Ticker Change Thursday - 23 Weeks

Joaquin is 23 weeks today and still about the size of a papaya. On average, babies at 23 weeks are approximately 1 pound and 1 ounce. Joaquin is usually meausuring a little bigger than average, so I'd guess he's about 1 pound and 4 or 5 ounces.

How far along? 23 weeks
Weight gain/loss: I would guess I'm up 19-20 pounds. I will find out this afternoon.
Sleep? I'm having more trouble sleeping now, as I have to be on my side. Unfortunately, sleeping on my side hurts my shoulders so I am constantly waking up and switching sides to keep from getting sore. It is not easy to switch sides with a body pillow.
Best moment this week? We got our car seat and cloth diapers yesterday. It was pretty neat to imagine little Joaquin sitting in the car seat and see just how small those diapers are. Very cute.
Movement: The kicks keep getting stronger and sometimes my belly even moves. He is really stubborn though because every time Jay tries to feel him kicking he stops moving.
Food cravings: Smoked gouda.
Belly button in or out? Out, and now visible even with a shirt.
What I miss? Walking up stairs easily.
What I am looking forward to? Only about 2 more weeks until our 5 year wedding anniversary!
Milestones: I guess having my belly button pop out. I was hoping it would be a little later before that happened!
What I'm nervous about: How we are going to fit all of this baby stuff in our place.

Well, that was pretty cool

Today, for the first time, I saw my belly move when Joaquin kicked. I wish Jay had been there to see it!

Appointments this Week

We have two appointments this week.

1. On Wednesday, Jay and I are going to meet a pediatrician that was recommended by my OB. I have heard good things about him and his office, so I am hopeful that we will not need to look any further than this.

2. On Thursday, I go in for a check up with my OB. I'm not sure if I will have any additional ultrasounds for the rest of this pregnancy, so I will be able to find that out. Otherwise, I doubt it will be a very eventful appointment (oh, and getting weighed...).

Poor Jay

Yesterday, Jay was unloading the groceries, including a flat of bottled water, from the car. He picked the waters up incorrectly and threw his back out. He was in minor pain at first but after a few hours was complete immobilized with pain. He could not walk, sit up or roll over without excruciating pain and a little help from me. We went to Hoag Hospital's emergency room this morning to get him some medicine and make sure it was nothing that would require more serious medical intervention.

After several hours there, we were released with a diagnosis of a severely sprained back with muscle spasms. We were told he would be in pretty serious pain for about three days and would take a few weeks to heal completely. We are back at home now and Jay is feeling a little better. He is even able to walk without me now, which is a good sign.

It's been a pretty trying weekend for the two of us. Jay is frustrated and in pain and I am exhausted from having to take care of everything around the house. Hopefully I will be able to work from home for the second half of the work day tomorrow after a morning meeting.

Wish Jay luck that he heals quickly!

Belly Picture Friday - 22w1d

Ticker Change Thursday - 22 Weeks

Joaquin is 22 weeks today and about the size of a papaya. He'll stay approximately papaya-sized for the next few weeks. Joaquin is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that babies finds gentle music and their mother's voice most soothing. His nipples are starting to sprout, and his little face is fully formed. And, he is starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day, which I can apparently figure out by paying attention to kicks.

How far along? 22 weeks
Weight gain/loss: I guess I'm up 15ish pounds. I will check again a week from today.
Sleep? Sleeping pretty well but whenever I lay on either side my stomach or intestines start to twitch and it is too strong to ignore. This has been going on for the last 2 months and I doubt it will end before November.
Best moment this week? We got the last piece of furniture for the nursery from BabiesRUs this week, which is lovely because it means I don't have to deal with those people anymore!
Movement: Joaquin has really started kicking hard this week, but in a wonderful way.
Food cravings: My appetite has sort of slowed down lately.
Belly button in or out? Officially out :-(
What I miss? Clear skin. This may be a constant through the next 4 months. I'll try to come up with something else soon though just to keep it interesting.
What I am looking forward to? I'm going to get the rest of the bedding today and the mobile tomorrow, so it will be nice to have the crib totally ready soon.
Milestones: Nothing too notable this week. Just chugging along.
What I'm nervous about: How big I'm going to get.

I've officially gone "green"

At least on the diaper front. After a ton of research, I have decided to give cloth diapers a try, at least until I go back to work (so about 4 months). Many of you probably think I'm totally nuts. But I'm not, really.

Here's why I'm doing it:

1. MONEY. It is way cheaper to buy a set of cloth diapers than to keep buying disposables. Plus, I can re-use the diapers if we are fortunate enough to have another baby later on.

2. Environment. Because I plan to be an exclusive breast feeder for as long as possible, Joaquin's cloth diapers will not be filled with nasty formula poop. As a result, they can be thrown directly into my own washer and will be perfectly clean. Thus, no trash and I won't be using a diaper service that pollutes the air with its delivery trucks and uses way too much water washing the diapers multiple times between uses.

3. Comfort. Babies are much less likely to get diaper rash or other skin problems with cloth diapers. It is probably due to not having plastic rub against their skin and not being exposed to the chemicals in most disposable diapers. Doesn't this look way more comfy than a disposable diaper?

4. Convenience. Wait.... you must be kidding right? Well, not really. While some parts of cloth diapering will be less convenient (more laundry) others are more convenient (no trips to Costco to buy packages of diapers that are too heavy for me to lift into the car). I just ordered all of the supplies I will need for the first 3-4 months!

5. Fashion. It's trivial, but cloth diapers are actually really cute these days. Check these out!

6. Potty Training. Babies put in cloth diapers are generally potty trained much earlier than babies put in disposable diapers.

I will still be using some disposables for longer trips away from home, but will try to limit that as much as possible.

I am really excited about this! Perhaps strangely so, but whatever.