Welcome to week 24, baby O. You are now, sort of, 6 months old (if you count months as groups of 4 weeks) which leaves you 16 weeks to cook. Don’t worry, I need all 16 and I don’t mind if you do, too.

You’re now the size of an ear of corn at almost 1′ long. You still weigh just over a pound, but that should start increasing rapidly now. You’re about to start gaining weight and filling out. Your lungs are developing as well, and preparing you for the important process of breathing. Your “room” is supposedly the size of a soccer ball – I’m not sure I feel THAT big.

I have a check-up next Tuesday (August 30) and I think we’ll be scheduling the glucose screening test (gestational diabetes test). If I “fail,” I’ll need to have a glucose tolerance test, which is, I think, a more intense version of the screening. The screening test is around 2 hours long and involves drinking a lot of sugary flavored water, which I’m told tastes like flat orange soda. Yum. I’m actually pretty worried about this test because I love my carbs! 🙂 I don’t expect there will be an ultrasound, but we’ll hear his heartbeat, which is always nice! I also see the endocrinologist* that day, so wish me well with no bad news from either!

24 weeks is an unofficial milestone – it’s about the earliest a baby can survive if born prematurely. Obviously, not a good thing, as you can tell from the lack of body fat and still-developing lungs, but possible.

Hilariously, these are the to-do’s this week from Babycenter.com:

This Week’s Activity:

Tackle your home improvement projects. Sit down with your partner and take stock of the things you’d like to fix around the house before your little one arrives. Then let your partner handle them. (You shouldn’t be exposing yourself to chemicals or getting up on ladders.) Some things for the list:

• Install or check smoke detectors, get a fire extinguisher for each floor of your house, and plan a fire escape route.
• Fix or remove any broken furniture or fixtures.
• Paint the nursery, hang curtain rods, assemble new furniture.