24 weeks (6 months!)

I am in awe. We prayed for our baby girl last night for protection, for her health, and for me to continue to carry the baby to term. We prayed we would be good examples of Christ's love, and that she would grow to know and love the Lord early in life. It is so weird thinking about that, but a lot of that is up to us. We want to do it right. Sometimes, I can't wait to meet her, and other times, I feel like I already know her from her kicks and punches and bounces in my stomach. She's starting to respond to sounds, our voices sometimes - if we are quietly talking at night and that's all the noise there is, she often kicks a lot! It's so cute.

24 weeks:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. (Some books are telling me 1.5 lbs) 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. In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.

Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.