24 Weeks

...or six months! Wow. I'm really getting up there! This past week, I've experienced a much-needed boost in my energy, which I've been waiting for since the beginning of trimester two. I hope it lasts a while, because I need to get things organized and clean before I balloon up!

Bean has been moving more and more with stronger kicks and more pronounced "swishy" movements. Jacob even got to feel Bean's little body wiggling around the other day. I think that's the coolest feeling - when you can apply just a bit of pressure and feel a head or back or butt or even a little arm. It's truly amazing and I love it!

This week marks Bean's viability - if Bean were to be born super ultra early, there's a chance that, with the proper medical such and such, he or she could survive. Obviously we would like for Bean to stay comfy until September, but it gives a little extra peace of mind knowing that if something were to happen, Bean would have a chance.

The nursery got painted on Saturday and it looks absolutely fabulous! I will try to figure out how to post some pictures on here so all the non-Facebookers can see the results. It's a lively avocado green shade, which actually makes it sound a lot uglier than it is. Basically, it's perfect and we love it. My friend at work has christened it The Bean Pod, which I think is adorable. Soon, we will get the furniture set up and have a real nursery! Just thinking about it gives me butterflies.

Also, we are planning on hopefully registering this weekend, which I am also excited about. I've already made my checklist, but I have been polling the moms I know about odd must-have items. If you have any suggestions for things that you would've never thought to buy/register for, but found to be a life-saver, let me know! I'm thinking things like delicates laundry bags to wash tiny socks in, etc.

How I'm Feeling

Well, great! With the added energy and the excitement of Bean's due date getting closer, I just spend most of my time with my mind going 1,000 miles a minute. Thoughts of, "I'm going to be a mommy!" and "Which monitor should we register for?" and "There's a baby INSIDE OF ME RIGHT NOW!" swim around in my noggin pretty much 24/7, with brief moments of, "What am I going to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack time/dessert?" thrown in.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

Cravings

• Crumpets (again)
• Carl's Jr. hash browns (still)
• Crepes with berries and fresh whipped cream (thanks to my hubby)
• Charlotte's chocolate chip bread pudding (HEAVEN)
• Charlotte's manicotti
• My mom's three cheese roll-ups