27 weeks -- Third Trimester!

Good morning Third Trimester! Oh my goodness haha.

Baby Lew is so much stronger these days. It seems anyone who wants one can get a swift kick. Last week he even kicked his daddy in the head! Daddy was just trying to see if he could hear his heartbeat. I guess he wanted his privacy!

Here's me today:




And what's going on this week:

Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

26 weeks!

Less than 100 days to go now!!!! How crazy is that!?!? This is my last week in the 2nd trimester. It's weird to think how fast time is going and soon we will be parents of a little boy.

His room is almost complete. The carpet will be installed next week I think. The furniture came last week. Andy put together the dresser and the changer/dresser. Of course it came in a million parts. I told him it's just the beginning of things to be put together in a zillion pieces and poor directions haha. The crib we didn't put fully together yet because it doesn't fit through the door, so we'll wait. It's ok because we're waiting on a part anyways.

Here's me at 26 weeks:



What's going on with baby this week:

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are now beginning to open. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!").

The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.


Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.

fromwhattoexpect.com

25 weeks!

Time is flying by way too fast!!! The baby is getting so much more active and stronger too!!! There is no doubt now when others feel, it is him. I can't get over how much my body is changing and cannot get over that I still have 15 weeks to grow!!!

Andy decided this was a good time to buy diapers this weekend, so we bought 2 boxes at BJ's and he feels much more prepared now!

Here is what is going on with baby this week:

At nine inches and more than a pound and a half in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes (an analogy you'll find particularly apropos in a few years, when those juice boxes start taking over your refrigerator, your pantry, your car.…).

Don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker. No, not because he or she's getting overheated (in fact, the amniotic fluid is perfectly climate controlled, keeping your baby at an always comfortable temperature), but because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in your baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales.

The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows your little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, your baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?)

fromwhattoexpect.com

And he is now an:



from thenest.com

And here is me of course:

24 week baby bump...and a bonus pic

And Baby Lew's daddy is officially a Locomotive Engineer!!!!

Just to add:

MY FEET ARE GONE!

haha!

Yes it's official, I can no longer see my feet!

24 weeks

Only 16 more weeks left! Crazy!!!

Let's see....FINALLY last night Andy got to feel the baby kick. And he kicked him HARD a few times too! hahaha. Pretty funny actually. Also, my mom got to feel him kick yesterday too! He's definately getting a lot stronger now. Last week he was kind of quiet and I didn't feel him that much, however today he has been going nuts all morning, so I think it will be another active week!

His room is all done now, except for getting carpet. We need to go and order that.

The summer heat is a little rougher than I was expecting, but I'll make it!

Here's what is going on this week:

Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!).

Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

from whattoexpect.com

23 weeks!

Wow 23 weeks already! This is my last month in the 2nd trimester! Wow! Baby boy is SO active. He is always moving it seems. He already has pretty distinct patterns though with sleep and play.

Yesterday morning Andy & I were standing around and Chester barked real loud, and do you know it made his baby brother jump already!?! Crazy!

Andy spent his whole weekend working on the room. He really did an amazing job. Although the room is just a mess though with all tools and whatnot. Next part is buying carpet. Here is what it looks like now:






And my 23 week baby bump:







Here is what is going on this week:

At eight inches and slightly over a pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll. (But then, you already knew that you were carrying a living doll, didn't you?) This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double (and you may feel as though yours is too).

You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb!

Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his or her little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops during fetal growth. But don't worry. By the time your baby is born, he or she will be pleasantly plump and filled out — from chubby cheeks to chubby toes.

whattoexpect.com