24 weeks/6 months [praying for Judah]

Development Prayers:
Pray that Judah is constantly growing and getting the nutrients he needs.  I've read that he is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. Another prayer focus is his brain, which is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. Also, pray for his lungs, which are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Symptoms:

• Not much to report here!  This is partly to blame for my lack of posting--has it already been 3 weeks??   Hard to believe how fast these last few weeks during and after the holiday have flown by.  I don't so much "feel" pregnant like I did months ago, but am reminded each time he kicks.  In fact, sometimes I wake up thinking I'm not and was just dreaming the whole thing--and then I roll out of bed and remember that I used to be able to see my toes.
• I will say that I am more prone to anxiety and have a hard time controlling my emotions.  I really don't want to chalk it up to hormones because I think that's just an excuse--but it is physically harder to realize and make myself stop when I am being irrational or unreasonable.  I've only had 2 episodes that I can recall that I just let my feelings overtake me--to which I was reminded each time that I should be turning to prayer.
• I had three little (or huge) friends pop up on my face that have lasted about 2 weeks.  
• I'm obviously going to the bathroom every time I stand up, which if you know me, you know how much I can't stand doing the daily mundane must dos of going to the bathroom, brushing my teeth, taking a shower, putting on makeup, getting dressed, etc.  I do them, but sometimes I just wish our bodies didn't need so much upkeep--boy am I in for it come April!
• We started seeing Judah kick from the outside--every time I try and record it, he stops.  I know it will get more obvious as the next few months pass, so I'll be sure to share it here when I finally capture it.  Joel got to see it for the first time last night, which he kept saying how crazy it was.  I've kind of gotten use to it now, but sometimes I see a big one out of the corner of my eye and just think how incredible it all is.

Now since I haven't blogged here in a while, we took another belly shot after I hit 6 months.  Enjoy!