Week 24 (& 23!)

Baby is the size of an Eggplant!

Your baby is about eight-and-a-half inches long (standard letter size!) and weighs one-and-a-half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of about six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from growing organs, bones, muscle and accumulating baby fat. Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde or a redhead? Actually, right now her locks are white since there's no pigment yet. The fat that will be piled on under baby's skin is also missing from the picture right now. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a

close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth) and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs or a wailing fire truck.

It happened. I missed a week of blogging. Most of you probably didn't notice so let's just brush right past like it never happened. And to think I left week 22 on a bit of a cliff hanger too!

I ended the last post by telling you that one of my favourite moments happened during week 23. During week 23, baby girl kicks started to get real! It was no longer indistinguishable flutters but more "Hey momma, I'm here!" wiggles. I loved it! I was endlessly trying to call Thor over to feel the kicks only to have baby go still the second he put his hand on my belly. The Saturday of week 23, we were running errands in his truck and I felt our lil girl starting to get her groove on. I put Thors hand on my belly and not long after, baby girl gave a huge kick right into his palm! The look on Thor's face was one of the sweetest moments ever. He didn't take his hand off my belly the rest of the drive (even though the truck is a manual), and was already proclaiming our child the strongest baby and best kicker that has ever been created. hehe. Since then, Thor has been pretty hands on with the bump and he tells any friends or acquaintances that we cross path with that they should "touch the baby!". I have had to tell his weight room buddies not to feel pressured, they don't actually need to rub my Buddha belly if they don't want to.

Things have been going smoothly the last couple of weeks. I did finish up my gardening projects in time for Thor's family to come into town and we had a great time playing with them! Cousin Hailie and Aunt Tiffanie both got to feel baby kicks! We were able to enjoy a hike on Tubbs Hill, boating on Hayden lake and paddle boarding on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Other than complaints that the water in North Idaho is colder than the waters in Florida, I think they all enjoyed their visit. 

Weight Gain: 15 lbs and counting.... growing everyday! 

Cravings: Sweets - chocolate and fruit baby! Loving corn on the cob this summer.

Sleep: Still sleeping well with occasional afternoon naps. Since Im a side-sleeper, the weight of my torso is now putting my arms to sleep in the night and waking me up in the middle of the night... but its a minor inconvenience. 

Exercise: Still teaching RIP and Zumba, still climbing Canfield, although I take the switch backs now instead of the straight up trail. Weights and cardio, but I have not felt like going on a run in awhile... 

Dads thoughts: Keeps saying things like, "I just want the baby to be here already!" 

Mums thoughts: This is going too fast! I really really need to get a crib and a carseat and diapers and......