Pregnancy update week 24

So, I guess I have not updated in a while.  Well, there we are today.  I am almost at the end of the second trimester.  Wow, time flies.  At 24 weeks, I am now in my 6th month of pregnancy.  First of all, I am much much more noticeable now than I had been before.  My belly is finally protruding, and it's rising above my belly button.  So wearing regular clothes is starting to become weird.  Maybe i'll post a picture sometime this week.  I have also had a major weight gain.  Apparently since about 4 weeks ago, I gained ~10 lbs, which brings me to 23 lb weight gain all together. I guess, I am still within normal range, but I was hoping to only gain about 30-35 lbs as recommended throughout the entire pregnancy, so that only leaves me about 10-12 lbs to go with still 3 months of major growth.  And it's not to say that I eat THAT much either.  I try to keep my sugar and fats under control.  Oh well...

So I did the 20 week sonogram, and they say it's a boy! I guess we can never know for sure, but considering that different doctors had been confirming this fact throughout my pregnancy, I could be fairly sure.  I have glucose challenge test coming up next weekend, so hopefully I do well on it and don't end up having gestational DM. 

And now, the update from :
Update from baby-center.com

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's 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. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs 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.

See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition.
Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

This Week's Activity:

Tackle your home improvement projects. Sit down with your partner and take stock of the things you'd like to fix around the house before your little one arrives. Then let your partner handle them. (You shouldn't be exposing yourself to chemicals or getting up on ladders.) Some things for the list:

• Install or check smoke detectors, get a fire extinguisher for each floor of your house, and plan a fire escape route.
• Fix or remove any broken furniture or fixtures.
• Paint the nursery, hang curtain rods, assemble new furniture.

Hey, maybe I should tackle some home improvement projects.  I've long wanted to re-arrange my study room to baby room, and even had some ideas.  I think there is a saying that women have a "nesting syndrome" when they try to clean and re-arrange everything in the house, just like animals make nest for their future family.  Maybe it's finally kicking in. :)