26 Weeks

Wow.  This is getting crazy.  It's UNBELIEVABLE how much my belly has grown and how much I can feel him moving around in there.  This little guy kicks HARD!  It's so fun to feel something like a foot or hand hit where you touch.  It's not just movement.  You can actually feel something under there.  It's also insane how uncomfortable things are getting.  It really does take a lot of effort to move around.  It truly is like carring around extra weight in front of you.  It's not just part of you...it's something extra stuck on you.  It's weird and I'm not entirely sure how to explain it...  In the mean time, MAYBE you'll get an idea what I mean when you look at these pictures.  I can't believe I actually took pictures of my NAKED belly!  But somehow I find it fascinating what it looks like and how it's shaped.  Please forgive me if it's too much or a little inappropriate. 






  



 



 


Well, there we have it.  My big, fat belly.  Lol.  Anyways, the little guy (who is most likely Hudson or Lincoln at the moment...Rowan isn't going away either...we will see when he's born!) is around 2 pounds now.  Apparently you should start to be able to hear his heartbeat from the outside now if you put your ear up to my belly, but Kyle has yet to experience that.  He keeps trying, but no luck so far.  Obviously I'll never get to try that, lol.  His tiny little capillaries are forming which make him more pink.  He's getting his immune system ready to fight off stuff when he's born.  His eyes are forming (but most babies are born with blue eyes and then they change to their permanent color several months after they're born) and he's practicing blinking!  :P  He's somewhere around the 15 inch range.  Right now he's the size of an eggplant for the next 3 weeks.  I can hardly believe this time next week marks exactly 3 months until we are going to meet him!  Or sooner, or later! 



Yay 3rd trimester!  I'm STILL not up to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm only 1-2 lbs. away.  I'm just grateful to go through my first 2 trimesters weighing less!  And the doctor's said everything looks fabulous, so that's why I'm not worried about the whole weight thing.  It will be interesting to see how much I DO end up gaining by time he's born.  A lot can happen between now and then!  But I'm still faithfully going to the Y to walk/run 2 miles a day and lift weights.  I believe it's really helping me stay healthy.  Even though I don't feel it...I mean, some days I feel wonderful, other days are a struggle.  I've started experiencing numbing anywhere and everywhere on my body.  Something is numb at every point.  Usually it's my pinkies, hands, left butt cheek, or right around my lower rib area.  It's weird and annoying.  But I guess I'll take that anyday compared to the back pain and nausea! 

I found out today the teachers are throwing me a shower on Thursday, April 14th.  5 minutes later I find out my cheerleaders and their moms are throwing me a shower Tuesday, April 12th!  Add that to my Marion shower on Saturday, April 2nd, Kyle's family's shower Saturday, April 16th, the Mississippi shower Saturday, April 30th, and the Michigan shower Saturday, May 14th, and that's a total of 6.  Holy cow.  This child has NO idea how blessed he already is!  I have the best friends and family in the world.  It brings me to tears everytime I think about it.  I can't wait to introduce him to all these people that are so eagerly awaiting his arrival.  :) 

Until next time...