Brother Ben is Beautifully Baking

We are 24 weeks along now! That's six months preggo! Gosh, time is flying by. I wish it would slow down. Ah, but I must admit, I do miss the skinny days just a little bit! That's okay though. This growing belly and baby is very much worth the extra chub and beautiful new stretch marks I'm waking up to every morning. I call them my battle scars! Here's whats happening with Ben this month... The uterus keeps expanding now to accomodate the growing size of the baby. The fetus does not have as much room in the uterus now as space gets tighter. The baby is growing rapidly now and is roughly 11 inches long and 1.25 to 1.5 pounds. The main lungs are developing branches as well as special cells that produce surfactant needed to inflate the air sacs. The baby will continue gaining muscle weight and deposits of fat under the skin which will help the baby later to retain body heat. The baby’s face is complete now with the features well developed and in the right place though the eyes are still shut. Hair will continue to grow on the head and the eyelashes are well formed. The baby is now just a thinner version of how he would look when born. The baby will start gaining more weight in the next three months. The baby starts practicing breathing by inhaling the amniotic fluid into the developing lungs. We had a recent ultrasound (last week) and they confirmed that Ben is still a BOY! I was a little paranoid and feared he may have lost some valuables in there. I've had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions lately. I don't remember having them so early on with the other kids. Other than that, all is well in the baby growing world. In other news... Miguel & I recently celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We did nothing special this year but are planning a BIG trip for next years anniversary. It's a big one-- 10 years! Honey, I promise I'll be skinny again by then.