24 weeks

1st picture: Miles' profile

2nd picture: He's in the middle of a yawn! It's very cool on the video.

We have made it to the sixth month. It's a very fun place to be. I am quite obviously pregnant, and I'm enjoying having people ask when I'm due. Miles has been a very busy boy these past few weeks, with more and more movement each day. What I thought were kicks are actually punches! So his little arms are now as strong as his legs were a few weeks ago. And his legs? Those are sitting somewhere pretty close to my bladder. I know because every once in awhile I'll feel a kick and simultaneously a panicky feeling of, "Oh no. I'm so about to pee all over myself." Granted, I don't because I don't actually have to, but it sure fools me for a second! :) His little body has finally turned, and his head is up. That made for a very happy ultrasound tech yesterday. Everything went so well, in fact, that I wasn't scheduled for another one. :( I've really enjoyed having them every few weeks! She said he's measuring in the 50th percentile, putting him right at average for his weight. Unfortunately, his momma isn't in the same boat. Since my last visit just four weeks ago, I have managed to pack on TWELVE POUNDS! How the @!%# did that happen?? :) Okay, I suppose to be fair I have to consider a few of these points: one - I work from home. Meaning, I'm home all day. I can eat whenever, and I do. Two - pizza rolls are NOT a pregnant ladie's BFF, no matter what they say when you pull them out of the oven, sizzling. And three - walking up a flight of stairs to go clean up Miles' new room does not count as exercise. Sigh... I was doing SO good, too. Only nine pounds put on in the first half of pregnancy. Then 12 in a matter of four weeks. Guess who came home whining the rest of the day? ME! So here I am now, watching my calorie intake like a mad woman. Did you know that ranch has over 100 calories in just TWO tablespoons? I eat ranch for BREAKFAST for crying out loud! I put it on everything! Bye bye, ranch. And fast food? Holy cow. It's horrendous. Thankfully, however, veggies are a safe ZERO. Nadda. And I love me some veggies. :) So today for lunch, we were on the road and I got a 6" turkey sub on wheat, no cheese, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce and red wine vinaigrette. It was tasty. But already my mind is fighting me - I feel hungry again just three hours later. I need pizza! Chips! Soda! Burgers loaded with cheese! AGH!!!!

I think these next few weeks are going to be tough. But it is well worth it for me to eat better - for stupidly obvious reasons - and for Miles. I'm no health nazi, though. I still plan on making room for fun every now and then. Well anyway, that's that. I can't show up at the doctor's next month weighing another ten pounds. I will be in serious trouble. :)

Back to Miles. He's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him near a pound and a half. Since he's almost a foot long, he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. If he were to be born this week, his chance of survival would be in the neighborhood of 60%, with a 75% chance of having serious medical complications. While not great stats, it's reassuring that he would most likely make it. I keep on having this nagging feeling that he's going to be an early baby. I don't mean seriously early, just early. I dream about it. I guess it's just my subconscious screaming, "I can't wait to meet you, baby!!"