Pike Place in the morning & 23 weeks

There are definite benefits to taking the bus to work - the above picture is just a portion of them. I don't take the bus anymore because my respiratory system and my back aren't what they used to be and the Seattle hills can be killers even when you're not pregnant. I took the above picture back in October on my walk from the bus stop to work. It was probably around 7am as I was making my way through Pike Place Market. There was a ferry on the Sound and the streets were quiet (which, if you've been to Pike Place Market in the afternoon you know that "quiet" is not typical). A coworker brought in a bag of Piroshkies this morning and offered one to me. He walks through the Market on the way to work every day and today he gave in to the smells wafting through the streets of freshly baked pastries. We talked for a bit about how peaceful and mood-lifting walking through the market on a weekday morning can be. Fresh fish being unloaded from delivery trucks, florists setting up their booths with loads of the most beautiful fresh flowers that will later be sold for the unbelievable price of $10/bouquet, the smell of freshly roasted coffee and newly baked pastries...really it doesn't get much better than that. To top it off, if you walk up the hill from the market just a bit or walk across the street to the park you get a beautiful view of the Sound and Mt. Rainier.

I didn't take my coworker up on his offer of a Piroshky because I already had my cinnamon toast bagel, but I do want to try one someday. His ham & cheese piroshky smelled really good and I got a whiff of the apple one as I passed by another coworker's desk.

Right now I'm drinking my tea and watching the rain fall as I try to get some work done. I've been feeling pretty run down lately and yesterday brought the onset of a sore throat, ear pain and a stopped up nose. I'm officially sick. I'm thankful for a cold rather than the flu - I'm still semi-functional.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant today! According to BabyCenter.com, Amelia is 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (to the right is an illustration of what a baby at 23 weeks looks like). With her newly developed sense of movement she can feel when I'm swaying to music or rocking in my seat. The rocking thing is fairly common for me now, especially at church. I start without realizing that I'm doing it and it usually ends when D makes fun of me by moving the song book back and forth or side to side (depending on which way I'm rocking). Amelia has been using my bladder as her personal punching bag which means I can't get away with long intervals between bathroom trips...she doesn't like being crowded, apparently. She also has found a spot inside of me to kick that feels somewhere between a tickle and a really unpleasant sensation. I love to feel her moving but when she kicks that spot I do everything I can to get her to stop!

It's off to get some work done on this Thursday morning. Have a great day!