26 weeks [a few days late]

 26 weeks


[two attempts at bump pics, both completely heinous - 26 weeks must have been rough. yikes.]

what's cooking? [new baby things]: babe can breathe now, her lungs are expanding and all - even though she doesn't need to because she's swimming around.  her eyes are completely developed even though her eyelids are still closed [for now].  this week her brain has begun to register light & sound.  i've been telling ben to watch his mouth around her.  she now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches, about the length of a burp cloth. she's still working on getting chubby.

gender: teeny tiny little girl!

movement: non.stop.  she's moving all the time, morning, noon and night - but before dawn and after dark continue to be her prime.  i'm sure she's just keeping house, doing her stretches & practicing ballet.  this weekend may be her most active yet.  LOTS of friends and family have been able to feel her move around now.  she's spreading around the love.

momma developments: itching.  a lot.  belly, palms & the bottom of my feet.  that + hyperdermagraphism = what a mess.  still feeling happy and healthy.  this week i was a little less crazy emotionally - that was a nice change.  i almost fell right over trying to pick something up.  that happened.  my belly button continues to flatten out.  i think an outtie might be inevitable.  last but not least, i can't remember a darn thing.  my brain is basically mush.  to-do lists are my new best friend.

[monstrosity attempt 2 - at least the babe is still real sweet]

total weight gain: 20-22 pounds.

maternity clothes: maternity bottoms always.  some maternity tops and some normal.  regular dresses are still doing the trick.  i'd love to have some more maternity tops, i've feeling pretty constricted these days.

cravings: just eating much more than any girl should.  nothing special really.

anything hard?
this week basically flew by.  i can barely remember what's happened in the past seven days...but i'll try.

we registered this week.  this should be in the "hard" and "unforgettable" category.  it was exciting to imagine ourselves with a real baby who would need all these gadgets but completely difficult to know what is best.  i'm sure this is just the parenting 'tip-of-the-iceberg" when it comes to feeling unprepared & inadequate for such a responsibility.  we don't know much about kids or kid products so...picking out everything to get her through her first year or more was nothing short of overwhelming.  dancing to the loud music while ben sang to me was just about the only thing that got us through.  i'll definitely need to go back and scan some more.  we wussed out early.

balance has continued to be rough.  juggling it all can be difficult.

picking out fabric for your room.  this is about as tough as naming you [except i know this won't last as long as your name].  i am hoping that by the end of this week i'll have something 100%, ordered and on its way to me!

never forget:
we are down to double digit days until she comes!  holy moly.  its so exciting and scary all in one.  when we get to single digit weeks i may just pass out.  on monday we were exactly 3 months away from her due date.  ahhhh.

we got you a twin bed frame from craigslist.  we're going to paint it up pretty and give momma a place to rest when you're really little and up in the middle of the night.  later on you can use it yourself.  you'll be much bigger by the time that happens.

this week you got to go on lunch and dinner dates with lots of friends and your grandparents and great-grandparents.  you also went to another bridal shower for our sweet friend rachel h.  you loved meeting all the new people.

two other highlights of your week were 1. babysitting parker.  you kicked while i played with p almost the whole time.  i'm thinking that means that you and he will be best friends someday. 2.  you got to meet baby maeli twice.  oh what a fun little girl you have going ahead of you.  i bet she's going to teach you how to climb trees someday.  it was really fun to see such a brand new baby.  after we met maeli your dad and i got so excited about you.  your dad told me all about how excited he is that you're developing in my belly and growing into a little person.

and finally, momma got you a diaper bag this week.  it's really just a purse that i'm going to call a diaper bag.  it was a quarter of the price and is covered in pockets, perfect for all your trinkets. whoop whoop.

baby info sources:
baby center
parents connect
what to expect