27 weeks

what's cooking? [new baby things]: babe's lungs and immune system are coming right along.  they are growing and developing daily preparing her for life out here. she is sleeping in regular invervals, although i think she and i are opposite schedules.  go figure.  she can now open and shut her little baby eyelids, which do have eyelashes [awwww].   her brain is developing a lot right now.  i bet she's pretty smart in there.  babe weighs in at approximately 14½ inches and just over 2 pounds.
gender: teeny tiny little girl!

movement: she is a maniac.  she moves around all the time and she is getting so strong.  it is such a fun reminder that she is in there.  even at 4 in the morning, i get really excited to feel you wiggling around.

momma developments: major leg cramps in the middle of the night.  i've up-ped my water and banana intake in hopes that i won't wake up screaming in leg pain.  i'm still doing great!  my balance is getting worse and worse which should be comical.  i think it was this past week that i was trying on sandals and couldn't bend over sitting down to do the side clasp.  that was a new low.

total weight gain: 25-26 pounds.  yowzers.
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: still wanting to drink a lot of dr. pepper [which is a caffinated no-no] & craving deli meat sandwiches [which again i'm not supposed to have].  where are my vegetable-fruit-all-things-good-for-your-baby-cravings?

anything hard?finding time for it all - and i know that is a reality for me even when we aren't planning for a little addition.  my to do list is ever growing, we have so many friends to celebrate & family to visit.  we are so blessed to have so many people to love on [who love us well too!] juggling that and planning and working and celebrating all just requires mental energy & a gigantic planner that i currently lack.

registering.  i'm still trying to figure out baby things.  i registered for a good amount more this weekend online and hope to have our second location knocked out later this week.  what kind of a crazy world we live in where we can ask for all kinds of baby essentials [and non] and our sweet family and friends will actually help us get them?!  we are too blessed.  so i'm not complaining about registering, just mentioning that it is so hard to know what is right. 

i need to read one million baby books.  i've read...well zero.  i did sign up for some baby-classes but i still feel like i'm utterly under-educated for little missy.

never forget:
we've just completed your second trimester.  do you know what that means?  we're two-thirds done and only a little bitty bit to go.  i can hardly stand it.  i have such a mix of excitement to meet you and twinge of anxiety to be more prepared for you.
we narrowed down your name to three options!  albeit three completely different options than what we started with but i'm hoping that means we're closer to a name [rather than farther].  i can't wait until we have a final decision and i can call you something everyday.  from there we'll just be waiting to put a face with a name.  could not be more excited!

your poppa and i have been having so much fun with you lately.  we've gotten to spend some time together which means you all have gotten sweet time together too.  your pop loves you so much & just cannot wait for you to be out here with us.  he's been able to see & feel you move all over the place lately.  i think he's a little jealous that i get to spend so much time with you.  ;) he's been talking to you, playing tag with you and fixing up all kinds of things around the house for you.   your crib is all set up, your dresser finally has hardware & you know have a dimmer so you can pick how bright your room needs to be.

this past week you got to see lots of friends and family.  they think you are getting SO big.  you got to go to your bff parker's first birthday party. and the brzinski family was in town for your great-grandma carol's birthday too!  weekend o'fun.  i think you basically lived in a party hat this weekend.