23 Weeks!

How far along are you?  23 weeks
How big is baby?  This week baby is more than 11" long and weighs more than a pound!
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time, though I still wear non-maternity sometimes.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Ha - I'm not getting on the scale after all I've eaten in the last week!
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'm so desperate for some good, quality sleep.  Although, baby did let me sleep in until 8:30 last weekend...woohoo.
Best moment this week:  Thanksgiving was a great day :)
Any Movement?  So often!  Now we've even had family members begin to feel our little Bean.
Food Cravings?  Salad and Thanksgiving leftovers.
Food Aversions?  Still no aversions, but things taste weird lately and most food is very unappealing.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Sleeping well, not having a constant backache...
What are you looking forward to:  My birthday is on Sunday!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting to spend 3 days with Mike, buying the crib, decorating for Christmas... it was a great week :)
What was the WORST part of this week?  My little sister fainting on Wednesday morning and having to take her to the hospital! :(

23 weeks and getting bigger!

I have so much to report from the past week!  First of all, I'm sorry for the delayed posts.  I always start them and then get side tracked... and then I completely forget until I someone says, "hey, are you going to update your blog soon?"  The next 2 weeks are going to be really crazy with school, but after that I should be good with time to update!  Also, I should note that I think I finally "popped."  In the last 2ish weeks I feel like I'm finally starting to look more pregnant and less like I've just been eating too much.  I can definitely see a change in my weekly bump photos, though!

Thanksgiving was wonderful and just what I needed.  I am SO thankful this year.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and of course I'm thankful every year, but this year is special.  Last year at Thanksgiving and over the winter holidays, all I wanted was to be pregnant and have the opportunity to be a mom.  Now here I am.  I can't even type that out without it bringing tears to my eyes.  I have a great husband and the best family in the world and now I get to add my very own little angel to the mix.  Life just doesn't get any better.  I was reading back on old posts and even my very first one mentioned how blessed and thankful I am for this baby.  I don't think a day has gone by where I don't wake up and thank God for this baby, nor do I go to bed without thanking Him again and praying for this little miracle that we have.  However, I know I've said this before and I'll say it again, I do feel a little guilty that Mike doesn't have the same intimate connection with our baby that I do.  This little guy or girl is absolutely everything to me, and I hate that he doesn't get the same moments that I do.  Even though I'm a little apprehensive about having to share the baby with everyone, I can't help but to fantasize about the day that the two loves of my life finally meet.  I can't think of anything sweeter.  Until then, I plan on enjoying every little kick and punch and gymnast move in my belly... except for the ones on my bladder.  So not cool.

After our Thanksgiving feast, Mike and I headed out on our annual Black Friday shopping excursion with family and friends.  This year we decided to switch it up a bit and go out at midnight since so many of our favorite stores were opening early.  We were able to hit Kohl's, Target, Macy's, Bath & Body Works, the Disney Store, Yankee Candle, Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us, Hallmark, and Sephora all before 7 am!  I was super prepared this year with my list and coupons and finished most of my shopping!  We also made a special trip to the local TRU/BRU so that we could buy our crib and changing table.  Babies 'R Us was having a Black Friday special and offering both the Graco Lauren crib and matching changing table for $148!  I also had a $10 off coupon, so after taxes it only cost us $147!  A few weeks ago, I ordered our nursery dresser (which also matches the crib), so altogether our nursery furniture cost us less than $350.  Not too shabby!

Our baby's nursery furniture!  (Note: this is not our nursery)  [Photo courtesy of babiesrus.com]

Baby's dresser!  I can't wait to fill it with clothes!  [Photo courtesy of jcpenney.com]

All-in-all it was a wonderful week!  Now I'll be thankful if baby and I make it through the end of the semester and finals!