We are home

26 weeks 0 days (LMP) 24 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 118 pounds
waist: 34 inches

Your baby now weighs almost 2 pounds (910 g). By this week, its crown-to-rump length is around 9.2 inches (23 cm). Your baby is beginning to put on weight.

The measurement of your uterus is about 2.5 inches (6 cm) above your belly button or nearly 10.5 inches (26 cm) from your pubic symphysis. During this second half of pregnancy, you will grow about 0.4 inch (1 cm) each week. If you have been following a nutritious, balanced meal plan, your total weight gain is probably between 16 and 22 pounds.

We are back from California. We had a great trip. We visitied with lots of family. We also spent a few days roaming through Disneyland, SeaWorld, and the LA Arboretum. It was fun but exhausting ... I am really beginning to feel this pregnancy. I had a few minor contractions while we were away but nothing to really worry over. I am VERY glad to be home.

My 26 week belly pic ...

From Visembryo ...

Brain wave patterns resemble those of a full term baby at birth.

HEAD

Forebrain enlarges to cover all other developed brain structures, while still maintaining its hemisphere divisions. Eyes are partially open and eyelashes present. Sucking and swallowing improves.

THORAX

Lungs are capable of breathing air.

ABDOMEN

Fetal body is two to three percent body fat.

PELVIS

Testes of male fetuses are completely descended.

A small update from California

24 weeks 0 days (LMP) 22 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 115 pounds
waist: 33 inches

By this week, your baby weighs about 1.2 pounds (540 g). Its crown-to-rump length is about 8.4 inches (21 cm).

Your baby is filling out. Its face and body look more like that of an infant at the time of birth. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, it is still tiny.

We had a frightening time leading up to going away. Yesterday morning as I was driving into work I was in a pretty bad car accident. A young driver pulled out in front of a school bus , the school bus rear-ended him and sent him spinning across three lanes of traffic. He then hit me nearly head-on but instead scraped all the way down the driver's side of the van. Luckily, Jaida was not in the car with me and the dude is pretty well padded still. Anyhow, the accident left me feeling rattled and unsure of everything. When the paramedics arrived I actually felt okay albeit a tad shaken. All of my airbags deployed so luckily I was very cushioned from the initial impact. Joe came from work and took me home. Later that morning I called my midwife and she demanded that I go to the ER to be checked out since we had plans to travel the next day. So off to the ER we go. After about 4-5 hours in the ER they send me up to L & D for monitoring and some testing. I go up to L & D and they strap me to the monitors and sure enough I was contracting pretty regularly. So I ended up with about 4 bags of IV fluids as they tried to stop the contractions. Eventually, they loaded me in a chair and took me for an ultrasound. The little dude was no worse for the wear ... he was bopping all around. The placenta was still well attached, there were no bleeds and my cervix was still long and closed. So after a quick check by the OB on call, some more fluids, a blood test for something or the other, and a meal I was released. The OB gave me the reluctant okay to travel as long as I promised to take it really easy for a couple of days, drink a lot and go to the ER if I have any problems. So now we are safely in CA. I plan on resting tomorrow and then going from there. Happily, our insurance company is great and are handling everything while we are away. Hopefully, this will still be a good trip.

Getting ready for travel

23 weeks 0 days (LMP) 21 weeks 0 days

Your baby now weighs about 1 pound (455 g), and its crown-to-rump length is about 8 inches (20 cm). The baby is about the size of a small doll.

Your baby is continuing to grow. Its body is getting plumper, but its skin is still wrinkled because it will gain even more weight. Lanugo hair on the body occasionally turns darker at this time. The baby's face and body begin to assume more of the appearance of an infant at birth.

The baby's pancreas is developing. This organ is important in hormone production, particularly insulin production; insulin is necessary for the body to break down and to use sugar. When the fetus is exposed to high blood-sugar levels, the fetal pancreas responds by increasing the blood-insulin level. Insulin has been identified in a fetal pancreas as early as 9 weeks of pregnancy. Insulin in fetal blood has been detected as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy.

We leave for California a week from today. The trip promises to leave me feeling exhausted. We have much planned. I will update when we return.

BIG Movements

22 weeks 0 days (LMP) 20 weeks 0 days (Gestational)

weight: 113 pounds
waist: 32.5 inches

Your baby now weighs about 12.25 ounces (350 g), and its crown-to-rump length is about 7.6 inches (19 cm).

Your baby continues to grow; its body is getting larger everyday. The baby's eyelids and even the eyebrows are developed. Fingernails are also visible.

This little dude doesn't move constantly like Jaida did at this point but when he does it feels like he is trying to climb out of my body. Total monkey craziness. It is strange for the baby to already be distorting my belly with his movements.

Things are going well. The heartburn is still completely out of control but with lots of Tums I can at least function. Otherwise no real complaints.

Joe and I (well mostly me) are on a mission to get Jaida's new room painted and ready for her so we can get the nursery set up. I am feeling a strong need for organization right now and the room project is sort of a dominoe effect ... one thing needs to happen so everything else can be finished. We just need more time. I bought baby boy a new crib bedding set. It is a nice pastel moon and stars set and will go well with the existing pale yellow walls. I also bought a cute litte stars and moon mobile for the crib and a nightlight sort of lamo that is a yellow cresent moon with a blue star ... very soft lighting and sweet. All I really need/want now to complete the baby's room is a nice rug and some letters to spell out his name on the wall above his crib.

Jaida's new room will be a bit fancier but I will let her decorate it as much as she wants. I also bought baby boy a nice little miracle blanket just in case he (unlike his sister) will tolerate swaddling and back sleeping. http://www.miracleblanket.com/

I will post some new 22 week belly shots this afternoon.

From Visembryo:

Week 20 Post Fertilization...

Fetus may suck on thumb.

HEAD

Extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth) begins.

Eyebrows and scalp hair become more visible and fetus blinks more often. Lanugo covers body completely, although concentrated around head, neck and face.

THORAX

Heart beat grows stronger.

PELVIS

Testes of male fetuses begin descending from the pelvis into the scrotum.

LIMBS

Legs approach final length and proportion relative to body. Arms and legs move with more force, as muscles strengthen. Skeleton hardens. Hand strength improves.