24 weeks, about 110 days to go!

It's been awhile since I've posted an update but we didn't have internet access last week and this weekend was pretty busy. It's been great to be home!!! The drive went really well too which was great. Gary got to feel the wee one move last Monday (4/27) morning for the first time. I think he was pretty surprised. :) Last Tuesday I officially got my chart set up at Luther Midelfort, I'll be seeing midwives from here on out. I got to hear the heartbeat again... it was around 146bpm. We have our first appointment tomorrow with Angela. Gary will get to come with me for the first time!! I'm excited for him! This last weekend we went to some thrift sales in Strum and also helped my sister out at her's. We got some great buys. It makes the pregnancy a little more real actually buying clothes and baby things... not that feeling the baby moving doesn't make it real. It's just really hard to wrap my head around. It's crazy!! Anyway, here are the last two week updates. :) 23 Weeks My Baby: The end of this week is an important milestone: Your one-pounder would have a good chance of survival if born now--about 85 percent if given the right care. His body is well proportioned, although lacking in body fat, and the blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. About 50 percent of "early preemies" experience complications ranging from eye problems to intracranial hemorrhage (spontaneous bleeding in the brain); the rate drops steadily from the 24th week onward. Baby's Length: 7.5-8.0 in. Baby's Weight: 1-1.25 lbs. Baby's Size: Loaf of bread How your baby's growing: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. 24 Weeks My Baby: The unsung hero of the fetal support system is the umbilical cord, which forms a vital link between the fetus and the placenta. The cord contains two arteries and one large vein; by birth, it may measure up to four feet long. Every 30 seconds, nutrients and oxygen-rich blood are transported from the placenta to the fetus via the single vein, then back again to the placenta through the two arteries. This ingenious method ensures a constant supply of filtered air and nutrients, and keeps the mother's blood separate from the baby's. Baby's Length: 8-8.5 in. Baby's Weight: 1.25 - 1.5 lb. Baby's Size: 1/2 Gallon of Milk How your baby's growing: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.