24 Weeks

At 24 weeks gestation, the baby is the size of a cantaloupe or a pomegranate (those seem to be different sizes to me, but that's what the apps say)!  Chocolate Chip is almost 12 inches long and weighs over one pound.  His or her face is fully formed, including eyebrows, eyelashes, and possibly hair.  The baby's skin is gaining pigment, so it will start to look more pink and less transaprent.  Baby is also starting to accumulate some fat.  

The baby is kicking harder all the time, but I feel him or her rolling around as much as I feel martial arts kicking and jabbing.  Hopefully this baby rolls into the head-down position before delivery and stays there until the big day.  There is still plenty of time for that.

We will get to see Chocolate Chip again this week at our follow-up echo ultrasound.  Eric and I have an appointment at the Perinatal Center on Tuesday afternoon to measure the baby for appropriate growth and to take a detailed look at his or her heart.  The ultrasound tech will also check the location of the placenta and see if it has moved away from the cervix.  If so, I can hopefully be done with "pelvic rest" and not worry about that impacting our delivery plan.  If it hasn't moved (or hasn't moved enough), we will schedule another follow-up ultrasound to keep checking on it.  

The final update from this week is that we have ordered a chair to put in the nursery.  Eric and I went shopping last weekend for a glider and ended up deciding we'd like to purchase a La-Z-Boy rocking recliner for the baby's room.  We can move it to the family room when we no longer need a chair in the nursery. However, due to supply chain issues, furniture orders are taking a VERY long time (like 8-12 months) to come in.  So we were limited in what was available.  I was able to locate the chair we were looking for at a little furniture store in Creston, and they are going to deliver it when they are in the Des Moines area next.  I'm guessing we'll have it by the end of the year.  

24 weeks down, 16 weeks to go!  I have a feeling the end of the second trimester will fly by!