26 Weeks - Baby "English Cucumber" Roland

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These past two weeks have flown by so incredibly fast! I feel like I blogged recently, yet it was two weeks ago! My goodness! Well, my energy has amazingly increased these last couple of weeks. Kyle and I have spent the last two out of three weekends painting our nursery and living room. Then this past week I started taking one class at Boyce College, here at Southern Seminary. I was nervous about starting a class this far into the pregnancy, but my professor is great and willing to work with me, and finals will be the week before she is due. So we're giving it a shot. Kyle started class this week at Southern and is continuing to keep up with his full-time job on campus. I'm so proud of him and how hard he works for our family! 

Well, here's what BabyCenter says about our little Baby Girl this week:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. 

Baby Fit says:

A pattern similar to life outside the womb is starting to develop. You may notice a distinct wake-sleep cycle, where periods of activity alternate with quiet times on a regular basis. Your baby's senses are coming into full bloom. She can't see yet, but she can hear, taste and feel, and her brainwave patterns are similar to those of a newborn. If your health care provider listens your baby's heartbeat now, he or she may notice a skipped beat, which is a condition known as an arrhythmia. Often this is normal and disappears as the heart matures. If it's still present when you are ready to deliver, a fetal heart rate monitor can detect any signs of distress. 

Baby Roland is definitely setting up a pretty good wake/sleep pattern so it was interesting to read about that this week. She is like her Mama... NOT a morning person... so she is usually pretty quiet in the mornings. But then she tends to come alive in the afternoon, pressing, kicking, punching, and flipping/turning. Late afternoons she naps again and then her evenings are spent in similar activities. Around bedtime, she wakes back up or rouses enough to let me know she is still there and needs more room. Thankfully, she has not been too busy during the middle of the night yet. At least she hasn't woken me. However, I did notice last night (around 4:30am) that when I got up to use the restroom, she was awake after I got back to bed. But only a little and then she quickly started her peaceful slumber again. (Thank you, Baby!)

I think it's interesting what Baby Fit says about me for this week. It is so true: 

Two thirds of your pregnancy is over, and you're really starting to feel the backaches, leg cramps and headaches more frequently as pressure within your pelvis builds. You'll continue to gain weight at the rate of about one pound (.45 kg) per week. As your baby grows, your uterus pushes up towards your ribs, which may feel sore. As uterine muscles stretch, you may occasionally feel a "stitch" in your side, similar to what happens when you run. But it won't be long now. Rest up, stay off your feet when you can, and get ready to be a mom! 

Yes, I am definitely feeling the backaches, pressure, soreness around my ribs, etc... as this little girl grows. In fact, as of last night, I've really noticed an increase in my discomfort when I sit up straight for any length of time. I was trying to study last night on a couch at the library on campus next to Kyle and by the end I was almost laying down because I had to keep stretching out. By the end of this semester (or even in a couple weeks) I may be laying flat to study! This should be interesting! 

I am also noticing even more how quickly I get out of breath and I'm like a snail when I walk up stairs! haha... However, it's been excellent for me to be up on campus three to four days a week because it forces me to get exercise as I walk all over campus and up and down stairs. This is one deciding factor for me in taking this class... it makes me exercise by just getting out! :-) 

My blood sugar does not seem to drop quite as low anymore, but after spending a couple weeks charting my protein levels every day for my birthing class instructor, I am sadly still falling below the required 100 grams per day! It's so hard to eat enough good, healthy protein! At least I'm not bottoming out like I was a few weeks ago. We'll see what my instructor says tonight at birthing class when I turn in my protein sheet. :-/

Well, sadly, now that I am a student again, I must spend time reading and studying. Hope you all have a wonderful week! Hopefully I can update sooner than two weeks next time. :-D I'll try to get some more baby bump pictures to show on here as well.