I’ve hit 24 weeks, which feels good because it’s the first viability milestone. As I understand it, this means that if the babies were born this week, due to a scary situation like early labor or another complication, the hospital would use life-saving measures to help them survive — and they’d have a chance. Of course, we are hoping to keep them in for quite a while longer: 14 more weeks would be ideal but even just 10 more weeks would be enough baking time that they could be delivered at my local hospital.

I am feeling, quite honestly, fat lately. The fat has shown up in my face, as I knew it eventually would. Let’s agree to pretend the whole back-fat situation (hidden by my blazer, but oh, so real) is not happening.

The Babies are the Size of: Two garden eggplants, according to my Ovia app. Eggplants certainly vary in size, but DANG that sounds large.

How I’m Doing: I feel good. I am continuing to get Braxton Hicks contractions when I’m up and walking around for more than a couple of minutes (at school, at the store, and so on), but I’m making sure to keep track of them and they still calm down almost immediately when I sit or lie down. So all is well there. I miss exercising something fierce, though. I think my newly sedentary lifestyle may be contributing to my feeling of fatness. I might feel a lot more fit regardless of my size if I were up and moving, but I just don’t have that choice at the moment. All you folks who worked out through your pregnancies — I’m envious.

Eating: All the doughnuts and candy. I also ate really well this past weekend when my friend C. and her family were visiting us. We went out a couple of times and also engaged in some Traditional Labor Day Grilling, so I have had my fill of burgers and dogs for sure. It was all fabulous, but I’m appreciating some healthier choices now that we are back to work and reality. Can I also mention how sad I am that the summer fruit is back to its off-season low quality status? Berries, cherries, and peaches, I MISS YOUUUUUU. I love apples in the fall but I am not READY for apples yet. I have not had enough peaches! Life is hard sometimes.

Movement: I think I am beginning to be able to tell when the babies are head up vs head down. Or, at least I can tell with Baby A. She is currently head up and feet down, if the tap dancing I’m feeling downstairs is any indication.

Other Milestones: I finally said something today when a stranger commented on my body in the elevator. It was the first time I didn’t just meekly answer the question while cringing/stewing silently inside and then having an esprit d’escalier moment later. Not gonna lie, it felt a little exhilarating.

I really could get going on a rant about the way women’s bodies become open for public discourse — at ALL times, but especially during pregnancy. Perhaps I will write something about that another day.

Coming Up: We have a growth ultrasound next week, so I’ll get another peek at the dynamic duo.

Our baby shower is in less than a month. I’m both looking forward to it (because yay for happy friends wishing us well) and dreading it (because one example of an INTJ’s worst nightmare is opening presents in the middle of a circle of onlookers). Mostly looking forward, really.

This Friday, I will officially have finished four weeks of fall classes, with just eleven left to go, not counting Thanksgiving week. Phew.

Also, I promise to blog about something other than pregnancy soon. I swear. I need to make the time.