Pregnancy: 24 Weeks

This week we are celebrating an important milestone: Viability!! If Hannah was born this week she would have approximately a 50% chance of surviving outside of my womb. Not the best odds, but better than none. Each week she gets a little stronger and her odds go up. By 26 weeks it's up to 80%. Of course we want sweet little Hannah to hang out all the way until the end, but still, the viability marker is a little more reassuring.

One thing to make note of -- it's hot!! I mean it is really hot. We wanted an October baby and got very lucky that the timing of it worked out (we didn't want a holiday baby. We want girlfriend to have her own time and season). So yay, October baby. However, I don't think I fully thought through what being pregnant ALL summer would be like. In Alabama. In the humidity. Yea, bad decision. I've always loved being a September baby: the seasons are starting to change (kind of, I mean it is Alabama), school is in session so you can celebrate with your friends, it's generally pretty sunny and pleasant out. I'm sure in the end I'll be glad for her fall birthday, but for now it's just miserable, and there's still 4 more months to go!!

Let's recap what else is going on at this point in pregnancy.

How far along: 24 weeks -- viability! 6 months, crazy!!

Symptoms: My knees are killing me. The pain that started over a month ago has changed a few times in how it manifests, but the one constant is knee pain. In pregnancy ligaments loosen and stretch to make your body ready for childbirth. The ligaments/tendons in my knees didn't get that memo. They feel so tight and constricted that when I bend my knees (both of the now. Joy) it feels like the tendons are going to pop. I've also started getting strained tendons or pregnancy related carpel tunnel in my right hand. Ouch. My brain is still mushy, and my bladder is getting worse. I'm still waiting for the glow people talk about.

Sleep: Hit or miss. Some nights I pass out quickly, some nights it's a fight to get comfortable and fall asleep. I have to have a pillow propped under my belly because it's getting heavy and pulls on my back. I wake up every 1.5-2 hours to use the restroom. That's no fun. Especially since it's recently started getting a little harder to get out of bed. Sound effects accompany my bed exit. Or when I get out of my car.

Clothes: It is summer time, and shorts are required. Usually I don't like wearing shorts to work. And I don't mean short shorts, but shorts in general. My office is pretty cold during the day and in previous years I'd freeze. Yea, not anymore! It is too dang hot out to wear jeans. I don't think I've worn long pants in the last 2 months. Shorts, maternity tank tops, ribbed tees, etc. I think I have the same ribbed cotton tank top from Old Navy in 5 or 6 colors. For real. They're so comfy. If I'm feeling fancy I might opt for a knee length cotton skirt.

Cravings/Aversions: Fountain sodas are still king of the mountain, but I've also developed a major taste for carbonated, flavored water. Not all flavors. Strawberry and watermelon are the best. The cold fizziness is just right. I still want salty over sweet. I have requested that Andrew bring home some cheesecake on a few occasions recently. It's so good, but so rich I can't eat much of it. I had some strawberry cake from Edgar's last week. It was really good, but I think Hannah enjoyed it more than me. Out of the 3 times I had it (over the course of a weekend) she got excited every single time. Girl knows what she likes.

Weight Gain: We won't go there. In fact I'm going to take this out for the next update. Month 5 was a high gain month so I'm working on lowering it and evening things out.

Exercise Routine: Sadly still not happening. My knees bother me enough that excessive walking or working out is painful. It's also really really hot outside. It's hot when I'm standing still. The thought alone of being active in this heat makes me hot.

Movement: We have upgraded from soft rolls to strong rolls, kicks, punches, hiccups and bongos on my bladder. I can usually count on her to wake up around 11 am, 4-5 pm and again when I have dinner. She moves intermittently at other times, but I can count on those hours for almost guaranteed action. Andrew and Kristina have now felt her kick, so she's getting strong. I can see my stomach jump when she's really having it out. It's so weird, and amazing all at once.

Random: She started getting the hiccups over the weekend and continues to get them a couple of times per day. I figure as her diaphragm develops she'll probably stop having them so often, but for now it's so cute. At first I thought she was kicking rhythmically, but then I remembered that neither Andrew nor myself have rhythm! haha

Baby Size: There's a little disagreement this month. One app says cantaloupe, one says an ear of corn, and another says the size of a standard letter envelope. Either way she's growing, and so am I!

Andrew's been on night shifts so we had to switch up the bump photo. It's kind of bright outside!!

It's hard to believe that I'm 6 months pregnant. Pre-pregnancy the thought of carrying a child was so weird and alien. I thought it would be the most bizarre thing ever. In some ways it is definitely weird, but it's not as foreign as I'd expected it to be. I don't mean it's been easy, by any means. My body hurts, my feet swell, I'm doing good if I don't get nauseous at least once during the day and there are plenty of stranger things that are not appropriate discussion for a public blog. But it's coming more naturally than I'd expected, and time is passing much more quickly than I thought possible. This is good and bad for different reasons. Right now I'm just holding onto my seat and flying through it!!