24 Weeks - Our Little Ear of Corn

Last Sunday we started on Week 24. And supposedly, Baby Girl is about as long as an ear of corn! As I glance up at the calendar I am realizing how quickly time is flying. It seems like just yesterday that we were making the grand announcement about having a baby and the weeks have just been passing by! It some ways it seems to be going so slowly - especially when I see cute babies or little kids. I can't wait to hold my little one! But on the other hand, seeing that it's already April makes me realize how quickly time passes. Time is a funny concept, isn't it? We are such creatures of time. What will heaven be like when the only time is eternity? Too much for our simple, human minds to comprehend.

I am thankful for for the uneventful pregnancy I am having. Of course, the occasional kicks coming from within me are a wonderful reminder that there is LIFE in there. Other than the kicks, things are going well. At the last ultrasound visit the technician said that I should keep doing what I have been doing because it's working so I'm sticking to the lifestyle I've had thus far. I never pass up on the opportunity of being a little unhealthy and having a donut at church but other than that, I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job at eating healthily. The one area that I could definitely work on is getting a little more exercise. I did get out for a walk this morning with a friend and it felt so good to be out. I need to grab my iPOD and get back into walking every day!


I had wanted to think of some April Fools joke I could play on all of you but as Michael and I thought about the options they all seemed...well...just plain old silly. So for now, consider yourselves warned. Michael did fool me this morning. Right when I woke up he looked me and asked me what was wrong with my face - he said it looked weird. I panicked, thinking I had a huge blemish or that my face was paralyzed or something. He then slyly smiled and said "April Fools!" He got me.

The baby clothes and toys have started making their appearances at our home. We are now set to go with a bassinet, pack and play, and other baby "necessities". We definitely have to start thinking of rearranging a little and making room for all of Baby Girl's things! The re-arranger and lover of change within me is quite excited at the prospect of getting to decorate Baby Girl's room. It will still be used as a guest room when guests come down so we are toying with different possibilities.
The other little project I'm working on is making Baby Girl's baby book. Since she's a girl (or so we've been told!!), I'm sure she'll appreciate any work I put into it. I had thought about purchasing a baby book but decided it would be more special to make my own. Are there any things that you think I should include that I might overlook? I am just starting to put some ideas together so I could use your creative input! What fun things have been in baby books you have seen that I could incorporate into Baby Girl's? By the way, we've made the switch from Sea Monkey to Baby Girl - it's what seems to be sticking. But she'll always be a little Sea Monkey to us - it's just too cute of a name to pass up!

As I've mentioned before, each week I receive an email that updates us on what's going on inside the belly. At Week 24 this is a short summary of what they have so say:

"Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body's filling out proportionally. Your baby's brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. Your baby can hear more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner."

When we had our last prenatal visit, the midwife mentioned that what Baby Girl actually eats is flavored amniotic fluid. It gets flavored with whatever I eat! She's been exposed to quite the gamut of flavors! Our next prenatal visit is this coming Thursday. As always, I am excited to learn new things about what is happening in the wonderful little world of my belly.

Baby Girl, we still anxiously look forward to your arrival! You are being prayed for daily and talked to. So far, Michael has given her one rule - kick mommy. As long as she kicks me, she's being an obedient girl. If her kicking is any indication of how obedient she is going to be, I say we're going to have an easy time at parenting! I am thankful for God and the Bible and all the wisdom we can receive on parenting. It certainly seems like a big task what we've got ahead but I know that with God and wonderful people like you, Baby Girl will turn out to be a wonderful lady of God. That's our prayer!