24 week checkup

With all the travels and things going on in the last few weeks, I haven't updated much on Baby Mann. Well for starters, as you can see we still don't have a name. We have a few in mind that we have toyed with the idea and asked others which they like but haven't solidfied an official birth certificate "see it in ink" name. I think we are both waiting for that "Ah Ha" moment so until then, he is still Baby Mann. However, no matter what we call him, he is still doing well in there. Last Thurs, July 17th, I had my 24 week checkup with Dr Watkins. She actually is due in Sept herself (a couple months before us) so she can really relate to what is going on with me. I finally had a little iPhone checklist I started the day before of questions like "why does only one foot swell and not both" She answered because that is the side the baby favors more. This seemed odd because the kicks and feeling of more movement is on my right side but its my left one that looks elephanty. Oh well, at least there is an explanation there and it is not due to anything being wrong with me like too much salt or a sign of preclamsia. The sneezing is caused by the progesterone which causes all the mucus to rumble around in my nose. Phil in our office has given up on say "bless you" because he knows I can sneeze up to 10 times a day. No worries! lol He said he has never known someone to sneeze as much as me. Congrats, a new accomplishment here. The pain I felt when getting up from sitting on couch or out of bed is due to the lower muscles being stretched as the uterus grows, once again, completely normal and happens to all. Phew! I asked about when he will turn around so he is not breech. This happens by the 34th week so I have some time to move him around to avoid a c-section. This is also the same week that is the end of flying. They don't recommend boarding a plane any later in your pregnancy. I don't know why I asked because we have no plans to go anywhere but in my head "just in case" we want just one more last minute trip besides the drive to Destin, I thought I would see. lol Then finally, I knew I had another test coming up so I wanted to find out when and what it was all about. This is the gestational diabetes test. I swallow a bottle in 5 minutes of this reddish liquid exactly one hour before my next appointment (no food or drink after midnight) then the test is performed after drawing blood that morning. I was hoping all the peeing in a cup to check for sugar and protein was enough but this is a mandatory test regardless because it has a better indication of the sugars in me. Uh oh! Sweet tooth lookout....to be continued on that one. lol. In the meantime, nothing huge to report. He is right on track still for his Nov due date. He measures exactly 24 weeks which is determined by the length of my lower rib cage down to my lower hip bone area by a measuring tape. His heart is still around the 157 area, a healthy strong thump thump and he is quite the kicker for only being the size of a corn or rutabaga. The new Transformers movie Joe and I went to at Movie Tavern, he was a wild man in there. I wasn't sure if it was because the movie was so loud and it aggravated him or because it was one where you can eat dinner at and the food woke him up. I kept Joe's hand on my belly for him to feel the excitement, every time he would kick we would look at each other, laugh and smile. The other active time is at night either in bed or after we eat on the couch downstairs. Sometimes it feels like a mini-jackhammer with fast lil pitter patters (non painful)but flutters around the navel and center bottom of the tummy. We are looking forward to "seeing" him again. Since the OBGYN office only schedules for two ultrasounds during the 9 months, we are going back to Storkvision when Sandy, Sean & Kaleigh come into town for the baby shower in mid August. Apparently the best time for a viewing is week 24-30 or so and that's exactly where we are at. Can't wait!