24 Weeks: Viability!

Baby is now as long as an ear of corn!

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. Baby's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, his newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

How far along? 24 weeks 2 days

Pregnancy Symptoms: My bladder has definitely gotten somewhat of a break and i'm enjoying it while it lasts. Everything else seems about the same: blood pressure and blood sugar appear ok, ankles still swollen but not too bad, trying really hard not to pack on the pounds this month, bloody noses, out of breath when we go on our daily walks.

I Wish I'd Known...: How much unsolicited advice i'd be getting from strangers. I imagine it'll be even worse with parenting advice once Ryan is here.
Best moment this week: We finally reached viability!!! I know i'm sounding like a broken record but it's the highlight of my week. :P Jake thinks viability is a stupid word to use so he said he's going to rename it Survivability Date. Whatevs, we made it!
Worst moment this week: Freaking out momentarily when i had a sharp pain in my side that wouldn't go away while on our walk last night. It subsided after i got home and lay down and appears to be just a "side stitch"

Movement: Amanda finally felt Ryan kick! (She was VERY excited about that) I was a little confused when, for several days, I rarely felt the baby kick and when i did it was weak. Yesterday and today the movement has picked up a BUNCH, so i guess it's ok. Maybe he's just excited by viability too. Err..survivability?

Food cravings: Still sweets. I finally gave in and made some peach cobbler...it really hit the spot. I'm working really hard to not eat bad things though!

What I miss: Walking. I used to power walk like a champion and now i have to go so slow a grandma would seem like she's running. I'm still keeping it up, though.
What I am looking forward to: This weekend (for real this time) we plan to paint the nursery. Assuming i actually get it done i'll have pics next week! Grilling out on the BBQ for Memorial Day...anyone want to join us?

In Other News:
   My next checkup is Wednesday. Wish me luck on my gestational diabetes test! They haven't ever measured my tummy and i'm all done with ultrasounds....how do they know that Ryan is growing on schedule?
   I'm debating whether to do the 3D ultrasound in a few weeks. I don't feel an overwhelming need to do it, BUT it would be really nice to see Ryan again. It's elective and you get 3D pictures of baby's facial expressions and such. Thoughts?

   I'm finding it difficult to imagine my foot-long baby. I don't see how an ear of corn could possibly fit in my tummy. In fact, i was looking at the cat the other day wondering how long she was....so i broke out the ruler and measured her. From nose to butt (no tail included) she's 18 inches. A newborn is usually 18-22 inches. I'm really REALLY having issues trying to figure out how a baby the size of my cat is going to fit in my belly!! (If you own a cat look at it and think about it and tell me it wouldn't freak you out too)