24 weeks

How Far Along: 24 weeks, 2 days

Size of the Baby: Corn! 12.5 inches long, 1.25 lbs
Weight gain/loss: I'm up 6 lbs from pre-pregnancy. I'm surprised how much I'm struggling with this. Going to the dr last week and seeing those numbers on the scale was hard. I've gained four pounds since my last appointment, or a pound a week, which I know is supposed to happen, but it's still hard to do. If I continue gaining a pound a week, I'll gain 22 during this pregnancy, which I'd be fine with. So it's all about exercise and moderation in eating!
Sleep: Pretty well, actually. Not too many crazy dreams, not feeling too tired, it's been pretty nice. Oh, I guess I had a little insomnia Saturday night, but I think it was more just having stuff on my mind than pregnancy insomnia. I hope, anyway.
Best Moment of the Week: Hearing baby's heartbeat! I always love that. It was a strong 148 and my kicky little baby kicked the Doppler three times while the nurse was trying to count the beats. She said to the baby "Oh, you're just showing off!"

Movement: All. The. Time. This kid never stops moving. I can feel her/him constantly. Wakes me up often, too. It seems LO's favorite times to move are late at night (midnight to 1) and early morning (5-7 am). A couple more young women got to feel some movement this week AND (this was so cool!) I actually saw my stomach move with a kick for the first time!
Symptoms: Knock on wood, the heartburn has improved! I haven't taken any zantac in three days (which is huge for me). Nausea has gone down, too, which is nice. And I've had enough energy to go to the gym three times this week! I think this is the best I've felt so far. I did get super swollen this weekend, but I think it's because I had to stand in line for 2 hours for early voting! Too much for a pregnant lady.
Food Cravings: milk, salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks (those things are awesome!), bagel and cream cheese, oatmeal cookie, pineapple
Gender: this weekend Aaron texted me to ask "How sure are you that it's a girl?" I didn't get to respond in time to keep Karina from buying girl clothes (what am I going to do with you guys?!) but what I would have said was "50/50!" We may feel pretty strongly it's a girl, but we could be wrong :)
Belly Button in or out: in, but oooooooh, is it stretching. Hans thinks it's hilarious.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! I'm doing good this week. It's nice.
Labor Signs: I thought maybe I was feeling some Braxton Hicks last week, but after talking to my doctor she thinks they're just REALLY hard kicks. So i'm still good
Wedding ring on or off: Still on
What I miss: haha, my calves. I really wanted to get some cute riding boots for winter, but swollen legs means its hard to fit in boots. I also really miss some aspects of shopping - this weekend I needed a white top/dress for a YW event and I couldn't find ANY maternity clothes in white. It was frustrating. I ended up getting regular clothes a size up, but they don't work really well. Also, as it gets colder I know I'm going to need some maternity outerwear, it's just difficult to find. Frustrating!
What I am looking forward to: Not pregnancy related, but holidays. I just love this time of year - the food, the parties, the decorations, the shopping, the music - it's wonderful and I absolutely love it. I've been working on putting up decorations in the house and collecting more Christmas decorations and it's so fun. I know that in a couple weeks it'll be Thanksgiving and that'll start my third trimester and then with Christmas and New Year's, time will just fly by and then baby will be here. I can't wait to meet him/her.
Nursery: No progress. Oops! We really need to get going on that. I've been meaning to order a crib forever...
Emotions: A mix. Some days very content. Some days a little lethargic. Some days a little overwhelmed... there's so many things to do in the next three months! It scares me sometimes. I try not to think about it too much.
Stupid things I have done: Ate a bagel right before my last appointment. It made my sugar levels high again :( I'm working on some diet changes now as I prepare for that orange glucose thing I have to drink before my next appointment.