82 days & Counting!

Could my sweater work any harder to stay on my body? I'm only at month 7, and even though at times this feels like an incredible accomplishment, seeing as how I discovered Max was in there when I was about 4-5 weeks along, it felt like it would be eternity before I was into my third trimester. Now? I can't seem to make time slow down. I am anxious to meet him, but the preparation for him is nowhere near close to adequate! Of course I pray for a healthy child, and feel blessed to have fortune of carrying him with me at all times.... I just hope that he stays in there until my due date [at the least!]

Saturday, I saw a kick from the outside. It was a day like any other day. I was slouching (I know, bad posture!) on the couch and he was kicking away. Anytime I attempt to put my hands ontop of my stomach, no matter how gentle, it's as if he senses them there and will stop kicking. I take this as he is playing games even this early on in his life, but needless to say, it frustrates me to no end when I finally give up and rest my hands at my sides, only to start feeling the kicks again! Saturday though, rather than continuously having the war with Max, I looked down at my stomach. I saw him roll across my stomach! It was amazing. I thought that feeling him move for the first time was beyond words, but this was an entirely different level. I've seen him do it since then, and I wonder if that sight will ever get old to me. Actually... scratch that. I would never take those moments for granted.

Grandma's funeral was today. I wasn't necessarily dreading the funeral because she lived a long life. She gained so much wisdom and shared that wisdom as well as her love and compassion for every person from any walk of life that her life is one to celebrated. As the chaplain had said, Grandma didn't want us to worry about her because she's in Heaven. I have no doubt about that, but when I spoke of one of my favorite memories her and I had together [where she was telling me a story from "way back" of pulling a gun out on two men that refused to stop the car to let her and her friend out after a night of dancing... only, the gun was old as dirt, and wasn't working. Grandma was packing heat for the simple fact that anyone she pointed the gun at wouldn't know the difference between a working gun and a non-working gun when push came to shove!] I couldn't help but wish that Max would have been able to meet her. Granted, no one has the ability to live forever here on Earth, and Max wouldn't have remembered meeting her anyway. I'm sure everyone in the family will not have an issue with keeping her memory alive, and I look forward to Elvis being able to tell him stories of what a strong, gracious and caring person Grandma was.

So, through being grateful for the gift that God has given me and the funeral today, it has brought to light my everlasting faith in the circle of life. For the sake of sparing more sappiness, I will only further say that it's a beautiful thing. Though death is painful for those left behind, no matter what age they are when they pass, it's the circle of life. As Grandma would say "Who are we to question God's plan?"
How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain: 15 pounds or so. I've been lucky in that it has been mostly all baby and in my stomach instead of my face! Is that superficial?
How big is baby? The size of an eggplant.
Maternity clothes: Maternity jeans are my favorite thing on the planet! I pair them with my pre-pregnancy shirts most of the time, since I feel like maternity shirts make me look like a blob, and I'm constantly fighting with them so that they don't show the panel of the maternity jeans. (Wearing a long tank top underneath is key.)
Stretch marks: Bleh. Yes. I could have done without those, but...such as life.
Sleep: Declining! My body instinctively wakes me up at intervals to turn over when either my body is uncomfortable, or he is. I have the leg cramps, back aches and my arm falls asleep more often than not even though I have the wonder of a Tempurpedic bed! There is no escaping pregnancy symptoms if you are meant to have them, apparently.
Movement: Kicking, punch and rolling on a more set schedule these days with a few surprise jabs throughout the day. He wakes me up in the morning, and says goodnight to me at bed time.
Food cravings: Recently, BREAKFAST FOOD! My eggs over easy, hash browns, bacon, pancakes, breakfast burritos.... And now I'm hungry.
Food aversions: Chicken and meat in general (except my beloved bacon and sausage) Any type of tomato sauce gives me ridiculous heartburn that it's hardly ever worth it to indulge myself.
Belly button: ...Looks strange. Almost like the eye of an Asian individual. I'm still unsure as to whether it will pop since it was so abnormally and freakishly deep before!
Symptoms: Occasional morning sickness, but it only lasts for a few minutes. Definitely running out of juice a lot sooner than anticipated leaving me to not be able to do as much with my days as I would like. HUNGRY.HUNGRY.HUNGRY all the time.
What I'm looking forward to: My next elective 3D/4D ultrasound at 32 weeks! Even at 16 weeks when I first had it done, it surprised me how developed a baby in the womb is at that time. I've been told 32 weeks is the best time to do it, as the baby still has enough room to move about, making the pictures diverse, and also his face is formed and he has some fat on him!
Weekly Wisdom: Recognizing the difference between having to actually pee, and when the baby is just using my bladder as a punching bag, giving me the sensation that I have to pee. I make more trips to attempt to pee than I actually pee! (which is saying a lot, considering I still pee... a lot.)
Weekly joy: Seeing the movement from the outside, and all of the belly rubs/touches from family and friends at Grandma's viewing and funeral yesterday and today.