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Baby is a: Papaya
Weight gained: 2 lbs
Total Weight gained: 20 lbs
23 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms: My stomach itches. I had this a little bit the first time around and I think it went away after a few weeks. I am upping my belly cream. My absolute favorite is Burt’s Bees Belly Mama.
Cravings: Well this week was my birthday, so I definitely got my fill of sweets. I have also been finally starting to crave water, yay. As the third trimester approaches, it is so important to drink a lot of water.
Aversions: No aversions.
Sleep: I got to sleep in on my birthday, which is quite a treat if you live with a toddler, who thinks sleeping in is waking up at 5 am.
Excited for: Easter Tomorrow! I don’t think L will really get the idea but plastic eggs are always fun and she loves putting items into baskets. We bought stickers and are going to fill the eggs with them as candy isn’t exactly what I want to give my almost 2 year old.
Missing: Being more active. My goal is in about 2 weeks, I really want to start getting out and going for power walks. The weather is still not great so I am having a hard time finding motivation.
Movement: Kicking and moving all the time. All movement feels somewhat the same. I'm excited for when you can finally feel a hand or foot stretch out and poke you.
Dr. Update: No
Exercise: No
Stretch Marks: No
Swelling: No
Maternity Clothing: Definitely wearing maternity clothing. I am excited to be able to just wear tank tops soon with sweaters. These were my go-to last time around.
Labor Signs: No
Wedding Rings On: Yes
Belly Button In or Out: In/Out. It can’t decide.
How I’m Preparing: Life was crazy this week, so I didn’t really get a chance to prepare. Instead, I will tell you something I started considering at this point during my first pregnancy with L. It ended up being monumental. I was starting to think of how I was going to balance my career and this new family we were starting.
I began to search and weigh my options. When L was born, I knew immediately my top priority was to be there for her in those early years. I didn’t want to send her to daycare. I wanted to be the one to watch her smile and grow. She would soon be in school and I never could get those early years back. I could also have a career. I found some flexible work as a lecturer and decided to blog. I never knew I would love it so much and it gave me the most important thing, time with my child.
Alli, who blogs with me, decided on the same path in life. Even though we didn’t even meet until both our first kids were 6 months old. She searched and found an awesome way to teach online. If I didn’t go into blogging, I would have considered the same path she took. The best part about the company she works for is that you don’t have to be a teacher and you can teach in the morning before everyone is up.
Best Moment of the Week: My birthday. Not only did I get to sleep in but spent the whole day with Cole and L. We started with going out to breakfast. Going out to eat for breakfast can actually be fun with a toddler. Going out for dinner… not so much. We then went to the library since L can’t seem to get enough books read to her ever. The rest of the day was spent outdoors. It was really the first super nice day of the year, which made it even more awesome.
Are you preparing for a baby also? Check out our Expecting section.
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