The Turkey Has Popped

23 weeks 5 days

How far along? 23rd week
Total weight gain/loss: There's those cookies! +2lb in the week after Christmas...+18lb total. But I sort of don't feel bad since Troy gained more :)
Stretch marks? Went to go shower, and noticed in the mirror a lot of red vertical lines on each side of my belly button out of no where. SH**! SH**! SH**! SH**! SH**! My life is ruined, Troy's going to be appalled, adios bikinis. [cue tears] I then realize after the shower, they miraculously disappeared as I was prepared to bathe in cocoa butter and make them disappear like they do on the commercials... turns out it was just wrinkle marks from my shirt after laying down before the shower. I think this doubles as Baby Brain Moment of the Week as well.
Sleep: I don't know what is going on in there, but sleeping 10 hours a night and sleeping in is the norm lately. My theory is Baby is rewarding me after the Reese's Christmas Trees in my stocking. And I just ate 2 more...I predict a 10am'er tomorrow. Thank you kiddo for returning me to the good ol' college days...except this time no classes or community showers. Woo hoo what a life!
Best moment this week: No hangover on New Years Day for the first time in 13 years.
Movement: Still kickin away. Thankfully they're all pretty low and Pele is no where near my ribs yet. The other day when I was pushing back during our playdate, it kept kicking my fingers back or rolling there and it was the coolest thing ever.
Gender: I am now clueless. My sister left my side and now thinks boy, so now I'm on the fence for Team Pink or Team Blue. In preparation, I have hammered down a boy name since I had the girl a long time ago. Now I just need to fill Troy in haha.
Labor Signs: The labor of heightened senses. I can hear EVERYTHING now. For some reason the car creaks more over bumps, the walls make noise here in the Paul Revere house, the way the shower head drips on the drain while you're in there, and the wind whipping outside is driving me NUTS! I hope these Edward Cullen-like superpowers go away since I have an inkling things are going to sound like a Walmart in here in a couple of months.

Food Cravings: I believe I had my first "get me to the nearest joint that sell this stuff" craving this week. After watching Man vs. Food take on a 5lb Philly Cheese Steak sub recently, my brain decided it wanted to give it a try, but right that second. And for some reason, extra onions. What I really wanted was an infamous western New York Viola's sub...Mom get to Fed Ex stat! Oh and chili has been big since Christmas. Go figure since I gag at the thought of steak since that traumatic experience in the first trimester.
What I miss: Wearing pants without feeling like they're squeezing your bladder like a vise. My new stretchy up-to-your-boobs maternity jeans are in the mail, and the mailman knows my name now from waiting.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting my new doc and practice this Friday. Hopefully she's not lame and will for some reason need to perform another ultrasound to see Peanut for herself. This is when I think about Tom Cruise buying Katie Holmes her own 3d ultrasound machine to use at home, but then I remember she bought into his cult as well. Ok, the doctor's office will do.
Weekly Wisdom: Husbands: do not plan out-of-town work trips 2 weeks before your wife's due date to encounter one of the scariest workouts of her life that may come a little earlier than expected, and she's hoping for early. This didn't go over too well.
Milestones: I believe we've "popped". Baby weighs a whole pound now!
Baby Brain Moment of the Week: Stretch marks incident takes the cake. Takes the cake...where does that statement even come from?!?

Weekly Belly Pic: I think my boobs popped too. Here come the big girl pictures from here on out.