26 weeks

How far along?  26 weeks
How big is baby?

What’s baby doing this week?

• Her eyes have started to open.
• And her eyelashes are now grown, too.
• She's getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up my antibodies.
• She's taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

Total weight gain/loss? 

Is no comment an appropriate answer?? I have no gained about 15 pounds. And it's almost exclusively in my butt. Just ask my maternity jeans that don't fit anymore.

Symptoms? 

I have the backache from hell if I lay on one side for more than about 30 minutes. This makes for a VERY restless night of tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable. When I do finally get comfortable I can't sleep anyways though. I have decided I might give up soon and spend my night hours taking pictures of David while he sleeps and cleaning the house. School does start in a week though so maybe I can just stay up late reading Norton's Anthology of English Literature. That's sure to put me to sleep!!!
Maternity clothes?  Let's not talk about the jeans...But I am making the switch to just leggings and sweatpants. It's better this way.
Stretch marks? I can see a few starting :( Add those to the ones I've already got and I think it's safe to say that my bikini days are long gone!
Sleep?  I think I covered that above lol
Best moment of the week? I started buying a few more baby things which is fun!
Food cravings Nothing specific

Movement? Tons of it. She is quite the wiggle worm and she's already found her way up under my ribs. I'm in trouble!!! 

Labor signs? Nope!
Belly button in/out?Halfway popped out

What I miss: Bar dates!
What I am looking forward to: Well, we had a huge weekend planned. David and I were going to drop Nate off at grandma's, go to Appleton, get a hotel and shop until we dropped followed by dinner and a movie. But then our direct deposit managed to get stopped unbeknownst to me and my bank account is now missing two sizable checks. That said, our trip has been postponed since I have to wait for them to come by snail mail now. So...as irritated as I am, I guess it just gives me a whole another week to look forward to my big trip!

 Milestones: Another week is over! Let's keep this baby cooking. 2 weeks until we hit our next major milestone at 28 weeks!!

25 weeks

How far along?  25 weeks
How big is baby? Cauliflower, but I am starting to question this baby= food thing because I know that Noah was way bigger than cauliflower when he was born. So, I think I might switch over to estimated measurements (about 13.6-14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.)

What’s baby doing this week?

• She's enjoying her new sense of equilibrium -- she now knows which way is up and which is down.
• She's growing more fat and more hair too!
• If she was going to be born this week her NICU survival rate is 82%!!!

 Total weight gain/loss? Having a hard time remembering where I started-- but around 10-12 pounds

Symptoms? Just leg pain and insomnia
Maternity clothes?  Yep
Stretch marks? I think they are starting
Sleep?  Still am a victim of my husband's snoring. I can't handle it! I might sleep on the couch...
Best moment of the week? Nathan getting to run the doppler and hear his sister's heart!
Food cravingsNothing really this week

Movement? She gave me a little worry from Tuesday night-Wednesday morning when she stopped wiggling but now she's kicking up a storm again!
Gender? Girl
Labor signs? Nope!!
Belly button in/out? Halfway out!

What I miss: Belly sleeping
What I am looking forward to: We are taking a birthing class on Wednesday (sorry David that we have to spend your birthday doing that!!!) Also thinking about our big shopping trip next weekend (eeek!!! SOOO excited for that!!!!) I am starting to REALLY look forward to meeting this little girl and I have realized that keeping her name a secret is making it even more exciting for me. I am horrible at keeping secrets and want to scream her beautiful name from my balcony!

 Milestones: I passed the gestation where Noah was born, but outside that,every day from here on out is a milestone as our little miss practices her breathing and develops those little lungs.

24 weeks

How far along?  24 weeks--- YES!
How big is baby? Cantaloupe- about a foot long and just over a pound

What’s baby doing this week?

• The child is now gaining around 3 ounces (90 grams) a week.
• Baby weighs about 1.3 pounds and is 12 inches long.
• The eyelids can be seen very clearly.
• If born at this stage is officially considered viable, she may well be able to survive.

  Her lungs are developing branches of the respiratory tree and cells that produce surfactant. This is a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily and also keeps the small air sacs in our lungs from collapsing. The baby practices breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid into developing lungs. The unborn baby is covered with a fine, downy hair and the skin is protected by a waxy substance. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed.

Baby gains about 3 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs. The body begins to fill out with its appearance increasingly becoming more like that of a newborn. Taste buds begin to form. If I drink something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing her distaste.

Total weight gain/loss?Around 7 pounds when I weighed myself last night, but that was after a big dinner so I'm thinking I am still sitting at the 5 (maybe 6 pound) mark. I will find out when I go in for my appt on Monday!

Symptoms? Holy pinched sciatic nerve Batman! It just never ends. Dead leg galore! But, I'll take that over puking any day of the week.
Maternity clothes?  Yep
Stretch marks? I think I have one starting. I have had such incredibly sore skin, like a bruise. So I finally looked in the mirror at the bottom of my bump and I see a little pink stripe. YUCK! There goes my dreams of no new stretch marks. But it's a stretch mark within a stretch mark. Who knew that was possible? Hopefully that means it won't be as noticeable since it's already in stretched out skin.
Sleep?  The pregnancy induced insomnia is starting. It's awful. I think a  lot of it is due to my hubby's never ending snores (seriously guys- it's bad!) I usually wake up around 4:30-5 and am up for awhile, then I fall back asleep for a few more hours. The weird preggo dreams are kicking in on top of it all and combined with my dead, aching leg that keeps me tossing and turning I would say it's safe to admit I'm pooping out! Might be time to add a nap into my day ;) (hee hee, "yeah right" says every other mom of a three year old)
Best moment of the week? I was talking with Nathan about how it would be his job to help look after his baby sister and keep her safe. And as part of a "practice drill" I asked how he would react if he saw a boy kissing his sister. He told me he would run and get dad (not the answer I was looking for.) I asked what he would get his dad for and he told me it was so that he could get his gun, since he (Nate) is not allowed to touch them. Oh boy! It looks like this little girl's boyfriends are going to have to contend with not just one, but two disgruntled men cleaning guns at the dining room table on date night!!!
Food cravings Do Resee's Peanut Butter Cups count as food??

Movement? TONS! This kid is a little wiggle worm and I love every second of it. She is quite the crotch stomper though and will get you out of nowhere. I love watching my belly roll back and forth with her.
Labor signs? No
Belly button in/out?Flat with one half looking like it might be about ready to pop

What I miss: The gym! The way this girl lays it seems I can't even get the dishes done without an achy pelvis, working out seems to be out of the question. I am really looking forward to getting my butt back in shape though. I never thought I would be that person but I really do miss my exercise!
What I am looking forward to: Every day from here on out as my little miss grows bigger and stronger and more ready to meet this world.

 Milestones: Today is V-day!! Also, this week we will pass the gestation where I had Noah.