23 Weeks

{Thanksgiving}

I wrote this on Tuesday so these answers are pre-Thanksgiving :) I got too busy to draw on my chalkboard with all the festivities of the holiday week. Then I remembered we took the above picture on Thanksgiving {love having our tripod!} so I'm using it as my bump photo of the week. And Bri gets to make a cameo in this week's update! Baby daddies never get enough of the limelight during pregnancy. I plan to get the 24 week update up in a more timely manner. Oh! You can't see it super well here but I chopped my hair off on Tuesday as well. It feels so light and healthy. It must have been like 8" because I tried to donate my hair but they said it needed to measure 10" and unfortunately, I was not chopping off more than I did. I cut my hair around chin length several years ago and it wasn't until it had grown out to my shoulders that Bri finally told me he liked my hair better longer which I totally agree with. I think this length or longer look best on me. I almost didn't even go this short but I took a chance and I am really happy with it. It's a nice change. I was worried that it would make my face look fat with gaining pregnancy weight. I feel like long hair is more slimming on my face. Oh, the things I worry about ;)

How far along: 23 weeks {+ 5 days now!!!}
Gender: B*O*Y
Baby size: Baby Boy weighed 1 pound 4 ounces at his appointment yesterday!
Total weight gain/loss: I've been fluctuating between 9 to 10 lbs but I'm going to guess I've gained a solid 10 now from our nightly Oreo ritual. Why just have a pumpkin spice oreo when you can also have a regular double stuffed and a double stuffed golden oreo. Oh, and a dark chocolate milano too. ;)
Maternity clothes: I cannot believe I waited so long to invest in my Gap maternity jeans. They are so much more comfortable than rigging my pre-pregnancy pants. I got a couple of good wears out of my Pink Blush Maternity navy and white stripe cardi before Florida decided we had too much cool weather so we needed to pay with heat and humidity.
Stretch marks: Not so far. I am still using Mustela Stretch Marks Double Action Lotion but I definitely feel like I need to start being more diligent just in case. 
Sleep: Ugh! I feel like this is getting worse week by week but yet I don't want to complain because really, things have been so smooth overall. I am just thankful for our healthy baby so I will take the back, hip and shoulder pain any day.
Best moment this week: There were a lot of great moments this week! I tend to get sentimental about things so it was so fitting that on Friday, November 21st which marked 8 ½ years for us we would both feel Baby Boy more than we ever have so far. It was the BEST! We went to see Mockingjay Part 1 with my brother-in-law, his GF and her mom then came home and we were just relaxing on the couch when I started feeling him. I usually wait for at least 2 good movements that I can feel on the outside before I say anything to Bri because this boy is notorious for teasing us. Baby Boy must have been having a party in his womb ;) because he just kept going and going. We were both grinning ear to ear. We also got to meet our 5 week old niece Sofia Rose aka Rosie for the first time on Sunday. My brother-in law and sister-in-law are in town from D.C. for Thanksgiving so it was great to see them and meet the Kozell family's newest bundle of joy. Rosie certainly lulled us into a false sense of security sleeping peacefully for several hours during the family get together. Easy peasy, right? ;) Monday, we had our 22 weeks baby appointment where we got to see and hear our healthy little mister. Like I said above, he weighs over a pound now. I don't know why but that just makes me so excited. His heartbeat was 152. He kept his arm up for most of the visit. Our ultrasound tech did some 4D shots for us so we got to see his face a little more but like his dad, he put his arm up in the picture to say enough is a enough. I can just imagine him saying "No more pictures, mom!" Oh, and my cervix was measuring at 3.7 inches so we are still way in the clear. Again, that sort of info is more for me to document for the future so I will know where to find it if I need to! As long as we get the all clear during our 24 weeks appointment, we won't have to go bi-weekly which makes me both happy and sad. We have really grown accustom to see him every other week so I think we are going to go into major withdrawals very soon.
Miss anything: Not really. If anything, sleeping on my back. Overall, I am really enjoying being pregnant. I love watching my belly grow. I feel good most of the time so I am just thankful.
Movement: Every.single.day. I love it! It's still sporadic as to when it might come but now that I think about it, it seems to happen more at night where two weeks ago it was more in the morning. I'm just happy that I am feeling him every day. So fun!
Food cravings: Oreo and milk. Still really wanting the BBQ chicken flatbread from Food Shack. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I am craving pumpkin pie and stuffing. I have been good. Normally, I cave like a month before Thanksgiving and have to have Thankgiving-y foods. I am also starting to crave the onion soup at Sunriver Lodge as our Christmas trip gets closer.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, thankful!
Labor signs: No
Belly button in or out: Still in so far!
Wedding rings on or off: Still on but now taking it off at night as I have been for the last few weeks.
Mood: I feel like I have been in a really good mood this week. Like I said, I am enjoying being pregnant which makes me happy because I know some people have really difficult pregnancies or just plain don't enjoy it so I am glad that overall, I feel good. I didn't know how I would feel about gaining weight and all but I am really embracing sweets my body and the really amazing changes going on. Ask me about this in like 10 weeks; my answer could be different ;)
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! A foodie's favorite holiday ;) I am making pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, sour cream rolls and corn pudding. The latter two recipes come from my former stepmom, Lauren who is an awesome cook. I love being able to share things I grew up on like the corn pudding {which is super misleading by its name} with Bri's family. I.cannot.wait. My best friend, Ashley is coming for a visit and having Thanksgiving with us which makes me so happy. She is family. We are also looking forward to Leftovers Lunch at Lauren's on Saturday. On a non-food related topic {is there really such a thing?}, I am hoping we can pick out our Christmas tree this week. Even though we won't be here for our first Christmas in our home, it's still super important to me to have a tree. Speaking of Christmas, we are 25 days away from seeing our Oregon family and being in one of our most favorite places! It might even be my favorite-est! ;) This is definitely the most wonderful time of the year in my opinion.
Random: {I am adding this section this week since I feel like I have been having some random thoughts lately} I know this is going to sound funny but I feel like I am actually starting to feel pregnant. I am starting to notice it is harder to bend down or get up. I feel like I am moving a little bit differently. For the longest time, I would still have moments where I am like 'Oh, yeah. I am pregnant.' Like it hadn't sunk in or I'd forget. Now my random thoughts are more like 'Oh my goodness, this baby is going to be coming out of me way sooner than I realized a few short months ago!' I am really not ready to start thinking about baby boy's entrance into this world. I pretty much avoid anything about labor and birth at this point. 

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!