26 Week Picture

Weeks 25 & 26

I can't believe how far we've come! 26 weeks seems to have flown by, and even more frightening is the fact that in no more than 15 weeks we will meet our little boy! At 26 weeks our baby is weighing in at a full 2 pounds and is about 14 inches long. Capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. By the end of the 25th week air sacs lined with capillaries will be developed in the baby's lungs. The lungs are also developing surfactant which is vital for successful lung function and will help keep the lungs expanded after birth. The baby's nostrils, which have been plugged, are beginning to open up this week. His vocal cords are also now functioning, leading to the occasional hiccups. The structures of the baby's spine is now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings and some 1,000 ligaments. Incredible!

By week 26 our baby is beginning to open his eyes, his lids have been fused for the last couple of months allowing the retina to develop. The iris has yet to develop much pigmentation so it's too early to start guessing eye color. So all in all the baby is experiencing heightened senses and may even react to them!

Last week I had my 24 week appointment (a week late) and again everything checked out fine! I was measuring right on even though I feel very large! At my next visit I get to drink my yummy glucola and they will draw my labs to test for gestational diabetes. At the rate I am going, I am going to pass up my goal of only gaining 30 pounds during my pregnancy so the doc suggested I lay off the carbs (NO FUN!) and I decided I better get my act in gear and spend more time walking around the neighborhood instead of veggin' on the couch. I have had the heat as an excuse the last couple of weeks, but I am resolving to get better about being more active. Unless I've been working I haven't had any further problems with swelling, but the doctor also suggested to get kick it indoors on the really hot days and if I have to be outside to stay hydrated and only go out in the mornings or evenings. All common sense stuff, really!

I don't know how long it has been since I first embarked on painting the baby's room, but by the end of the today it will be almost complete! The walls are all done, I just need to paint the closet doors and the bedroom door. I can't believe it has taken this long, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Next on the agenda will be to clear out the closet and remove the dogs kennels so the carpet can be cleaned and then it will be time to move in all the little guy's stuff!! The end of October still seems far away, but like I said in no less than 15 weeks I will have a newborn in the house and I have a lot to get done before then!

24.5 Week Photo

24 Weeks

This week the baby is about 1.5 pounds and about 8.5 inches long and is now the size of a standard letter. The baby is now gaining about 6 ounces a week, much of that coming from accumulating fat, as well as from growing organs, bones and muscle. By now, the baby's face is almost fully formed, complete with a full set of eyelashes and eyebrows and good sprinkling of hair on his head (hopefully!).

This whole summer has felt like a whirlwind, especially in the last couple of weeks! After a quick trip to the hot steamy south last weekend I looked down and noticed I was sporting some not so hot cankles! My swollen ankles didn't get much reprieve because after a long car ride they only got about 5 hours of rest before I started a 12 hour shift on my feet. It was freaking me out a little bit so I got some support hose to wear the next time I worked. I had a day off in between shifts and my ankles thankfully went back to their normal size but I didn't want to risk it so I wore them for my second day of work and my ankles looked great. Testing my luck, I didn't wear them the next at work and they still looked good. I am hoping it was just a fluke, but I've been keeping a close eye on them. Other than that I've been feeling great and there is not too much to report.

The baby's movements are much more pronounced now and usually I can feel movement in the same place for a few minutes. Even Logann and Stephanie got to feel the little guy this week! I did take a quick peek of him using the ultrasound machine at work on Sunday and he has grown to be so big that I had a difficult time distinguishing what I was looking at, a major change from being able to see him from head to toe all on one screen! From what I can gather he is still head up and pretty much laying all on the left side of my abdomen, which would explain why I rarely feel any movement to the right of my belly button!

I also finally squeezed in some time to actually go in store to work on my registry at babies'r'us, which is where I am registered for a good amount of our baby stuff. It was fun and overwhelming but good to see and play with things other than just picking it out online. I did register for some of my bigger things from buybuybaby because they had the color option I wanted for the carseat/stroller and pack'n'play (and the color is super important, right!). I probably need to actually get into pottery barn kids and add some things to that registry as well but hopefully I can get that done in the next couple of weeks. I haven't finished the painting in the baby's room, but buying the rest of the paint is on my short list of things to do today.

Again, next week will be another busy week for us. I am working three days in a row on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so I can have time off to get ready for Megan's wedding, but I will try to get an update posted in a timely manner. We do have an appointment next Thursday morning and then we will be spending the weekend in Lafayette celebrating!

PS: new picture soon to come!

23 Weeks

This week the baby is really packing on the fat. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he'll start to pack on the pounds and by month's end he'll be double the weight he is now. Right now, our baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he'll start to become less transparent. Our baby is about 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound, or about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book.

In the last couple of weeks I've been able to see the baby moving under my clothes. I've noticed he seems to be spreading out a little because I have been feeling his movements more in other areas of abdomen, whereas before I felt him a lot on the upper left of my belly. He definitely is laying all on the left side and Jake can tell I am a little lopsided. But as long as the little guy is comfy! I got the nursery all trimmed in this week but still have yet to roller it. I picked a color called "coastal villa", I would describe it as a taupe (I couldn't fight the realtor's daughter thing) with maybe a hint of gray. It is a darker color and I really like it! I'm going to add in all the fun colors with the accessories and stuff!



And everytime I hear this song I think of our little guy: