Week 24: February 20-26

Baby is almost a foot long and weighs about a pound and a half. His body continues to plump up although his skin is still loose and wrinkly, like an old man. 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. As the baby continues to grow, there is far less room and he is unable to do somersaults anymore, just kicking and punching from now on.

Monday, February 21, 2011 ~ I really don't want the second trimester to end. I still have a few weeks left in the second trimester but I feel like I have less energy already. I'm hoping it is a growth spurt and will only be short-term. My body still feels pretty comfortable although being on my feet has gotten much more difficult. Thank goodness Doug gave me a cable so that I can teach from my document camera. I'm using it every other class period and teaching at the board in between. I really don't like teaching sitting down but it's becoming a necessity. I think that yoga and my long walks will help keep me comfortable longer.

I'm hoping to get the results of my gestational diabetes test in the next day or two. I don't feel any different and the glucose drink I had to drink for the test didn't make me feel unusual so I'll be surprised if I didn't pass.

The baby is settling into routines, kicking quite a bit on my way to work, in the evening before dinner, and around 9:30 pm before I go to bed. So far he has been very cooperative in not waking me up with kicks very often. Sometimes I am surprised at how much he can make my belly move with a good kick. I still find it so fun to watch!

Who would have known that I'd be getting weekly nosebleeds? I got the first nosebleed of my life (that I can remember) sometime during the first trimester and later read that it's normal during pregnancy. I think I've had about five total but three in the last three weeks. Nothing major, just a couple drops and then it stops.

I'm getting anxious to meet the little one. I can't believe we still have about four months! I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the things that we can do now while it's still just the two of us but I'm so excited to have this little person join our lives!!!