26 Weeks

This week has been really exciting because I am able to feel Caileb's move more and more (and a lot stronger). On Sunday night while watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics my husband was able to see Caileb's movements- although he still has not felt them... Caileb has a tendency to stop all movement when he knows that Ricas is around! Another piece of exciting news is that we are beginning the nursery! We got his comfort set in and will be getting the crib this weekend- I'm so super excited because this makes it even more real! I can't believe we are just about 90 days away from meeting our son- I know it's still months away, but when i think of 90 days it makes things so much closer.

Our good friends found out that they are expecting and she is 2 months pregnant. I'm so excited for them and the journey they are beginning. I'm hoping they have a boy, otherwise Caileb and Alex (Caileb's already friend) will be fighting over who gets to date Maddox.

At any rate, I'm so excited for all that God is preparing us for and the days to come!

New this Week: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is my mom's birthday!

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

24 Weeks

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.

Today we had our regular 4 week appointment and Dr. Chesney says that Caileb is growing fine and so am I. To date I am still having a wonderful pregnancy- no sickness, food aversions, or serious problems. Lately the only problematic symptom that I've had is heartburn/indegestion- and it is HORRIBLE. There is no method to this madness, no food that makes it worse- I can eat the most bland food, drink water or simply breathe air and there it goes- a firey attack of my esophagus. Usually I can pop a few Tums and drink some milk and it subsides, but if it continues we will be making a doctor's appointment (this can't me natural)!

At any rate here's the update on how Caileb is growing: 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.