Week 23

Charlottes has developed a sense of movement by now, and she can feel me dance, or move. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), we are able to see her squirm underneath my clothes. Every now and then, I will look at my belly and see her moving. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that our baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises are becoming more familiar now — such as our dogs barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — and probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Nesting

Mark took this picture. He claims that I have been nesting. I just like to say I like a clean house. I guess you can decide. 

Nursery

Mark's parents bought Charlotte her dresser/changer. They brought it over this past week and Mark and his dad put it together. Mark took this before picture. 

Here is the after picture. I love this dresser. It matches the crib, which converts to a toddler bed and full size headboard and footboard. And, this dresser can serve as a changing table and then a dresser for later when Charlotte no longer needs a changer. 

Ouch!

This week I woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Mark was a bit confused and admist his grogginess he managed to check the clock and get up and turn on the fan, but somehow didn't manage to wiggle my toes. I couldn't reach my foot because it was flexed straight out. So, I put it over on Mark and continually shouted at him to wiggle my toes or move my foot. After what seemed like forever but was really about 3-5 minutes, the Charlie-Horse left. My calf in my right leg was so sore I could barely walk for 4-5 days. I have been eating lots of bananas since then out of fear of Charlie-Horse return. Also, several people have told me that I should jump up and stand on my leg and that it will make it go away, so next time maybe I won't have to wake Mark up.  

Responding

Charlie is becoming more and more responsive. She responds to her daddy's hands on my belly and when he talks to her. The other day Belle (one of our dogs) jump up on my stomach and Charlie punched or kicked her paw. It is really awesome because every-time I go to pray (either out-loud, with others, or silently) or go into church she gets really active.

Growing

I have been getting more and more sore as a grow. My legs, feet, and back are sore from standing for long periods of time. And, my feet are starting to swell a little after a long day. I have been pretty faithful with putting belly butter on every night, but I still feel sometimes like my skin on my stomach is literally stretching. The skins gets really tight sometimes (especially after eating). I can't believe how big I am getting, I look at the pictures with disbelief.