24 Weeks

How far Along: 24 Weeks
Happy Viability to Us :)
(just another 'check point' that leaves me with a deep sigh of relief and song of praise!)

Size of the Baby: Ear of Corn (12 inches, >1 Pound)

Total Weight Gain: +15 Pounds
(Yes, you read that right. I gained a massive amount of weight this week!)

Maternity Clothes: Y'all know how I feel about some elastic waistbands?!  During this past week, I've decided that I'd rather wear non-maternity tops. While maternity tops are nice and comfy, they aren't quite as figure flattering. I think they make me look a lot bigger than I really am---I got a growing ghetto booty and child birthing hips, so Lord knows I dont need to look any bigger than I actually am. Right?!

Gender: Boy
Cale Michael Hancock

Movement: I can't tell if my boy is sweet and shy OR just plain ornery! I definitely feel him moving around more during the day (even while moving in the car now), BUT every time I put my hand to my belly to feel this sweet little guy, he stops moving! Mimi was visiting on Sunday evening, and I poked and prodded trying to prompt him to cooperate---nada, nothing, zilch.

Sleep:  Better! I'm trying the Gatorade before bed at night to give myself a little extra boost of electrolytes before my slumber. It seems to be working much better!  A thoughtful girlfriend offered me some 'old wives tale' wisdom this week regarding leg cramps: place a bar of Ivory soap at the foot of your bed, under your sheets.  If these cramps start back up again, don't think I won't be trying this!

Cravings: Still seem to be on a bit of a milk kick, but it's toned down quite a bit.  This week my belly has been hungry for salads---plain, simple salads. Like greens, tomato, maybe a sprinkle of cheese, and salad dressing. Yum!!

Symptoms: In addition to the usual--growing belly, waddling, baby movement, shallowing belly button, swelling feet, etc--I felt my heart racing a couple random times this week. I know your heart rate typically raises with pregnancy (10-20 beats per minute per my pregnancy book), which is a byproduct of the increased cardiac output, but I wasn't expecting to notice it honestly. I guess when your heart rate is usually in the high-70's to low-80's you can definitely sense it when it jumps to near 100 beats-per-minute while youre in a resting state, huh? Anyone else ever experience this? (On a side note: my pregnancy source also said that this change in heart rate peaks around 20-24 weeks)

Best Moment this Week: Honestly?! This week has been pretty non-eventful for us--I spent the majority of the last seven days in my office. Nothing exciting happens there, ha!  I'm enjoying basking in this pregnancy. It feels like it's flying by, but I'm trying to savor every minute of it. While I'm super excited to meet this sweet little boy, I'm trying not to 'wish' this pregnancy away. As Trace Adkins says, "You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so far. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."