23 weeks - only 8 weeks til I go on maternity leave!

23 weeks today, and the baby is continuing his assault on my insides. Matt still hasn't felt the kicks from the outside yet, but it's only a matter of time!

It's only eight weeks now until I go on maternity leave (well, technically 13 weeks but we have a week's closure over Christmas and then I'm using 2 weeks leave to pad out my maternity leave). I'm being worked as hard as ever, but strangely enough my priorities and my line manager's are not always matching up, so I've used my remaining leave to book off most of the Fridays between now and my leaving date. Counting this week, I'm only working three complete weeks between now and Christmas *glee*

According to http://www.babycentre.co.uk/ :

Your baby now weighs a little more than 500g and measures about 29cm from crown to heel. His hearing is established and around now he may be able to make out a distorted version of your voice, the beating of your heart and your stomach rumblings.

When your baby is born, loud noises he has often heard in the uterus (womb), such as the barking of a dog or the roar of a vacuum cleaner, probably won't bother him.

Some people swear by the theory that unborn babies prefer classical music. So in the coming months you could put on relaxing Bach or Mozart for his enjoyment – and yours!

In addition to advances in your baby's hearing, his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. And as he gets bigger you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes!

As for you, you may feel clumsy now that your centre of gravity has shifted. Your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth and your belly button, once an "innie", may now stick out. It'll revert to its pre-baby state soon after you give birth.