24 Weeks: Ear of Corn

--Your baby's growing steadily and gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week.
--Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body's filling out proportionally.
--Your baby's brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now.
--Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
--Your baby can hear more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner.

Gene and I can't wait each week to see what food our baby is compared to. An ear of corn....never would have guessed that one! I love the vacuum cleaner reference above, too. That's one sound my baby will need to get used to. That's not only because I'm a clean freak, but also because when I was a baby, the only sound that would put me to sleep was the vacuum cleaner. My parents got tired of always running it to get me to go to sleep, so they recorded it and just played it over and over. So, I blame my mom for inheriting her genes of "cleanliness" because she started me out so young with the vacuum cleaner! Also, this week must be the start of Jokull's extracurricular activities. Not only am I feeling little jabs here and there against my stomach, I began feeling multiple punches (like 4-5 at a time) all over my stomach. It looks like he/she is boxing in there!