oh baby!

As promised a few weeks ago, here is an updated picture of baby Moses growing inside of me. This is 23 weeks along - a big change from just 9 weeks ago! Imagine what it will look like in another 9!

While none of my pregnancies tend to be the most comfortable, I must say that I am happy that our baby is growing and healthy. The discomforts are well-worth the beautiful blessing in the end.

Over the past several weeks I am learning more about our baby-to-be. He or she is likely growing hair, as I have started to experience some heartburn. I had a lot of this in the 3rd trimester with Anna - and it is proven to be a result of babies with hair in the womb. If you remember, Anna was born with a dark brown mohawk probably about an inch long. I will be interested to see if/how much hair this little one has. There wasn't any to be seen in our ultrasound a few weeks ago - so this must be new.

Our baby likes to sit very, very low. Where my right hand is in the picture above is where the baby likes to lay. Anna was typically found over on the right sitting at or above my belly button, while this little one lies curled up below. He or she has been sitting in an extremely uncomfortable position for the past few weeks - but this weekend moved slightly up and to the left providing MUCH relief for mom.

His or her movements are getting much stronger. I can typically feel baby moving when I lie down at the end of the day - when he stretches his arms and legs and jabs them out in various directions. I would still characterize him as pretty content and quiet - but we'll see in the weeks to come.

Baby has also started practicing for his exit. While not full-on braxton hicks contractions (practice contractions), I have had a few small episodes where my stomach tightens up into a very tight ball for a minute or so. This typically happens when I have been walking or on my feet for long periods of time. I keep telling him that while a slightly early arrival would be appreciated, I mean a few days - not a few months! Hopefully these will not increase anytime soon.

My next appointment is this Friday, another routine check-up. All is well and as you can see - baby and mom are growing fast. The 3rd trimester is just a few short weeks away.