life is “swell(ing)”

i have had my hiccups of pain here and there but i have to say this last week was the worst! last thursday i was on my feet ALOT at work. when i got home my toes looked like some one else’s. my feet are usually slender and boney. this was NOT the feet i was looking at. yesterday on my walk thru the neighborhood my fingers were swelling and my rings were very tight. i can tell now when something is getting ready to swell because it starts tingling like i have a thousand tiny needles stuck in me. ---Swelling is Fuuuun! :/

in other developments, my back and neck seem to ache constantly. ESPECIALLY my low, lower back. just when the round ligament pains seem to be taking a break, the back pain sets in! i have been drinking TONS of water. i upped my intake this week to about 2 liters/day. i am hoping this will help with the swelling. and today i let the chiropractor i work with adjust my lower back, so we’ll see if i get any relief. fingers crossed!!!

with all the aches and pains i have to say it is still worth it. this little sweet Pea has been kicking and squirming and FLIPPING! she is now active enough that her daddy can see her pretty regularly too. my tummy will jump and pop up in places as she swims around. last night as i was drifting into sleep (finally…after tossing and turning and peeing and peeing, lol) i jumped up like super fast. matt freaked out half asleep thinking someone was breaking in. this little baby was doing full on FLIPS inside of me. these were NOT her normal kicks. i have actually gotten used to those for now. this was seriously like flips, full summer-saults in my stomach. it was sooo crazy feeling. i just knew she was going to bust right out of my tummy!

every day i am reminded of how amazing god is while this little cutie grows inside of me. and each time she kicks me i fall more in love with her.

baby stats:

• she is now about 8.5 or 9 inches long
• she weighs around a whopping 1.5 lbs and will gain 6 ounces every week for the next few weeks
• she is the MOST active at night and the minute the lights go out and mom goes horizontal i SWEAR she thinks “PARTY TIME” & KICKS (literally) into high gear…a sign of things to come??? :/
• her heart beat is supposedly audible w/o a doppler now. daddy has tried to hear it, but no luck yet…we’ll keep one ear to the bump tho!

mommy stats:

well…see for yourself…23.5 weeks in these pictures below…just’a growing! we have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow!