23 weeks

The last few weeks have been utterly nuts, for the most part. DH and I are just catching our breaths. I had some other posts in the works, but life happened with a vengeance and there's some stuff I'm just not ready to write about yet. In the meantime, though, I persist in being pregnant - happily, none of the drama/tears/exhaustion was related to the babe, for which I'm very, very grateful - so here's a look at that:

Weight Gain: 13+ pounds... which means I've gained about a pound a week the past few weeks. Slow it down, hoss!!

Symptoms: frequent hunger, growing belly, weird burning thigh issue. I think I need more sleep these days, too, and my sleep at night has been lighter, partly because rolling over is becoming more of a chore than a natural maneuver. I haven't gotten up in the middle of every night to pee, but it's becoming more common. I've also had a couple moments of nausea, which I hadn't felt since week 12 or so.

Cravings/Aversions: I just want food, though protein - especially peanut butter or yogurt - is always a plus. The idea of canned mushrooms still sounds gross. I fully expect that to last for the duration.

I am loving: that when folks ask, "How are you feeling?" I can honestly say, "pretty good!" Also, I love that we got a window air conditioner unit for our bedroom (thanks, Mom and Dad!). The highs in the UPPER 90s later this week will make me even more grateful, methinks.

I miss: Running, especially in the early mornings when it's not hot yet and everything feels fresh outside. This time last year I was in the throes of triathlon training, which was fun. I'm tempted to start waking up earlier (since my brain seems to want to be up at 5am anyway) to take early-morning walks so I can experience that pre-hot day feeling. That would possibly still be nice.

I'm looking forward to: Taking an anniversary road trip with DH in a few weeks, and then moving to our new apartment a couple weeks after that! July will be crazy, though hopefully in a very different way than June has been.

I'm freaked out about: Um, actually having this child. Not the birth so much (OK, a little about that) as the lifelong 24/7 commitment afterward...

Milestones: DH got to feel a kick for the first time on June 11, the day of his graduation. We were both flopped on the futon after a long day (the end of the most challenging week of our lives together - no exaggeration) and I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly. Thanks, kiddo. You made us both smile when we really, really needed it.

Movement: Much more frequent and much stronger - I'm cutting back down on my caffeine intake so I don't get kicked so hard. DH has felt movement several times now, which is fun.

Exercise: After The Week From Somewhere (June 6-11) and then a weird week off traveling with my parents, I'm back to taking long walks and doing occasional yoga. Also: I've started doing some of the exercises for the Bradley method, which I think is the childbirth method we're going with. Those aren't very strenuous, though.

Diet: I'm not concerned about what I'm eating - mostly fruits, veggies, whole grains (um... well, carbs of every description), lean protein (OK, and at least one dessert every day - sweets are so tasty!) - but how much. I need to work on portion control.