24 weeks

So today I'm 24 weeks, which is a milestone. At 24 weeks Landon could survive outside of the womb (with A LOT of medical assistance though). Unfortunately, I'm really sick. I've had a sore throat and bad cough for the past few days. I went to the doctor yesterday for my normal appointment and they said that there is nothing that I can do for it but rest. I have a virus that's going around, so I just have to wait it out. Poo! They did listen to Landon's heartbeat and he didn't want to stay still, he was kicking the whole time, so it took a little longer than expected to hear the heartbeat. I also put on 5 lbs in the past week, making my total 8 lbs. The doc said it's a good number for how far along I am. I go in again in 4 weeks and will do my 1 hour sugar test, oh joy! After that I start going in every 2 weeks. Below I have my 24 week belly picture that was taken in the nursery, plus some updated nursery pictures. There are more on facebook.

Here is what is going on with me and Landon this week:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), 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.

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.