Count Down

Happy Halloween :)

Today marks me at 24 weeks pregnant! A few more weeks until I am in my third trimester! I was reading about my baby's development at this point in the pregnancy and it is crazy to me that 50-70% of babies born at this point in the pregnancy survive. In another 2 weeks, 90% of babies survive. It really hits home that there is a tiny human inside me. Not some weird alien that pops out as a newborn in 16 weeks. I know that sounds crazy, but it is such an unbelievable miracle I get to be apart of! I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be apart of this! It takes a little bit for my mind to fully grasp what's going on inside me. Other milestones baby is making this week: Her nostrils are opening and she is beginning to practice breathing (amniotic fluid only for now)! Her respiratory system is forming, including surfactant, which will help open her lungs when she makes her debut into the world! She can sense movement, since her ears and equilibrium are formed! She also can hear everything, including me breathing :)
I signed up for baby classes this afternoon! We decided to take a breastfeeding class and a labor/delivery/postpartum class! We start those after Thanksgiving! There will most likely be a daddy bootcamp involved but the schedule wasn't out today :) I am super excited! I feel like this also makes it more real and I am beginning to understand she will be here before I know it!
I also started studying for my respiratory therapy board exams today! 16 weeks left until my due date and I want to have all of them taken and passed before our sweet baby girl arrives. Studying with a newborn seems like an impossible task that I do not want to attempt. The goal is for me to go back to work part-time a few months after she is born. (Hopefully working 12 hour shifts 6-8 nights a month so we can eliminate the need for day care and I can be a stay at home mom as well.) It has taken me so long to study because of my pain and recovery from surgery 2 years ago. I also cannot be on my pain medications whilst pregnant so I am fully relying on God for strength. Because of my physical restrains, I can only study for short amounts of time. Today I was able to get through 2 of my 9 chapters of lecture. I am definitely feeling the pain now. This afternoon has been heat and rest. I'm feeling motivated but don't wanna overdo it and not be able to do anything else for a couple of days. Its hard to take things slow... My goal is to get through all 9 chapters of lecture by Sunday! I have been out of school for over 3 years, and it is slowly coming back to me. Key word being slowly. But today felt very positive and I am looking forward to passing my test and feeling that sense of accomplishment!!