23 week update!

And here we are! 23 weeks is almost to that all important milestone -- viability! If a baby is born at 24 weeks, they have a 40-70% chance of survival.  Of course we want him to hang out in there until he's fully "cooked" but it is comforting to know that each day he's in, he is 3% more likely to survive. Right now he is the size of a mango or papaya and weighs a full pound! Maybe that's why I'm gaining all this weight.....hrmmm maybe.


 I did read that between weeks 20-24 babies are having quite the growth spurt, making mama hungrier. I keep working out (4 times this week) and trying to eat a ton of veggies and fruits and good proteins daily. On cardio days I can burn 500 calories between the elliptical/treadmill/recumbent bike...and on the days I do weightlighting it's a good 250 calories. Hoping to build muscle to eat some of the fat and stay toned. It's all a huge effort that I hope pays off. It's hard not to get insecure stepping on the scale and seeing these huge numbers but so long is baby is growing healthily I should not fret. 


Those of you who are my friends on facebook know that I have been terribly heartbroken exercise TV on-demand is now gone. Yes, heartbroken. I loved it because I could have some variety to do whatever sort of workouts I wanted on any given day, instead of having to deal with inclimate weather or driving an hour round trip to the gym (no thanks). Well I did find out that Hulu offers some exercise on demand workouts (haven't tried yet), and flirtygirlfitnesslive (gag at their name), has 3 demo hour long videos on their site. If you pay $15 bucks a month you can stream any of their live workouts, which is a pretty neat concept. I did 2/out of  the 3. The photos below are from the 2nd attempt...a "strength" class that did 1. not make me sweat (so by my standards, not a workout) 2. concentrate on weird stretches/ab work I couldn't safely do pregnant, so 3. ultimately was a fail hence my miserable face. 


And now for some photos! We are 22 weeks 5 days here:

Oh, baby!

We have started putting up some of the many artworks on the wall, further updates to come!

wedding photo of mama & papa!

look how big and pointy we are!

an idea of some of the pictures to be put on the wal

How far along? In these pix, 22 weeks, 5 days...currently 23 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: Groan. 18 pounds. I am officially 8 pounds over the heaviest I have ever been. Ever. 
Maternity clothes? I got a tote of maternity clothes from my friend Erin, (Thanks Erin!) and also a few jackets, so far have worn a few of the basic long shirts underneath my standard cardis, belts and scarves. 
Stretch marks? Not yet! Although last night when we went to bed, Glenn said "aww I think I see your first stretch mark" in an endearing voice like it was a great milestone I should be excited about. I forced him to turn on the light and did an in-depth exam of my belly to show him no marks. Being the hormonal beast I am, I was all....why would you think that? He says after I got out of the shower I must've scratched myself or something because he thought he saw a mark. Not cute, Lovelace. Not on my agenda right now. Still drinking tons of water and exercising and hope we can make it out of this pregnancy sans marks. Stay tuned. 
Sleep: I usually get a good 6-7.5ish. Was never a good sleeper before pregnancy so am not surprised to still be tossing and turning and getting up to pee alot.
Best moment this week: Sitting at work and having the baby kick in a new place (upper right abdomen versus low where I usually feel him). He was pretty active and my coworker got to feel him gurgling about in there. I pressed back in and he pressed back! I like to think he was giving me a hand dap and saying, "good job, ma". 
Miss Anything? Well I learned after last week's post that I can't have horseradish. So that's a major bummer. 
Movement: More action happening during the day, trying to identify his waking/sleeping patterns. Love his little kicks! It's hard to imagine how much free space he has in there if I can feel him all the way from my upper right to the lower left sometimes. AMAZON BABY!
Food cravings: Lots of V8 V fusion juice, I craved Pizza Hut lunch buffet for the salad (and went this week), lots of raw veggies and fruit, and finally...school tacos. Yes, the gross tacos from elementary school. Still haven't quelled this craving. Auntie Anne's frozen strawberry lemonades is an ongoing delight.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I first take my vitamins on an empty stomach
Gender: All boy, all day. 
Labor Signs: Nope, knock on wood for the next 17 weeks. 
Symptoms: Ribs starting to ache a bit, I think when I have a full meal instead of grazing the food has to go somewhere, so it is being pushed up and pushing my ribs out? Either that or amazon child is just getting bigger.
Belly Button in or out? It is an innie, but not as deep anymore. Really gross/uncomfortable to touch it.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty much a happy camper! Ordered some DVDs off Amazon to be able to work out, which makes me really happy. Excited this weekend to catch up with some friends we haven't seen in ages! Also wish we were able to be at Valerie's and Erin's 1st birthday parties for their kiddos Easton and Mackenzie. Can't believe a year has passed!
Looking forward to: Only having a few more months until we meet this little guy, we are almost 60% there!