23 Weeks. This Is Starting To Sink In.

An update of sorts, because I've been semi-absent of late. Life has just been extremely busy and I'm so tired by the end of the day, I can barely think, let alone sit down to write a coherent post! I'm such a bad blogger. Shame on me!

My parents arrive this evening at about 7 p.m. to spend a week with us. Hubby and I are REALLY looking forward to their visit; it's been awhile since my folks have visited at the same time. Anyway, in preparation for their arrival, we've been working like dogs to get the house "up to snuff" in some sort of decent order. We've done everything from pressure-wash the front of the house, to clean the minivan, to washing walls and curtains. I tell you, my house has never been so clean! Now if I can just maintain it til August and Petit's arrival. Cause honestly, I don't wanna have to clean all that again when I'm in my last month! Eeek!

As of next week, all four of us are going to pile in the van and head down to see my sister and her husband in West Virginia. Along the way, we intend to stop in Watertown and Waterloo (upstate NY) to do some shopping. I confess, I'm hoping to pick up a few more pieces of clothing, but more to the point, I have a few items in particular I'm looking for in order to prepare for Petit's arrival. Things like a safety gate with a cutout for my cats to pass through to get to their litterbox. Or a particular diaper bag that has caught my eye and isn't available up here. Stuff like that.

We're going to celebrate my brother-in-law's graduation while we're in West Virginia. He is just finished his Bachelor of Nursing and if I'm not mistaken, just accepted a position with a Trauma unit at the hospital in the city near them. We're so thrilled for him! Additionally, he and my sister just bought a new house and moved in on Saturday past. So the four of us will be their first houseguests. I hope they're ready! As well, we get to celebrate Mother's Day with our own mom and my BIL's mom. That'll be nice. I know how that particular day is reviled by infertiles but it's never been extremely hard for me. I think that's because I focus on my own mom and how wonderful she is and what an influence she's been in our lives.

My sis hopes to have a little gathering (aka "baby shower") for me as well. Nothing huge, just with the family on Mother's Day as well. It's not needed of course but I did miss her terribly while I was at home a few weeks ago and when Mom held a shower for me there. No, more to the point, I'm REALLY looking forward to shopping with my mom and my sister for Petit. That'll be amazing. It's my one and only chance to do that too because the next time I see my sister, Petit will (hopefully!) made his or her début.

After our time in West Virginia, we say goodbye to my sis, my BIL and his family, and my own parents and hubby and I head east for Virginia. We'll be just south of DC, in Woodbridge, visiting my best friend and his family. We'll stick there for a few days and indulge in some fun with them before hubby and I head for home on the Victoria Day weekend. So it's going to be a busy few weeks.

I have another ultrasound and doctor's appointment on Friday, May 1. This time, I extended to Mom the invitation to go with me so she can see Petit up close and in person. I hope she chooses to come. Ultrasounds are something she's never had the pleasure of experiencing while pregnant and it would be amazing to let her see the baby and hear the heartbeat live, so to speak. I think she'd enjoy it. Besides, I would like someone to come with me to the appointment and hubby can't make it this time around.

You see, hubby is finishing up his current contract and his last day of work will be Tuesday, May 5. He's continuing to look for other employement, but there isn't much out there. I expect that he'll resort to collecting Employment Insurance for awhile but with luck, something will come up soon. In the meantime, he passed the RPAT (RCMP Police Aptitude Test) and is now in the process of filling out the recruitment forms. Between the polygraph stuff, the physical tests, the vision tests, and the security clearance documents, he's got paperwork up the wazoo! He's excited beyond belief and I'm thrilled for him! Hopefully he can clear the next set of hurdles. I've got my fingers crossed for you honey!

I'm sitting at 23 weeks today. Tomorrow is our last prenatal class. My tummy continues to expand but at my last appointment, I'd only gained a total of 4 pounds. So I'm really pleased. Of course, given that I had a lot of weight to work with to begin, I'm likely right on track. Next week I go for the fasting glucose testing to check sugar levels. I guess gorging myself on gummy bears isn't the way to go then huh? Damn. And here I've been balancing out the gummy bears and Wen.dy's Frosties with the salt and vinegar chips!
Kidding! Kidding!
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Mostly. :)

Our very own Stirrup Queen's book is on the bookshelves. I hope to pick up a copy in my travels south of the 49th parallel. If you haven't already, go check it out. Navigating in the Land of IF is a must-have for those of us in this boat. Pick up your copy in a local store or online today! And congrats Mel on the publication. Job well done! *claps and cheers*