Good news, guys. The ol’ belly button is keeping things together and hasn’t popped yet. I don’t have high hopes for it lasting much longer, but for now it’s staying in! Also, no linea negra yet, so I’m pretty happy about that.

In other news, my entire life had been taken over by registering for baby stuff. Let me tell you, registering is hard work. I probably spend a solid 2-3 hours every day going through lists of things you should have when baby arrives and making sure we have the essentials (and some more fun things) on our list.

We decided to use BabyList to register, and so far it has been incredibly easy to use. It is nice because can add anything from any website you want and it all shows up in one spot. I still tried to keep the number of stores down to 3-4 because I didn’t want to have to return duplicates and then get stuck with store credit to a bunch of random stores.

One of the hard parts for me is that I have no idea what some of the stuff is, so I end up having to Google a lot of it (I mean, besides moms, who knows what the heck a Bumbo is?). It’s also not the easiest thing to simply pick out a lot of the bigger items, like car seats. Do I want one that is part of a travel system to go with the stroller I picked out? Do I want one that will continue to fit the baby as he grows? Plus I have to do a lot of research before I pick one, read reviews, etc. Then when I finally figure out what I want I have to check to see if there are any safety recalls and then which store has it listed for the cheapest. And then I move onto the next thing. It is seriously taking me forever.

Are there any baby items you couldn’t live without that I should add to my list? Are there any things that are worth splurging on that you would recommend?

This week according to What to Expect:

Baby is getting (a little) plumper, but Mommy may notice something completely different when she glances at her own belly: the linea nigra.

Your Baby in Week 23 of Pregnancy

Your little doll-sized babe is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he’ll start to pack on the pounds (which means you will too!) and by month’s end he’ll be double the weight he is now (though you won’t be — whew!). Right now, your baby’s organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he’ll become less transparent.

Your Body in Week 23 of Pregnancy

If you’re suddenly sporting a dark line down the middle of your tummy, say hello to the linea nigra. That line has actually always been there, but you probably never noticed it until pregnancy hormones caused hyperpigmentation (the same phenomenon that may have darkened your areolas and the area around your forehead and cheeks). Other (less than delightful) skin changes on your body in the sixth month may include red palms and soles, bluish blotchy legs, heat rash, and skin tags. Oh, and don’t forget that itchy belly (keep slathering on those creams!).