23 Week Bumpdate (200th Post)

Dear Baby,
This week marks our 23 week! That means we only have 17 weeks left until you are able to join us. We are all getting excited to meet you. 
Two weeks ago you started having parties at 3am and they lasted about an hour. During this hour I wasn't able to sleep. Well you only did this for about a week and but since then I haven't been able to sleep past 3am. Every night (or early morning I guess) I wake up at 3am and can't sleep. I just toss and turn for at least an hour and then finally fall asleep. Even though I do get back to sleep I wake up exhausted. By 9:30am I'm so tired I can barley function. This is when I let Monkey pick a movie and I 'sleep' on the couch. I feel bad letting Monkey watch so many movies but I have to take care of myself and you so he just gets this time. It won't last forever. Luckily, Grandma and Popa took Monkey overnight on Saturday which aloud me to get some extra sleep without having to worry about waking up with Monkey. Of course he loved being over there and getting spoiled as I'm sure you will be to as soon as you are here. Monkey has always preferred Popa's house to our house but who wouldn't.
I think that I grew again but not outward. I think it was more upward. I feel like I look a little smaller than I have been. Also your movements haven't been as strong and I think that might be because you have more room to move around. I still feel you several times a day and I love it. I keep thinking that it will be any day now and your Daddy will be able to feel you but it just seems to be taking forever. I guess that is what happens in a normal pregnancy compared to being pregnant with Monkey. 
I'm finally completely OK with having another boy and not having a daughter. It was tough for a few days but each day since we found out it has gotten easier and easier and now I'm actually excited that Monkey will have a brother. I have been reading "Wild Things: the art of nurturing boys" by Stephen James and David Thomas and it is helping me see the great things that boys have to offer. I use to just be terrified to have boys because I didn't know anything about them or how to raise them. This book has shown me how great having boys can be and I'm excited to be experiencing the stories that I have read, not all of them though.
I still haven't been having many food cravings. Something are just random like Saturday night wanting DQ ice cream but really I would have probably been having that craving after watching the commercial several times without being pregnant. Ice cream commercials just work really well on me ;) Since I have been so tired lately I haven't been cooking much and we have been eating pretty badly lately so this week my goal is to cook dinner each night. That means I have to get to the grocery store tomorrow so we have food we can cook. I think all of us in this house need some more healthy foods. 
Well that's it for this week!
Love, Your Mommy

This is the closest picture I have of my belly due to everything that went on right after this post.