23 weeks

Almost in the 3rd trimester....WOW! is all I can say. It does not feel like I have been pregnant for that long. Before I know it, baby G will be here. My next milestone is coming up at around 25 weeks or so. At that point, baby G is considered viable-meaning he could survive outside the womb. I was surprised to learn that a baby is viable at such an early stage.

I don't feel like there is much to update but here's an attempt.
Symptoms: I have felt unbelievably itchy in the last few days. It doesn't matter how much lotion or oil I put on. The "rash" on my stomach comes and goes but the itchiness is pretty constant. It's just like a mosquito bite, if I don't touch it it's ok but once I rub it the itching won't go away. Some days it's harder to breathe than others-mostly due to my posture. But it hasn't been a "constant" problem yet. Outside of this, I don't feel very pregnant most days.
Movement: Baby is moving although not in a consistent pattern that I can notice. As I'm writing this, he IS all over the place. I'm wondering if it's because I'm awake or if he's usually up at 5am? Although I feel him move, he doesn't move strong enough for Nick to feel all the time. Every once in a while he will kick a couple of times but he usually stops before Nick gets to me. I'm looking forward to when I can actually SEE when he moves. I think I got a while before that happens. I still haven't grown very much.
Nursery: THANK YOU to my friend, Christina who has graciously offered us her baby's crib and changing table. Nick put together the crib last week. It is now sitting in the nursery-to-be. Nothing else has been done in the nursery department. Baby G does have quite a wardrobe already and we haven't made it to the shower yet. Mary bought us some baby hangers and they've come in handy. It's funny to see the little onesies and outfits hanging in the big closet.
I'm hoping to finalize paint color by the end of the month so Nick can paint the nursery during his Christmas break.
Frame of Mind: For the past 2-3 weeks, I have felt surprisingly "indifferent". What I mean is that I have become very relaxed about this pregnancy and about the post-partum baby care. I no longer worry about whether the baby is ok, I just feel like he IS so I don't need to worry. I don't worry about labor. It will be what it will be. I don't worry about the baby care. We will figure it out and deal with it as we think we should. This is very out of character for me but I LIKE IT! I don't know if the relaxation exercises and meditation practices have had an effect or if it's just my defense mechanism kicking in. A couple of days ago, I literally tried worrying and I couldn't- my mind just moved on. It's been liberating.
When we found out I was pregnant, Nick said one of the things he was looking forward to was living in the moment, living for that day. Every job we've ever had forces us to plan a year, a month, a week ahead. He thought having a baby would make us live in the day because you can't plan and you don't know what new thing he will do or learn that day. I never thought about this before but I am looking forward to it.

That's all for now. Next, Dr.'s appointment is on Monday, November 17th.
I think I might be able to sleep some more before I have to officially get up for work so until next time...