Week 23

Its week 23 and for the first time we have felt the baby on the outside of my belly!! It was so startling!! On Sunday night Robert and I had just settled down to engage in one of our favorite guilty pleasures, a SVU marathon. We had a long day of driving back from a wonderful weekend with friends in the snow, yard work, and some chores, so laying on the couch sounded appealing to us both. Sometimes when I feel Baby Gerrans kick I put my hand over the area to see if I can feel anything, this time I felt my normal pulse and as I became distracted by the TV I felt a "big punch." I think I screamed a little as Robert thought something was wrong with me. I quickly grabbed his hand and placed it over the punch but no movement came, I must have scared him. A few seconds later I felt it again at which time I grabbed Robert's hand again and after a little while he was able to feel it too. None of the movements have been quite as strong as the first one but now Baby Gerrans is much more active. I am not going to lie those first few moments of the initial punch freaked me out a little bit. I had this slight feeling of a sci-fi film with some sort of extra-terrestrial being inside of me. I have known he has been there all along, but it has just become so much more real to me. Now I am over the freakiness and have moved on to pure enjoyment. It is so fascinating and he is so active. He is especially active when I am working, as he's probably saying "I am bored mom, lets do something else."

Some other changes I have noticed this week, my tolerance for spicy food has increased and I am eating much more. Many of you know me well and know that even the tiniest hint of spice sends me crying, so try to believe it when I say I have been putting red pepper flakes in most of my recipes and piling on the salsa. I cannot believe it. Even the "long life shrimp" from Panda that is normally too much for me was nothing. I don't know why this is happening, probably because my nose is so stuffy, but I like it. No fear eating is very nice. I am trying to be good knowing that what I eat Baby Gerrans eats, but I cannot help but notice the change in my appetite. Hunger finds me much more frequently. I am consuming two croissants at the Farmer's Market instead of my normal one, and quickly looking for my next meal. Yesterday I had a serious craving for Mexican food that I could not ignore and as I was scrapping every last grain of rice and smear of beans off my plate the waitress brought me another small side of rice and beans, "for the baby". Here I was pregnant, eating by myself in the middle of the afternoon, and practically licking my plate; I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or flattered by her gesture. She probably felt sorry for me, but I like to think she has been pregnant before and understands.

No new nursery updates this week, just busy cleaning out closets around the house. Is it possible to have early nesting?

Robert & I at the Higginbotham's cabin in Huntington Lake for President's weekend. This is the day before we felt the "big punch."

xoxo