24 weeks....6 months!

these last few days and next few days have been and are going to be intense.  because it's...da da da da....finals time!  i am both grateful that this quarter is almost over and that i will never have to take ochem again (granted that i pass this class!), and dreading the amount of studying and writing and memorizing and problem solving i have to do in the next few days.  it has been especially hard with this pregnancy exhaustion that has been bestowed upon me.  i am tired. all. the. time. when i go to my midwife appointment next week i will ask them to check my iron levels and thyroid just to make sure everything there is ok and i'm just extra tired because gestating a baby is hard work.  but, yesterday, we had another ultra sound because little man wasn't being cooperative the first time around and wouldn't let the radiologists get pictures of his spine.  so we got to see our guy again, which is always nice.  he was kicking and moving like crazy, and most of his spine was visible.  the radiologist had to really maneuver around to try to get pictures of bub's lower spine/tail bone.  but, apparently she did well enough and everything looks just fine.  and the radiologist got a really great snapshot of his face for us, so hubby and i had fun deciding who's features he had: my jaw and cheeks, his nose and chin, we can't wait to see what he looks like out here!  apparently there was a concern that i may have placenta previa, but this second ultra sound showed that everything is normal there, too.  thank goooooooodness!  so, there's not much to write about because i have to get back to my study schedule, but just wanted to include a picture of the blanket that my new friend crocheted for lil man:

isn't it beautiful?  thanks amy!!!!!!!!!!  you are so sweet!

here's this week's preggie update:

How far along: 24 weeks
Size of baby: the size of a cantaloupe!  oh my.  that's quite big.  about 11-12 inches long now, and somewhere around 1 lb.  ultra sound guessed that he's about 57th percentile for weight, his skin is becoming less see-through and his lungs are developing lots, making surfactant so that the air sacs expand when he takes his first breath.
Total weight gain: still up about 15 or so lbs, it fluctuates
Maternity clothes: mixing maternity and regular
Gender: saw the little guy's junk again, still a boy! 
Movement: very predictable pattern of activity as far as time of day/night, getting stronger all the time, i can distinguish between kicks and head-butting now, i think
Sleep: most nights it's wonderful, sometimes it takes me awhile to get to sleep but when i do i'm like a zombie
What I miss: not being achy and sore
Cravings: everything, appetite has really picked up!
Symptoms: itchy skin, shortness of breath, sore hips, back spasms, achy-ness that i think is due to major growth spurt, you know---all the good stuff
 Best moment this week: seeing my little man's face on the ultra sound, spending a little bit of time with my supersweet niece, knowing that the end of the quarter is just days away!