24 Weeks

I'm feeling very grateful today about how easy my pregnancy has gone thus far.  I can't even begin to express how nervous I was for years about how I'd handle my anxiety while pregnant, only to find that it's been (knocks on biggest piece of wood ever) pretty much a non-issue.

An old therapist of mine told me that half of women with anxiety disorders before pregnancy experienced reduced anxiety in pregnancy.  Later when I cited this statistic to my psychiatrist she disputed its credibility.  I remember telling her I would find the study and send her a copy, but I don't remember if I actually found the study.  Pregnancy brain!

Not that I can really claim pregnancy has been some sort of marvelous anxiety cure all because I've also had a lot of other support mechanisms in place - namely Zoloft, weekly therapy and monthly psychiatry sessions.  Still, I'm very relieved I've maintained my sanity for the past 24 weeks.  Sadly, it doesn't make me more confident about the potential anxiety overload of new motherhood but more on that later.

How Far Along: 24 weeks.
Size of baby: Baby is the size of a cantaloupe according to The Bump but it also says 12.7 to 20.8 ounces, which, aside from being a HUGE range, is probably way smaller than my actual fetus.  Gizmo was measuring over a pound four weeks ago so I'm thinking he's rocking almost two pounds by now.  But I suck at math so that could be wrong.  
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Back down a pound so I'm just up one from pre-IVF weight.  I have no earthly idea how that is.  I ate two lunches today.
Workouts: Nada.
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all the time when I go out in public.  At home I can still wear tanks and yoga pants.
Gender: It's a boy!
Movement: A few pokes a day.  Lazy baby.
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Nada.

Cravings: None.

Symptoms: Occasional reflux.

Anxiety Level: Not bad but spikes at night.

Best Moment this week: My first prenatal massage on Tuesday.

Reading: About halfway through Beautiful Creatures.

Dad is: Waiting to hear back from a job he had a great interview with on Friday.

Prenatal massage was heavenly.  I scheduled another one for 27 weeks and if all goes well I'll see her a little more frequently in the third trimester.  Wow, the third trimester is something that is coming up soon.  I can hardly believe it.

What it should look like

A lot of people make a big deal over hitting 24 weeks because it is considered by many hospitals the "viability point," or the earliest point in which a premature infant can survive.  Since I have a friend and neighbor lose her 24 weeker in December, after months of NICU time, I am more stoic about this milestone.  I think I'll breathe sightly easier at 29 weeks but I also just don't want to contemplate meeting Gizmo before June.

After the relative success of my crafting project on Saturday, I decided to get started my next project, namely a Gobbi mobile, one in the sequence of the Montessori mobile series.  Some bloggers I found said it was a task that required "the patience of a Buddhist monk" and "if you can afford to buy it instead of making it, do that instead" but I wasn't discouraged.  I went to the store and bought Styrofoam balls and five varying shades of green thread.  I was going to be the proud owner of a handmade mobile currently being sold on etsy for $50 for the low price of $5!

I started threading the first ball and thought "this is easy."

When I gave up

About a half hour into the project, DH suggested I just buy the mobile since I was only about 1/10 of the way through one ball. "No," I protested, "every time I look at the mobile I will be reminded of my resourcefulness and frugality."

An hour into it, I was having my own doubts but told myself I could brag how "homemade" my mobile would be and maybe I would hang it permanently in his room.

Two hours into it, I decided no son of mine would want his mother spending fifty hours of her time wrapping thread around a Styrofoam ball and I ordered one online.  My son will be a capitalist.