The one where Ladybird knows she's upside-down

24 weeks today!

























This was actually taken yesterday at 23 weeks, 6 days. I was too barfy today to take any pictures of myself. I'm pretty sure the one day hasn't made much of a difference!

It's been a pretty uneventful week, really. I still feel really good and nothing has been happening that really makes me go "wha?!" I have, however, had to crack and buy some maternity bras. I still don't think my boobs themselves have gotten much bigger, but my ribcage is definitely expanding and my belly is moving right up under there, so the bands on my bras just weren't fitting anymore. In fact, one bra that I wore semi-comfortably on Wednesday would no longer do up on Saturday. Crazy! Luckily, Thyme Maternity is having a "buy one, get one 50% off" so I bought two convertible maternity bras. Yippee! I'm shocked at the size I had to buy but it's nice to be comfortable again ... for now.

Ladybird is definitely making herself known to the outside world these days! My belly is getting bigger and bigger and my belly button is getting shallower and shallower, haha. I wonder if it'll end up popping or just going flat. No stretch marks anywhere yet, but yet is the operative word here. I know I'm going to get them, I'm just waiting for them to show up. In the meantime, though, I'm trying to combat the itchiness and the uncomfortable stretchy feeling with some St. Ives collagen-elastin lotion after I get out of the shower. It helps, for sure.

I'm trying to figure out her patterns now. Apparently, at this point, I should be able to discern between her wake times and sleep times. I'm probably just not really paying enough attention, but I only really notice her consistently moving around in the evening (usually after 6ish and up until bedtime). She definitely moves around a lot during the day as well, but I haven't paid attention to the times. I'm going to start doing that now. I also sometimes notice that she's moving when I wake up in the mornings. I'm not sure if she moves around a lot at night when I'm sleeping - if she is, she's not bothering me!

What else is she up to? Let's have a look at the baby update and see!

















This is the last week that Ladybird is comparable to a papaya. Woo! One website said she's about the length of an ear of corn, so let's go with that. She's about 11.8 inches long and weighs about 1.3lbs. Her inner ears have developed and she's now aware of her position - so I better start doing some handstands to see if she likes being upside-down! Her lungs have started to produce surfactant to keep her air sacs from collapsing. She's starting to practice breathing so she should be an expert by the time she arrives.

Oh, and just to let you all know - my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Insert raised eyebrows here!

And, lastly, a very happy early/first Father's Day to my wonderful hubby :)