24 Weeks

I am absolutely in LOVE with my little girl already. The past two weeks I have been figuring out Vivi's schedule. She LOVES to sleep during the day. She is very active in the early morning and late at night. Her kicks keep getting stronger and stronger...Michael and I will just watch her move all around in the early mornings when we first get up. We can't see her body outline yet, but we definitely can see her little punches. It's so cool. I probably annoy her because I will poke her back haha. It's like a little game we play. I now sing to her when I ride in my car and other times I will turn down my radio and just talk to her...telling her "Mommy loves you sweet girl". I want her to know her Mommy's voice...even if it's a bad effort trying to sing The Beatles. For some reason I've been listening to a lot of oldies lately. I figure Oldies are more soothing than most of the junk on the radio today. But...she does love the vibration when Daddy turns on country haha. I can tell Michael is getting more and more excited, which makes ME even MORE excited. We honestly are ready for her to be here, but I know we've got a while :)

Things I've Been Experiencing This Week:

• I've been eating a lot of apple sauce...I don't think I'd consider this a craving...I just really like it right now haha
• I have more people coming up to me rubbing my belly
• Energy is amazing
• Starting to get the nursery together and will order the furniture soon!

Facts About Baby at Week 24:

• At week 24, baby’s progress isn’t just about internal stuff, it’s about her looks too. With pinker, more opaque skin, she’s looking more and more, well, like a baby. You might be experiencing some of the discomforts of the later months of pregnancy like leg cramps, backaches and swollen feet.
• Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces at week 24 of your pregnancy. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
• Her body begins to fill out with her appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
• Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing her distaste.
• Little creases have appeared on her palms. The muscular coordination of her hands has improved as she sucks her thumb.
• Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
• At 24 weeks pregnant, her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
• This week your baby is officially considered viable.
• After 24 weeks of pregnancy, your baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

22 Weeks

Weeks 18-22 have definitely been SO amazing...I have so much energy compared to my first few months of pregnancy! :) Vivian has definitely been moving more...no longer do I feel butterflies...she is definitely a kicker now. Sometimes at work (while I'm on the phone with a client), she will kick me hard and I have to remind myself not to gasp. It really does catch me off guard sometimes. She is definitely more of a night owl though. She moves way more at night compared to the daytime.

Shopping for maternity clothes has been fun too...I can actually fit into cute maternity tops and not look like i'm just chubby haha. Target is my best friend right now..they have some CUTE stuff ;) Michael and I will start our pregnancy classes in May (4 weeks long) and then also on May 19th, we get to have a 3D/4D ultrasound! This ultrasound will be so neat...we can see who Vivian looks like...me or Michael (or both!) I hear it's pretty amazing to watch the baby move around and capture it on DVD.

Things I've Been Experiencing This Month:

• NO MORE NAUSEA. AMEN. :)
• I do sometimes get dizzy when I wake up in the morning or if I haven't had something to drink or eat in a while......but once I drink water and eat something, I'm usually fine
• Vivian's kicks are getting stronger
• No cravings...yet
• My OB increased my thyroid medicine AGAIN. But I love it because I have more energy.

Facts About Baby at Week 22:

• Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.