23 Weeks!

Well as of today I'm 23 weeks pg! I'm hoping soon that her movements will be strong enough to be felt from outside my belly so that Paul can feel her move. If you remember how far along you were when this happened for your dh, feel free to share. :-) Some days I hardly feel her move at all, and other days I feel her many, many times throughout the day. Yesterday was one of those really active days. I should also add that she's starting to move earlier in the day which is a relief to me as I'm not really wanting her to be a night owl, LOL!

My university has traditionally been closed on Good Friday/Easter Monday for what they termed "Spring Weekend" so as to be politically correct. This is the first year we have classes both days because of a move towards a common calendar within all the schools in the state system. Students are allowed to be excused for a variety of "major religious holidays," and Good Friday is on that list of holidays. Well I think I should have just cancelled my classes today as I am guessing I will have less than 50% attendance. We shall see, but I have received a flood of emails from students (just got 20 more emails since I went to bed last night) stating they won't be in class today for religious reasons. Now call me cynical, but I am doubting ALL these students are actually going to church today. If they are sick they have to show a doctor's note in order for the absence to be excused. Maybe they should have to show documentation that they were at church? I'd love to think this many of my students are attending a Good Friday service, but I just don't believe it. I think they see it as an easy way to have a long weekend that won't hurt their course grade. If this happens across the campus, maybe the university will find a way to make this a day off next year.

This afternoon we are driving to MD. First we are headed to Annapolis to have dinner with a former roommate of mine at Cafe Normandie and then we're headed to my parent's house. I can't wait to see all my family (minus one bil) again! When we were all together at Christmas we thought it would be 18-24 months until that happened again; so this is a very pleasant surprise! I have packed pink, purple, green, and orange nail polish so I can paint my nieces' fingernails and toenails (the orange and green are just for them - they aren't colors I personally ever wear!). We won't see Wendy & her 2 kids again until October. I am sure we'll spend time with Yvonne's family at least once more before they go back to Turkey (in early June), but once they leave it will be probably be about a year until we see them again. Wendy is in town not because of my mom's bday or Easter but rather she has a concert tomorrow night. Yvonne and her family are still in the US due to Josh's surgery and follow-up care. We'll be with my family until Sunday afternoon when we'll need to drive back home as we both have school on Monday. Tuesday I'll be flying to Atlanta for a conference as I'm speaking twice on Wednesday.

Back when I had the 20w u/s a student in one of my classes had made two signs (boy/girl) and when I said baby is a girl she handed me the "It's a girl" sign and said I should put it on my office door. I did, but I was a little concerned someone might think I already had the baby as usually that's when a sign like that is posted. Then I thought if anyone has seen me they will know I wasn't looking 9 months pg yet. Some still say I don't look pg at all for Pete's sake (which I find absurd as my belly has never been anywhere near this big before). Well it turns out the sign did confuse at least one person. On Monday a professor saw me in the hallway (whose office is next to mine) and said something like she didn't expect to see me up and about already and Congratulations! I was on my way to class so I didn't have time to clarify that I haven't already had the baby yet (thank goodness as usually viability isn't til 24 weeks and I don't want her coming that early anyhow as I'd rather avoid months in the NICU!). I did however move the sign to somewhere inside my office so hopefully no one else will be confused, LOL.

Well I wish all of you a very Happy Easter!