Countdown!

Week 26

We had another successful appointment last week. Everything seems fine, her heartbeat is strong and in the 140's. We're having another ultrasound done at our next appointment and I can't wait! I love to see her moving around.. which she does all the time now. Her movements are getting very strong and starting to take on a pattern. She likes to wake up around 6 and kick and punch until mom's up, too. I don't mind though, I really enjoy the quiet hours of the day we get to spend together.

The kids in my class have been talking to her, too. They say "Hi, baby" and pet my belly. I was amazed by how easily they all accepted that there was a "baby in my belly", no questions asked, no strange looks given. They seem to really understand and use very gentle touches when talking to her. It's the sweetest thing. Searius told me "I love the baby, I want to see her". I do, too... I can't wait to see her face. 14 weeks to go!

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The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

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Week 23

I've been feeling great! Well, as great as I can anyway. I have a nice big belly and I'm still pretty comfortable. I'm going to enjoy it while I can... I've been told how miserable I'll get once I'm really big! I have started to have some back pain, but Joel's been giving me lots of back massages! And he went out and bought me some Bengay! Now I look AND smell great! haha.. 

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Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.