May 9 - 23 weeks

With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel me dance! And she's now more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango). Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that our baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Michael's snoring — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. Lucky her!

My ankles and feet have started to swell some. Wearing heels has become rare, even though I swore to veteran moms that I was planning to wear heels all the way through! My balance is off and the effort it takes to wear them is just not worth it. I have invested in at least 6 pairs of flats since I've been pregnant! I imagine they're only going to get worse during the heat of summer. Sluggish circulation in my legs, coupled with changes in my blood chemistry that may cause some water retention, may result in swelling, also known as edema. My body will get rid of the extra fluid after I have the baby, which is why extra potty breaks and sweating are common for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, they suggest lying on my left side or with my feet propped up as much as possible. So that means less cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, etc...right?

The topical creams I have been using for the dry skin on my face and the itchy, red patches on my tummy (due to my skin stretching) seem to be working. I have cut back on the usage, as my doctor recommended, and am using it as sparingly as possible. I have noticed an increase in heartburn, but again hear that is very common among pregnant women. After talking to another pregnant friend about our symptoms, I realized my headaches have not been as frequent. Perhaps that is due to the extra iron I have been taking every other day. Either way, I am happy that they have ceased, even if only for the time being - they are brutal! I have also noticed another increase in fatigue. It could very well be that I'm coming to the end of my second trimester and those wonderful symptoms I experienced in my first trimester could return. I have definitely had trouble getting out of bed in the morning, so I'm trying to get to bed early. And I have been trying to relax more during my free time, rather constantly being on the go and running errands. It's hard...

Overall, mommy, daddy and little miss are doing very well! :)