Big-old belly

Holy cow, the baby is over a pound now! And I swear, I think that I have officially "Popped"! I mean, I actually LOOK pregnant now! I don't have strangers rubbing my belly in the middle of the grocery store yet, but still my belly is really starting to stick out! So fun!
Our little one is 23 weeks now (and the size of a large carrot), about 11.4 inches long and about 1.2 pounds! Lots of new things our happening to the little baby this week, the bones in its' middle ear are now totally formed and hard, which means that it now knows which way is up and has gained its' balance. It's skin pigment is forming (hopefully it's going to have Matthews nice tan-tinted skin) and proportionally it looks just like a new born... just skinny. It's pancreas is still continuing to form and the baby has started to produce insulin to break down all those sugars. Also the blood vessels in the lungs are almost all developed! What I have noticed with our little baby is that it LOVES live music! At both the women's retreat and at church yesterday as soon as the music would start it would begin to wiggle and 'dance' inside me. It does not do it was music on the radio though, so I think that it much be responding to the base. Maybe I just need to 'bump' my music more! :)
Yesterday my uterus started sort of hurting a little and kept getting really REALLY tight. At first I was really nervous, but I think what is going on is I am feeling Braxton Hicks contractions... but I have a baby doctors appointment on Wednesday so I'll ask to make sure. But just to be on the safe side I stopped mowing the lawn yesterday and am not going to the gym today. Shigh! I don't want this little one surprising me earlier then planed! :)