24 weeks - And his name will be...

Andrew James Bowen

Baby Andrew is the size
of an ear of corn!

I love keeping James' first name in the family, and using it as a middle name will keep things simple (although James Jr. has a nice ring to it!). We love the name Andrew! It was actually what Zoie was going to be named if she was a boy. Personally, I like the nickname Andy, and James likes AJ, but we'll just call him Andrew until we get to know him.

Zoie can already say Andrew! Well, she pronounces it "ah-drew", but close enough. Her language amazes me so much every day! Her little sentences are so cute. She's really good at saying "thank you" whenever someone gives her something, and sometimes she'll say it for you if she hands you something. She loves saying "bless you!" when we sneeze, though it sounds more like "bleh blue". She can't get the sss sound down yet, but I think we're getting close!

Babies are still Zoie's favorite thing. She can spend 30 minutes swaddling, singing, and rocking her Bitty Baby. She loves her baby doll to do everything with her, and gets very concerned if forgets her doll in the next room. It's fun to encourage her imaginative play, she gets such a kick out of new ways to interact with her baby doll. She loved it when I made her baby doll use the sign language she knows! I think she'll transition pretty well having a real baby to help take care of!

How far along are you? 24 weeks as of Friday.
 
How big is Baby? Baby Andrew measures over a foot long from head to heel, and weighs around 1.25 pounds. He's about the size of an ear of corn. His skin is still thin and translucent, but it's starting to change! His lungs are developing and he's practicing breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid.

Weight Gain? I'm 137.2, so haven't really changed since last week. Still up 11 pounds.

Gender? Baby boy!

Maternity Clothes? Indeed, this bump is getting bigger. Might need to go shopping again for cute maternity items!

Sleep? Sleep has actually been good lately! Zoie's two-year molars are still in-progress, but they haven't bothered her much for the past few nights. I think once her teeth break through completely, we could be on track for a toddler that sleeps through the night!

Movement? Lots of movement all day! I can see my belly jump sometimes, but usually I'm so distracted with Zoie that I don't pay attention as much. Andrew's little legs are still right against my bladder (I think he's still in a breech position), so sometimes he'll kick and I'll feel a quick jolt of omigosh-I-need-to-pee that disappears in an instant. It's a crazy feeling.

Food Cravings? Coffee. Every morning I grind up my decaf beans with just a small amount of regular beans to brew in my french press. Just enough caffeine for a tiny kick, but (hopefully) it's not too much.

Labor Signs? Nope, nothing.

Symptoms? Nothing new, luckily! Continuing as usual. I haven't gained weight this week, but I just feel heavy in general. Pregnancy is alway such a good reminder to never let myself get fat - I really dislike feeling heavy!

What I miss? I'm definitely being more relaxed in this pregnancy with "the rules", but still it's a pain to watch caffeine intake, avoid lunchmeat (listeria....), sushi... and alcohol.

Best moment(s) of the week? The weather has been beautiful, James has been getting home from work a little earlier in the evenings, and we had a great weekend hanging out. Can't pinpoint one moment, it's just been good. Oh, and the new Avengers movie was completely awesome.

What I am looking forward to? We just booked our trip to Las Vegas next month for James' cousin's wedding! It'll be great to see his dad's side of the family, and enjoy a long weekend in an exciting place. We might even get to sneak away for a date while Nana & Papa watch Zoie!

Cheers,

Martha