26 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. 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. How your life's changing: Around this time, your blood pressure may be increasing slightly as it returns to its normal pre-pregnancy range. (It was at a low from 22 to 24 weeks.) Though preeclampsia most often occurs in the last trimester, this is a good time to be aware of the warning signs of this dangerous condition that occurs in about 3 to 7 percent of all pregnancies. Signs you should be alert for include swelling of the hands and face, sudden weight gain (due to water retention), blurry vision, seeing spots before your eyes, sudden severe or persistent headaches, or upper abdominal pain. By checking for high blood pressure and protein in your urine, your caregiver will monitor you for preeclampsia at your routine prenatal visits, but call her immediately if you have any of these symptoms before your next appointment. Early identification of preeclampsia is essential for the health of you and your baby. If your back seems a little achy lately, you can thank pregnancy hormones (which are loosening up your joints and ligaments) and your shifting center of gravity. Walking, standing, or sitting for long periods, bending and lifting can all put a strain on your back. A warm bath — or cool compress — might bring relief. Or you may want to schedule a prenatal massage by a trained therapist. Use a pregnancy wedge when sleeping, to support your back and abdomen. Try to maintain good posture, which will help reduce the strain on your back, and always take care when bending and lifting. If you experience severe pain or numbness in any area of your body, call your practitioner.

How I'm doing: I'm doing well. A few aches and pains for part of this week--typical pregnancy issues. Those have all pretty much resolved now and I'm feeling good again. My flexibility is returning thanks to yoga classes twice a week. I'm hoping that will help me during labor and recovery. I've also been going to the gym in addition to yoga. Work going is fine. I have noticed that my back is getting uncomfortable by the afternoon since most of my day is spent sitting. My tailbone is also sore. I'm sure all my joints and moving and spreading making room of the baby's exit route. I'm still planning on working as long as possible so all my time off can be spent with the baby.

We set up the crib last night. Thankfully there weren't too many pieces. Today we went out and purchased the crib mattress. Scott did a lot of research to find just the right one. We went with a Simmons. So now our crib is all set up for baby.

Baby's corner:
You can see why we don't need a bassinet for this baby. You can see our bed on the left-hand side just next to the bookcase.

Mostly likely we'll move that bookshelf out of the room to add a little more space. Next weekend's project is to get the changing table area set up.

Since we had the camera out, Scott took a new picture of the bump:

Baby is getting big and strong. Scott was able to see her kick from the outside of my belly. That was exciting since he's still not sure he has felt her kick (I think he has though).

It's a three-day weekend! Scott has to work at least half the day on Monday but I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing day.