23 Weeks!

Almost to 6 months already! It's getting harder and harder to believe as the days go by. I'm healthy and happy, and growing a healthy and happy little girl inside. Each day that goes by where nothing goes "wrong," still shocks me. With my last pregnancy, there were more days when things went wrong than went right. It was filled with so much sadness and this pregnancy has been filled first with cautious optimism and now full-fledged excitement and happiness. This baby is such a blessing to Brad and I and I can't wait to tell her that in person.

She's been kicking like crazy this week and you can finally feel it from the outside! One night I was taking a long bath and listening to my ipod (turned up perhaps a little too loud!) and she started kicking so hard that I could see my stomach move! I screamed for Brad and he was able to see and feel her kick. It was SO cool! She's been doing it pretty reliably all week. It's so crazy to see your stomach move and feel her kick your hand HARD! On another happy note, my pelvic pain is SO much better! Still there, particularly when I overdo it, but a big improvement from past weeks.

We've gotten a lot more done in the nursery. I ordered valances and some accessories from Target.com that really pull the room together. Luckily, they match the bedding that I bought at Target months ago on clearance fairly well. I haven't taken pictures in the last week, but will soon and will post them as soon as I do.

I ordered a "wall decal" phrase from an online company that goes over Emma's crib. It's a line from one of my favorite children's books, "I'll Love You Forever." It says "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." If you've never read it, you SHOULD! It's the sweetest story about a mom rocking her baby in a rocking chair. As he gets older he no longer needs to be rocked, but she still misses that time. As the mother grows older and is ill, the little boy (now a man) comes back home and takes his mother in his arms and rocks her in the rocking chair - a tear jerker!!! I'm posting a picture of her crib with the phrase on the wall. It turned out much better than I had expected - looks just like paint, even from up-close.

Also posting the mandatory 23 week belly picture. This week several strangers have been asking me when the baby's due. I guess that means that I've finally surpassed the "maybe she's just fat" phase! I'm still only a pound over my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm going to be as big as a house. And damn proud of it!