24 weeks

VIABILITY!!!!!!! Hallelujah! I am just so thankful to have made it here. For all the non-preggos out there, viability means that if the monkey were born today it would have a 47% chance of survival as opposed to only 26% at 23 weeks. And out chances only improve from here!
Christmas was good. It was over so fast and I'm still pretty bummed about the lack of a holiday season we seemed to experience this year. We really got great gifts. We got our travel system of course, (which I am SO excited about I've already put it together and pushed it around the house. I'm so thrilled with it I would totally take it for a walk if I didn't think people would look at me like a moron.). And then there was the stuff dad found used for me. He said he keeps a print out of my baby registry in his car and checks the list whenever he goes garage saling. So sweet. We got the afore mentioned high chair, which has a lovely neutral animal print on it. I'm just beyond happy that it's not an uber-babyish print. We also scored a bottle warmer, jumper, training potty, bumbo, and activity gym. The last two we actually already had at home, but it will be nice to have duplicates at mom and dads...and you can't pass that up when you find it for just a couple of $$$. And my brother says he has something for us as well, but he left it at work by mistake.
For non-baby items, we each got $50 cash. And my sister sent us a BEAUTIFUL Japanese scroll with a painting of cranes on it. I love it. It reminds me of A Thousand Cranes, one of the books we read my junior year of high school. And it is the PERFECT piece of art for this one wall in my living room that has been just waiting for adornment for the last 2 years. It even matches my color palette. Great job Katie!!!! She also sent me a beautiful pendant that is the dried skeleton of a Japanese maple leaf dipped in gold. She says Japanese maple leaves are said to bring good luck.
I've got my last night shift for a while tonight. I'm so sad to not be able to work them anymore, but I would just hate to go into labor at work when I was the only person there. So for now I am stuck with days and/or evenings. I was off last night and I spent it nesting. I reorganized the storage closet/pantry and started on our bedroom. The shower in the master bath is just a tiny stall and we don't like using it. So I turned it into storage too. Best idea ever. I've got all Justin's packing and shipping supplies in there along with everything he still needs to put up on ebay. I'm so happy it have it out of my way now that we're begining to acumulate baby stuff.
We've also set dates for my baby showers. Jamie and Erin are throwing me a friends/couples shower on the 18th of January. And my sister will be home the last week in January and is hosting one for the family on the 31st! We will also be starting prepared child birth classes on the 8th and we have another ulrasound on te 2nd. January is going to be a whirlwind of a month. I'm excited and I'm really hoping all the activity makes it FLY by. I am anxious to get into my third trimester...which I just realized is only 2 weeks away! WOAH!
My belly is really feeling stretchy and itchy lately. I'm thinking I'm about to hit another popping point. So stay tuned for some pictures to compare!