Week 24

I am now in week 24 and, according to some sources, the third trimester.  Though I'm pretty sure it starts closer to week 26 or 27.  Week 23 was a huge turning point though.  I could feel a physical difference in my size from the beginning of the week to the end, and by the end of that week I started to feel uncomfortable due to that increased size.  I can no longer bend over at the waist comfortably, I have horrible heartburn just about every night, I have an insatiable appetite and a paradoxically tiny capacity for food in my stomach, I'm feeling movement all the time and it gets stronger every single day.  Last week many strangers made comments about my pregnancy which tells me that I am very obviously showing now.  I'm a little self-concious about it. When I get into a crowded elevator, or have to squeeze between rows in a theater I am painfully aware of my size and feel like I'm taking up more than my share of space.  


Last Saturday morning (the last day of week 22) Daniel felt Elijah move for the first time.  It was such a special moment.  We were laying in bed in the morning, and Daniel was trying to feel his kicks.  Normally I can feel them the strongest up at the top of my belly right under my ribcage, so I was waiting for that to happen so Daniel could feel.  But that morning Elijah was kicking under my belly.  Daniel put his hands there and he said he felt it!  I asked him "you felt that?" because they were just little kicks.  And he said yes, and I told him that was Elijah and Daniel screamed!  He looked at my belly and yelled right at it "I LOVE YOU BABY!"  It was so cute.  It felt like it was this little moment between Elijah and Daniel that I was just a bystander for a moment.  Ever since he has been able to feel Elijah every day.


Since I've been getting bigger (and more uncomfortable), last week was the perfect week for us to take our "babymoon" and annual Rosen family vacation.  We flew to Miami where we met many of Daniel's extended family.  We stayed at his Aunt Barbara's house for 2 nights, and then boarded a cruise ship for the Bahamas for the next 4 nights.  Barbara was a fantastic hostess.  She gave us her bedroom (very thoughtfully because it has an en suite bathroom) and there were many welcome gifts waiting for us when we arrived.  We spent the first full day on South Beach which was fantastic.  I got to wear my new maternity bathing suit which felt entirely too modest compared to the other people at the beach.  Wading into the water up to my chest felt fantastic after months of lower back pain.  The waves gave me this buoyancy that for a few minutes allowed me to forget about the weight on my front pulling me down.  It was very hot and humid, but a lot of sunscreen was all I needed to enjoy the day.  It was great to spend time together as one big family.  The cruise was very relaxing and exactly what I was hoping for.  Daniel and I got plenty of alone time together while also getting to spend plenty of time with his family (who we haven't seen in 6 months).  I got to eat as much delicious food as I wanted and I took full advantage of that!  I ate 3 huge meals a day and I don't remember being hungry once.  Maybe that's why I noticed such a big difference between the beginning of the week and the end.  Well it doesn't matter because I'm behind on my expected weight gain anyways.  The only really miserable part of the trip was the flight.  I got very claustrophobic and actually lost feeling in my fingers on both flights.  Daniel was amazing on the whole trip.  He was always there to help and anticipated my needs.  Actually, everyone in the family was like that.  I got to sit in the front seat of the car, didn't have to carry heavy bags, and always got the first available seat.  I think my favorite part of the whole trip was our day on Norwegian Cruise Line's private island.  There were tons of beach chairs lined up, which is much more comfortable for me than sitting on the sand.  I got to lounge on the beach in front of the crystal clear turquoise water for the whole afternoon while Daniel laid next to me.  We went in the water to cool off a little bit, but mostly I relaxed in the sun.  It was perfect.

Now I'm back to reality.  The pregnancy is moving along so quickly, I feel like Elijah will be here very soon!  And we have an exciting summer planned.  Next up is a Memorial Day weekend camping trip, then Daniel's graduation, then a trip to Phoenix for a baby shower, then my parents coming out here to Estes Park, and then it'll be 4 more weeks until the due date.  I love summer in Colorado!  Every day feels like vacation.