the Staples Center right before the show started. It was incredible! We had seats directly to the right of the stage, but close enough and situated right in front of the speakers (it seemed like!). At first, I was really sensitive to the sound and very nervous that it would affect Corbin. My ears were hurting and I didn't feel him right away. As the music started, he started moving, and I have no idea if he was jumping at the sounds or moving happily because he was awake. Either way, it felt pretty normal. I had done so much Googling on how much fetuses can hear at this stage, how much sound affects them, etc. and everything I read basically said he is 20,000 leagues under the sea and at most, it's muffled sound. It's not much more than when I use my own voice and he can hear it inside me, or the sound of my heartbeat, or the sound of my breathing. He was fine, and I relaxed, and all three of us really enjoyed the show.

Looking forward to: Starting my new job tomorrow. I may or may not throw up just thinking about it. We are also looking forward to this coming weekend, when we will get a visit from Betty Ann and Dennis (which we ALWAYS love) and going to the Getty with them and then visiting with my family. Good company always solves any negative emotions. It fixes stress, it calms nerves, it's detox for a long week. I am really truly looking forward to Saturday with everyone. A week after that, we will be celebrating a very close family friend, Mary, and her fiancee Marcus...and Chiara! Their wedding is October 20th, and while I have no clue what sort of dress I can fit into at this point, we are sooooo excited that their wedding day is finally approaching and we will be back at Limoneira for a fun time! (Limoneira is the lemon ranch/packing plant where Conner and I were married.) It will be fun to be there again, eating food made by the same chef (yay Jason!), but in two different venues than our ceremony and reception site. I can't wait! I love weddings!