Week 24

Six months - feels like the due date is so close and at the same time so far away. But I feel as ready as can be. Hubs on the other hand... :) He'll be fine! Bubba is considered 'viable' - with a 36% survival rate.

This month's check went well. My BP is still 100/60, where it always is. I'm up 7 pounds. Feelin' great! Bubba's heart rate was 136. He's been movin' and dancin' all over the place in there. You can even watch and see him kicking!

I ordered his bedding, carseat, and stroller (thanks Mama and Daddy O!!) this week, and it should be arriving via UPS (aka the Brown Santa) today or tomorrow! We've also gotten some amazing bargains off CraigsList and his room is filling with treasures. I think I'm going to pause until the baby shower.

• When you're 24 weeks pregnant, your baby is about 8 inches long, close to the length of a banana, and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds.
• Which way is up? Your baby probably knows — now that his inner ear, which controls balance, has finished developing. He might realize whether he is upside down or right side up inside your amniotic sac.
• Your baby probably is continuing to become more active.
  • Your baby's movements show your doctor that your baby is in good health.
  • His movements right now are important for stimulating muscle growth, keeping joints flexible, and strengthening bones.
• Right now, your baby probably is gaining about 6 ounces each week.

Week 23

Got my first (and hopefully only) KILLER leg cramp last night. It was in my left soleus. Woke me up, I tried to stretch it and work it out. Had to wake up the Hubs. My calf is still sore this morning. What an ordeal. Guess I'll stop sleeping on my back, and may start eating a banana with dinner.

Other than that, everything's been great - Bubba moves around tons. I've gotten more used to it, where I almost tune it out - until he throws a big kick to make sure I'm paying attention. I like to play with him as he punches and kicks and I push back - Hubs thinks he's going to come out with flat spots. Babies are pliable, he'll be fine.

Gave myself a weigh-in (have my 6 month checkup early next week) to make sure I won't get shocked at the office. 8 pounds! After not finding weight for so long, I feel like I'm catching up. But I'm in the midst of the pound-a-week stage and still at the low end of normal weight gain. Bubba gains almost 1/2 pound a week.

• Your baby weighs slightly more than a pound now, and she's about the length of an ear of corn.
• Your baby's lungs develop rapidly this week as they prepare for birth.
  • Her lungs are producing a substance called surfactant that allows the lungs to inflate and deflate without collapsing or sticking together.
  • Blood vessels in your baby's lungs also are growing and developing in preparation for breathing.
• Your baby is making breathing-like movements for practice, moving amniotic fluid in and out of her lungs.
• Although your baby is getting all of the oxygen she needs from your placenta, this practice is important for developing her diaphragm muscles.
• By your 23rd week of pregnancy, your baby actually looks like a baby. She still has little body fat and still is trying to fill out her wrinkly skin.

Week 22

This past weekend was Blues N Brews - our Mother's Day tradition. Even without any imbibing, it was still a great time. And our buddy, Joe, from Big Sky Brewing (Moose Drool beer) gave me a comfy beer shirt that I should be able to wear all summer - it's a XXL. :)

Hubs surprised me with flowers for Almost Mother's Day! He's a keeper.

Dad also pointed out that my belly is the furthest protruding part of me - thankfully for the first time! I denied it, but after standing with my back to the wall, he was right - barely.

• When you’re 22 weeks pregnant, your baby is about 7 1/2 to 8 inches long head to rump, around the length of a head of cabbage, and weighs about 1 pound.
• Your baby's sense of touch and taste progress significantly this week.
  • Taste buds begin forming.
  • Your baby's brain and nerve endings mature enough to process the sensation of touch.
• Your baby's reproductive system continues to develop. In a boy, his testes begin to descend. In a girl, her ovaries and uterus now are in place and her vagina develops. She already has all of the eggs she'll need for her own reproductive life.
• When you're 22 weeks pregnant, the surface of your baby's brain, which has previously been smooth, begins to develop folds. This creation of hills and valleys in the brain will continue until the 34th week of pregnancy, when your baby's brain will have enough surface area for a full complement of brain cells.
• Your baby continues to hear sounds from the outside world. Although these sounds are muffled behind the amniotic fluid and the protective covering of vernix, your baby soon recognizes your voice.

Week 21

This week blew by (literally, we had a huge wind storm). I still don't feel that I've gotten any bigger, but since I've eased into elastic pants it's harder to tell. I meant to take measurements, but never got around to it so I don't have anything to compare to.

One of my new favs is watching my belly move as Bubba busts out his Dance Dance Baby moves. Hubs still thinks it feels weird when he feels Bubba's dance moves, but will still feel sometimes. I think more to please me...

• Your baby might be about 7 inches in length, roughly the length of a carrot, by 21 weeks pregnant. She weighs almost 11 ounces.
• Your baby's digestive system is put to work! By your 21st week of pregnancy, your baby has probably begun swallowing amniotic fluid and absorbing small amounts of sugar from it.
  • Sugars pass through her developed digestive system, giving these organs important practice.
  • These sugars only make up a tiny part of your baby's nourishment.
  • Most of her nutrition still is delivered through your placenta and the umbilical cord.
  • Your amniotic fluid changes day to day, based on what you've eaten. Since your baby is swallowing the fluid, she gets a "taste" of what you're eating!
• Your baby's bone marrow, rather than your baby’s liver and spleen, takes over its permanent job of making blood cells.
• By your 21st week of pregnancy, your baby's arms and legs are in proportion.
• As muscles strengthen and neurons connected to her brain continue to develop, hermovements become more coordinated.