6 months! Holy Cow!

I can’t believe I’m 6 months pregnant! 24 weeks translates into 6 months, right? I keep asking Michael that… it just doesn’t seem possible and I certainly don’t feel like I look 6 months pregnant like I thought I would. Bigger? Yes. Huge? Not yet. Although, a friend of ours saw me at the squadron Christmas party on Saturday for the first time in several months and the first thing he said was, "OH MY GOD! You’re huge!" This coming from a guy that they call The Hulk and also made an appearance on American Gladiators did not exactly make me feel tiny (kidding ;) it was all in good fun)… considering he is the one that is huge. I told his girlfriend that she has some ‘training’ to do.

Anyway…. Thanks to my wonderful Grandma and parents we now have our jogging stroller and crib all ready to go! The crib came in this week and Michael assembled it yesterday – it’s adorable and I love how the room is really starting to look more like a baby girl’s room! It took the two of us to figure out how to assemble the crib mobile though J The rocker should be in this week and then we’ll be able to arrange the furniture better. I can’t wait to add little touches… like wall shelves, letters of her name, pictures, and maybe even some fun vinyl wall decals ordered off of Etsy. My only dilemma so far has been the closet. Our house is relatively small with very little storage space. Baby’s room previously served as our guest room/my craft room. Well, I decided to keep half of the closet dedicated to my craft things since I plan to use them even once she is born rather than haul it all to storage and save the other half for all things baby girl. Now I’m worried that half of a closet isn’t enough room for her things. Thoughts?

Here’s the 24 week update!Drink up! Around 24 weeks, your doctor will order a Glucose Tolerance Test -- one of the more memorable prenatal tests -- to see if you’re at risk for gestational diabetes. Basically, the test is designed to see how your body processes sugar, so you’ll be asked to drink a cup of a sweet drink called Glucola (which reminded us of Gatorade) and then hang out for an hour. Once the hour is up, you’ll have your blood drawn and then it will be tested to see how your body has processed the sugar. You know what’s also sweet? Those movements and kicks you’ve been feeling. They seem to get stronger every week. At week 24, baby’s progress isn’t just about internal stuff, it’s about her looks too. With pinker, more opaque skin, she’s looking more and more, well, like a baby. You, on the other hand, are probably experiencing some of the discomforts of the later months of pregnancy at week 24 -- leg cramps, backaches, swollen feet. Hang in there, mama-to-be!
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Baby’s the size of a papaya!
Your 10.5-to-11.8-inch fetus weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces and every week she gets closer and closer to being ready to survive (and thrive!) in the outside world.


Baby at 24 weeks

• Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque.
• And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

Pregnancy symptoms at 24 weeks

• Swollen ankles and feet. Be sure to elevate them while you're sitting. Not yet, thank goodness!
• Leg cramps, which can be sign of dehydration. Yes.... terrible ones!
• Back aches -- Yup, still!
• Linea nigra. That's the dark line that runs up the center of your belly. It will fade after baby's born. Nope.
• Stretch marks, which may continue to appear as your skin stretches even more. Fortunately, no.

Maternity Clothes: Almost all maternity… jeans especially although I still wear a BellaBand so I can wear a pair or two of my favorite non-maternity jeans. I can still fit into regular tops, but if I’m feeling extra self-conscious I’ll throw on a maternity shirt. My grandma also sent me some super cute maternity dresses! I wore one to our Christmas party and got lots of compliments on it.

Movement: LOTS! She rolls over, kicks, punches…. We even saw her move from the outside, which was pretty neat. She’s most active in the late afternoon/evening… I can’t get enough of feeling her wiggle around!

Food cravings: Extra sharp cheddar cheese (w/ pickles...), Regular Coke (NOT giving into this one, so Coke Zero will have to do)

Symptoms: Sore feet and aching back!

Exercise: Gradually decreasing the intensity. I still exercise 5 days/week. I usually do 3 days of circuit training (i.e. 20 minutes of total cardio time plus lower/upper body strength moves) and then 2 days of 30-45 minutes of cardio. I haven’t been running much because it hurts in my groin! So it’s either the elliptical or fast-paced, incline walking, which does my heart rate just fine.