23 Weeks

Due to all my recent nesting(which includes severely cleaning all closets in our house), I have somehow managed to pull a muscle in my back and cannot get any relief. I know Motrin would take care of the pain, but is on the list of "to avoid" drugs in the handbook that my OB provides. Tylenol isn't doing much, neither are any of the backrubs that all my boys keep giving me. ;)

On a happier note, I am one of four ladies at my church that are currently pregnant with baby girls. Three of us are within + or - a month of each other. I really wasn't expecting a shower with this baby. I don't have "tons" of friends so my list of invitees would be fairly small. However, one of my favorite ladies in the church asked me this Sunday if I would mind if she did a joint shower for Amanda and I. Of course not. Who would say no to a baby shower? Amanda is due a couple of weeks before me. This is her third as well and her first girl so we definately have no pink but are dying to get it. ;P

Gavin is getting excited(I think). He is still embarrassed of having a sister. However, he keeps telling me that he can't wait until she comes out. I am thinking he may change his mind several times about this in the coming months. Especially when she gets here and can't get down and play with him right away like Owen does.

Here are EmmaKate's 23 week stats:

Week Twenty-Three
Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since he hasn't begun to form body fat.
Bones located in the middle ear harden.
Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?)
The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .
The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.