26 Weeks, 2 Days (maybe?)

James's hearing is continue to develop, and he's breathing in amniotic fluid to prep him for breathing air. His little eyes will open soon, if they haven't already, and he is more sensitive to light and sound. He starts wiggling when I play country music. I think it's because he loves it (after all, it makes me happy) but Matt thinks it's because he doesn't like it and wants it to stop. It's worth noting that Matt doesn't like country music, so he's biased.

He's supposedly 14 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds (typical for a 26 week old baby), but we know he's longer and weighs more. It's looking like he's further along, as mentioned in the last post. The earlier I get to hold my precious baby, the better! Except not right now. He needs to incubate a tad longer. I'd rather be able to hold him in early May than mid May, but I'll wait until whenever he's ready.

One website says he's the size of an English Hothouse Cucumber. Not just any old english cucumber, but a hothouse cucumber. OoOooOooOooOoooh.

Another website says he's the size of a head of lettuce.

Without the dressing.

In real baby time, here's what he looks like (but a tad bigger):

Things are getting more cramped in there (and my lungs/stomach/intestines/every cell in my torso can feel it), but he's getting stronger every day. It's amazing, but man, can his little kicks/punches hurt! Especially when they're on my ribs, bladder, or cervix. Those are off limits, buddy. 

I had an OB checkup today, and everything looks great. My weight and BP are exactly where they should be (I'm still weighing less than I did before I conceived, but I'm keeping more food down, yay!), and his heart rate was 165. That's higher than it was at the ultrasound, but still normal. Also, I found out that my placenta is in the back on the bottom. He likes to lay on top of it. I guess it's like a pillow to him? My next appointment is in 3 weeks, and my next ultrasound is a few days after that. I'll start going to the OB and getting scans more frequently to check on his progress, but so far things are looking wonderful.

Sirius has started lying his head on my belly more. Think he knows? :) I think so.

Lots of love from our family to yours!