Beautiful Days

Yesterday marks 23 weeks. We can't believe our little man will be here in four short months! He is still extremely active, weighs over one pound and measures at more than 11 inches long. I'm also staying active (trying my best, at least) in case I can't be so active toward the end - August could be a long, hot month. I've even begun having Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions are sporadic uterine contractions and are not alarming, my belly gets as solid as a rock for a few minutes and then they go away. It can be annoying though - they most frequently occur while i'm walking or exercising. The experts also call them "practice contractions", because they 'prepare' you for the real thing. Ha, I'm no fool.

This is about what our little nugget looks like in my belly.



I just found out that I passed all of my board exams - very exciting. Now, I have three more licensing exams and i'll be set to practice. I just started my first job as a dental hygienist in a public health program for schools in Vermont and New Hampshire. Though it is only 4 days (in total, not per week), it should be a great experience. I don't have much of a plan in terms of finding a full-time job before baby is here, but I will certainly perfect my resume this summer and i've been doing some babysitting for some pretty adorable kiddos. It's been so nice to be able to breathe and finally have some free time - last night, when Pat got home from work, we took Tonka for a long walk then had dinner on the patio at a cafe we've been wanting to try for years..it was so nice and relaxing. Loving finally being able to enjoy each other's company without me having to think about and/or run off to study for several hours every night. We're also working on spring cleaning - a purge of all unwanted things - we have never gone to this extreme before and it feels sooo good.

In other news, we (as in Pat and Dean) have begun demolition of baby's nursery - I'll post some before and after pics later. My dad and Alison are coming for a visit this week and we're hoping to have the nursery finished by the time they leave (at least four walls, windows and a floor;) Below are some belly shots of the last few weeks. Getting plump-er by the day.

                                                                                      20 weeks                                                           21 weeks

                                 

23 weeks