24 weeks!!!

another week down!  feeling good, for the most part.  i had my mom in town last week, so it is always hard on me when she goes.  so i think i have been a bit more emotional lately.  i go through waves of energy and fatigue.  i made a master list of what i want to accomplish room by room before baby boy arrives.  i think i am being overly ambitious but it always helps me to write it out on paper and see what my goals are.  i am highly motivated to throw stuff out, disinfect, clean and organize, so if i can do a little each day i will feel more productive.  the warm weather makes me want to spring clean!

i have been going to the gym regularly and that always helps me mentally and physically.  so this week i am going to try to go a couple more times than normal.  i have been having some foot cramps, and i think exercise will help me with those as well.  my belly is getting bigger and some days i am super hungry and in a snacking mood and other days i really don't want to eat at all.  to put it kindly i have been having tummy troubles and i feel like baby boy is putting a lot of pressure on my lower abdomen, which is just plain uncomfortable.  as i like to say this pregnancy is full of new and different aches and pains from the first time around.  but of course worth it all!!!  i hate to complain because i feel so fortunate and happy, but some days it gets the better of me and all i can do is put my feet up and take a nap.

i definitely feel myself slowing down a bit when it comes to physical activity, mostly with bowie.  it is harder and harder for me to pick her up for long periods of time and especially putting her in a shopping cart where i have to lift her high to get her legs in is getting almost impossible for me.  toddler time and the little gym classes are also getting harder on me.  we will go as long as i can tolerate them.  spring and warm weather can't come soon enough so we can get outside and burn off some energy out of the house!

i've also gotten a few lovely varicose veins on my legs.  the doctor said they will get better after pregnancy, but most likely won't go away...awesome!  so far i haven't developed linea negra yet, i don't have stretch marks (didn't get them with bowie) and my belly button is getting flatter and flatter.  i had developed psoriasis after bowie was born and it has greatly improved since getting pregnant.  it had cleared up during my last pregnancy as well, but after my miscarriage it started to get worse again.  it is very strange to me that it clears up when i am pregnant.  i am sleeping very well at night and waking up early.  i am enjoying the quiet time to myself in the morning to drink my coffee, watch the news and blog.  this time around i am not finding my nails or hair to be any different.  my nails got hard and strong and my hair stopped shedding, i have neither of those awesome side effects this time around...or at least yet.  don't worry, i am taking my prenatals religiously! 

weight gain this week = 1.5 pounds
total weight gain = 1.5 pounds

baby milestones...

~baby's hair is beginning to change to the color it will be at birth
~weight will double in next 4 weeks
~lungs are developing and preparing for first breaths
~lungs are producing surfactant that help keep them from sticking together or collapsing during exhalation
~baby is over a foot tall
~taste buds are forming
~he gained a 1/4 lb last week in bones, muscle and fat
~weighs about 1.5 pounds
~about the size of an eggplant