24 Weeks - V-Day!

I'm so excited to share another milestone!  Today is V-Day!  For those of you who might not be familiar with it, V-Day stands for Viability Day, because at 24 weeks pregnant the baby's chance of survival dramatically jumps if he or she were delivered early.  Of course, I am still praying that this baby stays put for the next 16 weeks but it is still wonderful to know that if for some reason I had to deliver early there is a good chance my baby would survive.

How far along?: 24 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of a canteloupe!  Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Any appointments or updates this week?:  I had another appointment yesterday, just a standard pee-in-a-cup, get your blood pressure checked and check baby's heart rate check up.  I'm thankful that the doctor reviewed my anatomy scan results and couldn't find anything wrong.  I talked to him about my leg numbness and he said it just comes with the territory but his medical student suggested doing some stretches, so I am going to give those a try.  They also said not to sit for too long, because the numbness is coming from the nerves getting compressed. 

Body changes?:  Still getting a little bigger!  I've gained a little bit of weight but I think I'm wearing it pretty well :) 

Maternity clothes?:  Yep!  All day, every day!  I got some great deals over the weekend at Babies-R-Us, 2 shirts for $5 each and two pajama sets for $7.50 each!  (The pj's are nursing pj's.)

Best moment last week?: Getting to actually SEE the baby kicking me from the outside.  It was so surreal!  She hasn't done it much lately though.  

Food cravings?: Last Friday I had the biggest craving for a calzone!  So add that to the list.  Otherwise still just sweets. 

Symptoms?:  Pretty much just all of the usual. 

Exercise?: Art and I went for a walk last night and I went for another short walk today after work.  I'm going to try to walk every day so that I can be in shape for labor and delivery.  I used to think that walking was boring and not intense enough but now I know I just need to be doing something, anything.  I want to start swimming soon now that it's warming up too. 

What I miss?:  Not a thing!  

What I'm looking forward to?:  Decorating the nursery, get the furniture and finishing our baby registry.  

What our little girl looks like this week: