24 Weeks

Hi Baby-
Your sister called you a boy for the first time this week. She's insisted that you are a girl the whole time until now, when she wanted to make you a rocket ship and a heart with her art supplies. "I want to make a rocket ship and a heart for my brother baby!"

My weight gain is sitting at 12 lbs which is great. I'm still feeling good in general except for some kind of illness that your dad brought home from work last week. Since I can't take any medicine, it's hanging around a lot longer than I'd like. It's not a big deal, but it makes sleeping hard because as soon as I lay down, I start coughing and can't stop. It's a dry tickling cough, and I have no other symptoms so it's just frustrating.

You are still sitting very low, between my hip bones and I feel you move several times a day, usually after eating. You are wiggling away as I type this! Must be the ice cold water I'm drinking.

We had our big ultrasound last week and you are looking perfect, measuring right on track. We are still in the dark about your gender, and the lady who did the ultrasound said she didn't even know. Either that means you are a girl or you did a good job keeping your parts covered (or both!). We looked away when she scanned down low though.

We laughed a lot during the ultrasound, joking about names. At one point, you were pushing back against the wand, and I mentioned that that spot near my left hip is where I feel movement most often. She told me that was your butt! (You are positioned on the opposite side from where your sister was) We saw your brain and heart and fingers and toes, and my favorite was your spine that looked like a dinosaur. A couple of times we got a creepy image of your skull with a bulging eyeball that looked like something from Halloween.

By the way, we have no idea what to name you. We planned to keep the names a secret from everyone until the birth anyway, but the truth is we just can't decide on anything! No worries though, we have plenty of time.

You don't have any real cravings lately, but I sure do want something sweet after every meal. When I eat it, you make me feel nauseous- especially chocolate! That's how I know it's me wanting it and not you- it's probably the reduced guilt of eating sweets when I know I'm supposed to be gaining a few lbs anyway, and I know I'll get to keep eating brownies and still lose it after you are finally here! So I eat sweets anyway, but I know they are for me and not you. haha! Strawberries have been sounding great, Zoe's Kitchen salad and hummus plate is a weekly staple, and I've been loving hot english breakfast tea a few times a week. I was drinking it every morning when you were conceived and gave it up for the first trimester since I was so worried. And pancakes always sound delicious.

We can't wait to meet you! We've been steadily working on Big Sister's room, so that you get to take over the nursery. Dad wants to start working on the upstairs bathroom sooner than later so that it will be done. I still want to do the laundry room. But with sister upstairs, that bathroom could use the help. We are putting new carpet in both bedrooms upstairs and in your nursery. I'm hoping that goes smoothly since carrying heavy things isn't going so well for me lately- I hate the idea of your dad having to do it all alone. I did spend 5 hours painting doors the other day- I just got in the zone and finished it all.

Other than the house updates, we are trying to keep life easy- spending time as a family since we have so little time together. I'm having fun figuring out what to wear for a family/maternity photo session in a couple of months, and trying to figure out what to bring you home in. I'm doing prenatal yoga once a week and getting a massage every other week- I have to use up all of the massages we've paid for but not used in the past couple of years!

Life is good and we can't wait for you to join us!