Ed/Bump Update - Week 23

Great week! Mom is still here visiting and leaves tomorrow. I'll be very, very sad to see her go. We had all kinds of appointments and activities. I'll try to keep this a word light and picture heavy post. You guys don't need to hear me gush about how nice it is to have Mom here :)

View from Mountain Winery in Saratoga

Wine tasting at Sebastiani in Sonoma

Water tasting for me at Gloria Ferrer

The good stuff for these two :)

My "I'm totally relaxed and at ease with city driving" face

On our way to Cliff House for dinner

Ed is getting into the swing of his outpatient rehab and at home treatments. Everything is going well and he's feeling ok. No great noticeable strides at this point, but just having things stabilize and normalize is very nice. He's now playing the role of inspiration for people who are in the low parts of the syndrome at the rehab facility. He's feeling confident that things will keep progressing and is really settling in at home. Even though he's not nearly 100%, it feels like the very hard days are behind us.

I've been swimming more, trying to get some exercise in again. Although, I'm quickly approaching the point where my bathing suit will bust open at the side seams.

Now the bump!

Facetime pic thanks to Ck!

How far along? 23 weeks

How Big Is Baby? A mango? These size comparisons are a little bizarre. My bump app on my iPad says baby is about 11.5 inches... I've never seen a mango that big.

Sleep: Not so hot these days. I'm thinking calling it a love/hate relationship is apt.

Best moment this week: Mom and Ed both getting firm karate chops from the baby :) It's hard to pin down and isn't too frequent but it's amazing when I can get all hands on belly in time. It was hard picking just one best moment of the week though... it was really wonderful.

Movement: More noticeable and stronger. Baby takes long breaks but then delivers nice strong whacks or kicks right to my belly button area. I love it.

Symptoms: Crazy cravings? Emotional? Nothing unusual here :)

Food cravings/aversions: Seafood? My memory seems to be shot so this kind of interferes with this. Every time I open the cabinet and see my cans of smoked oysters I exclaim how good that sounds! But with the memory of a goldfish, I'll turn away from the cabinet and immediately forget that's what I wanted to eat. But let's be honest, I crave pretty much everything when the idea crosses my mind... pad thai, curry, mt tam cheese from cowgirl creamery, broccoli, pizza.... I'm covering the board really. 

Gender: How interesting are these graphics of baby names! 

Six Decades of Boys Names

Six Decades of Girls Names

If you click through on the links the graphic displays the names changing through the years until 2012.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Hmmm I suppose wine still. But it was amazing how satisfying it was, just smelling the wines.

What I am looking forward to: Still the holidays. After such a nice long visit with Mom I'll be very sad to have her leave... can't wait to come see our family and friends! Maybe more short term I'm looking forward to planning something for Thanksgiving. Let the turkey and cranberry sauce cravings begin!

Funny moment of the week: Realizing that in the not too distant future, I will be able to do this: 

Labor Signs: nope

Weekly Wisdom: Wiggle your toes and breathe. I've been doing the driving these days and I'm a skiddish driver for sure. Trying to take deep breaths and just relax and not get all wound up is a good exercise, every day.  Doesn't help anyone to be tense and anxious.  

Milestones: Our first group prenatal check up was this past week. We were the youngest people there but thankfully not the only first timers. It's really nice having other expectant parents to talk to and to have as guides. And we bought our tickets to come home for Christmas! Yay! :)

And my favorite Emilia picture of the week :)