23 Weeks Already!

Time is flying by, and somehow I am 23 weeks +5 days.... how did this happen? My stomach has also completely exploded and is really full of baby, not to mention I managed to put on a full kilo from last week. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining, but it all seems to be coming so fast! I think it's because my days are so full that there just isn't quite enough time to feel the passing of each moment. People's reactions to me seem to be a mixed bag - from telling me I'm very "neat" (read: small), to telling me I'm HUGE already. I think people's perceptions of what a pregnant lady should look like at any point in time varies greatly. Heck, I don't even know what "normal" looks like, or even if there is a normal!

My feet are rapidly disappearing!

Not much has changed on the baby belly front, although I am feeling a ton of kicks and rolls and at the end of last week I felt a sudden and urgent increase in my hunger. Usually I eat pretty regularly, but on Thursday I needed to eat about every 15 minutes! My sweet tooth is still going strong, and I'm still enjoying lots of fruits and veggies as well as splashed of ice cream and pizza. If you can't enjoy indulgent food now, then when can you? 

Here are my last two weeks of bump pics... I can really see the difference, can you?

 

22 weeks (left) and 23 weeks (right)

 

22 weeks (left) and 23 weeks (right)

 

22 weeks (left) and 23 weeks (right)

One thing new for me is that I've tried a new prenatal yoga class and decided to stick with it for the next 10 weeks. It will be useful as I get bigger, and I know it's important to meet other expecting mums and take some relaxing time just for me. Ooooommmmm....

And I almost forgot! I am feeling hardcore like I need: 
1) Pancakes
2) To have the nursery set up and ready.

#1 can be addressed pretty easily (I'm making pancakes every weekend!) but #2 is a little trickier. The newly painted walls can't have my solar system stickers stuck on for 30 days, and we don't have the cot yet, and the second-hand changing table I bought was missing a few pieces so I can't finish putting that together either. I know it'll all be done before wriggles arrives, but I really REALLY want it done NOW!!! Is this how crazy pregnant women feel? It's not like the baby is going to know that the room was prepared last minute! Here is what I've done so far in our little nursery...

 

 Sorting the onesies into size order so they are easy to find later

 

Organizing all those teeny tiny outfits!

 

Getting the closet ready with the toys, towels, blankets and cute knitted sweaters!

My not-quite-ready changing table, bought second hand at a GREAT price, but missing a few small pieces. 

17 Weeks, the end of Month 4!

Time seems to be just racing by now, and I cannot believe I am at the end of month 4 of this pregnancy. At the beginning, just getting through each day felt like a triumph and every moment shuffled by at an extremely, slow, agonizing rate. 

Now suddenly someone has pushed fast-forward and I can't figure out where the time has gone. I know my job keeps me busy, and also I am less worried about our little wriggles. I definitely feel better and I'm back to almost-normal eating. 

This past week was filled with even more fruit, with each day generally including... a banana, apple, orange, kiwi, mango, nectarine, plum, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and grapes. I also fit in vegies - carrots, celery, green beans, baby corn, tomatoes, red pepper, and broccoli. No wonder I'm having trouble squeezing in protein! I try to remember to bring hummus to school as well as a hard-boiled egg and some cheese. And finally, FINALLY, I've gained some weight (and kept it on!). I'm just at the bottom of recommended weight gain for Week 17, but at least I'm back up from the negatives. 

Because today has been so spectacularly, wonderfully calm and easy I took the time to do a collage of the first 4 months of being pregnant with Wriggles. I actually really enjoyed it! We skipped a few weeks here and there (oops!) and the colors were really difficult to balance, but overall I am very happy. I can tell such a difference between even 11 and 17 weeks - there really is a baby there now! I'll keep up with the weekly bump pictures and make the next collage after the next 9 or 10 weeks. Then I'm excited to see the end product when I have all 40ish weeks together + one with baby! I blame Pinterest for encouraging things like this.