23 Weeks

Lots to report. The Ninja has been moving a lot, though I haven’t pinned down “active times” and “sleepy times” probably because I’m not paying great attention as I chase my current child through the aisles of target. That baby can RUN. My aversion to sweets is mostly gone, in fact Jazz can testify that I ate my way through a small batch of caramel popcorn last night. Salty + sweet = perfect combination right now. Cake still does not interest me in the slightest. I’m hungry all the time, but I have really tried not to stuff my face around the clock. We all know where that got me the last time…GINORMICA. It was about this time last pregnancy that I had the notorious Nine Pound Month Checkup with my OB, but I’m happy to report that I have gained less than nine pounds total this pregnancy. (I’m at seven? I think?)

No swelling, no reflux, but some achy bones, as my pelvis unhooks itself again. But I am sleeping great at night, I have this awesome rotation from side to side that is actually really comfortable at this point. I love to sleep. Bless Jazz for “liking” sleeping on a slivery edge of our king size bed.

We have also brought up the name discussion- and can I say that naming a child is just hard. The names we had before suddenly don’t fit very well and we can’t agree on anything new. Nothing fits, and I don’t think anything will until the ninja is born but I’d like to be prepared with a few contenders. With Isabelle, we had two or three names that we liked and once we saw her we just felt she was an Isabelle. I’m hoping it goes the same way the second time around.

At least once a day I turn to Jazz and say, “I can’t believe we are having a boy.” Not in a bad way, we are both excited, just stunned. I don’t know boy things. I never had a younger brother, and I never had an older sister, so both of my kids will have different experiences than I did. Exciting. I bought crib bedding yesterday and as I set it in the spare room, it hit me that room was going to be a space for a boy. Blue and gray and yellow, for a boy!

Isabelle’s two-year molars are coming in and she hasn’t been very pleasant to be around. And by that I mean we had to flee Target like it was Egypt yesterday so I didn’t get any more judgmental eyeballing from strangers as my child screamed from the cart. Anyway, when we got home she asked me to rock her to sleep for her nap and so I did. I held her and held her, my 23-month old baby girl, not realizing I was also rocking my 23-week gestating baby boy. I felt so blessed and so special and so loved I almost exploded. I have a great life.