23 Weeks

23 weeks - can't believe we've made it this far already! I realize the mango appears to be smaller than the spaghetti squash, but the ever reliable internet assures me that, yes, our baby is indeed bigger than it was last week (even if their comparison doesn't make it look that way). Baby's over 11inches long now and just a little over 1lb in weight. And, wow, this past week has been awesome - Baby has been moving all over the place! I can feel his/her little movements throughout the day, and even Tyler has been able to feel them - he absolutely loves this! He came to visit me at work yesterday for lunch and I could almost swear Baby was saying "Hi" to him - Baby started kicking and moving as soon as we sat down to eat! SO cute :) So, thank you for your prayers - Baby has indeed started moving around quite a bit ;)

As far as developments go, our Baby's ears are becoming fine-tuned to sounds now. He/she is able to hear our voice, Sampson and Delilah's chirping (hope Baby gets used to it - they sure do chirp a lot!), and other noises outside the body (as well as internal noises such as my heartbeat, my stomach growling, etc). Baby's skin is becoming more red in color and less translucent as it thickens, more blood vessels develop, and fat begins to develop. Apparently our baby will double in size between now and 27weeks - looks like lots of expanding headed my way! This is exciting, though, because every week that passes and every ounce Baby gains puts him/her closer to being fully developed and healthy!! 23-24 weeks is considered the "technical" age of viability (ability to successfully live outside of the womb, with significant medical help obviously); however, we want baby to stay in MUCH longer than that!

 

 

This is a life-size doll model that was made after a live 23 week gestation baby that was born. It's a little prettier of a picture this way; this just gives you a size estimate :)

As far as changes for me, it's mostly just my ever-expanding belly :) With all of the heat we've all been experiencing, it's hard to tell if the swelling in my hands and feet is from the pregnancy or the heat! Still continue to have back pain (definitely noticing some sciatica pain down my right buttock and leg - not pleasant at all!) and may look for a chiropractor if the pain continues or gets worse as Baby grows and puts more pressure on my back. Continued prayers for a pain-free back would be welcomed! We're still trying to decide if we're going to continue with the Midwifery Center or if we're going to go through standard Labor and Delivery - prayers for wisdom would be appreciated :)

We've finished our registry (I think..may still add a few things here and there!) - we're at Target, BabiesRUs, and Amazon (have to search for Baby registry when you get on Amazon - it's not an automatic link). It's hard to know if we've registered for everything or not - seems like there is so much to want/need for another sweet little human being!! Really looking forward to the first baby shower back home at the end of July :)

Hope all of you are doing well and surviving the scorching heat of the summer - sending prayers for rain your way!! So happy to have you all following our progress on here - can't wait 'til our little sweetheart is here!

Blessings to you all!