23 weeks down!

It's official, maternity clothes are in! I have lucked out and been able to wear my pre-pregnancy pants so far (thanks to a belly band - what a great invention!) but this week when I went to put on my khakis I was in for a surprise when I couldn't even zip them. As a true bargin shopper, I have picked up some things here and there that were on sale but spent some time and money this weekend trying to "own" this new look. While maternity clothes have come a long way, if you ask me they still have a long way to go. As you can see from the picture, I surprised myself by prefering the more form fitting styles.

Our little girl is growing and proving the doctors right with all her movements and activity. I got my first wake up kick at 18 weeks and she hasn't stopped. The best time for movement is after food, when I lay down to go to sleep, and when Zoey (our dog) takes a nap and uses my belly as her pillow. I've still been working out and decided this week to try out an aqua fit class for a change of pace. If her reaction during class is foreshadowing for her life - I am pretty sure she is going to be a fish. This was the first time I was able to feel her move during my workout!

Nick got to experience the first of her movments this week too!! We started a tradition when we first found out we were expecting. Each week we sit down together and read our week-by-week happenings in not one but, two different books. We have been following along with "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy". As we were reading about week 23, it mentioned that while her eyelids are still fused she can tell light from dark. It went on to say that if you shine a flashlight she may respond and move. While testing out this new piece of information...Nick got out the flashlight, turned it on and proceeded to shine it on my stomach. She must be developing right on target, because as promised, she responded and Nick was finally able to feel it. While the movement was small he was able to feel her change positions. Now if we could just figure out how to get her to kick on command so Nick can experience that too!

We had a good check-up with the doctor this week as well. No problems finding her heart beat this week. Our doctor was able to find it right away and we got to listen for a while. Her heartbeat was 150bpm, down a little from our sonogram at 17 weeks but according to the doctor that's normal. I head back again in March for my diabetes test and then in April for our next sonogram. I can't wait to see how much she has grown and changed!