Of course the planning and packing can involve some stress and strain, but it will all be worth it. My immediate prayer is that we have a peaceful flight home. A lofty goal with two year olds? The previous flights with the girls have been less than "fun" ... so maybe we'll get lucky this time. And .. when we arrive I'm praying I can relax and just go with the flow. There are so many people I want to see ... and things I'd like to do. And -- not focus too much on our return. When we get back ... it will be FULL SPEED AHEAD with only about 2 months until the new baby arrives!! That time will go fast and I'm doing my best to savor my last months with the girls.
Onto that "baby"!! :)
Gestation: 26w/4d
Gender: We're keeping the "guessing" alive!! It's been fun talking with various people about the unknown gender because almost everyone has an opinion! Right now I would say most people lean toward BOY .... but I often wonder if that is because we already have 2 girls. Either way we are going to be equally tickled ... pink or blue! The suspense is mounting for me!
Baby's Growth: Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago. (WOW!)
Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.
Baby's movement: This continues to ramp up and I've started to be able to "see" the movement from outside my tummy. Last night ... I asked Ms. K to put her hand on my tummy and feel the baby move. It was so precious. Minutes later ... she had her hand on her own tummy ... saying "baby". Oh .. someday my love ... a long, long time from now! :)
Mama's growth: Well....I'm not exactly sure on my physical growth, but I definitely feel like I've had a "hunger spurt". In doing some reading - it's clear the baby is growing rapidly right now. I'm not usually one to be bothered by hunger pangs. But this week ... they've been quite apparent and unfortunately mostly in the middle of the night. Sleep has been a real issue this week and so when I've been awake I've literally been lying in bed feeling like I'm starving to death. I should just get up and eat something, right? .... but for whatever reason the thought of shoving a granola bar down my throat at 2am when I'm so tired and irritated because I'm not sleeping doesn't appeal to me. Seems counterproductive because perhaps it would help me back to sleep. Hoping this phases passes because typically eating a good evening meal gets me through til morning and hunger hasn't kept me awake. My many "middle of the night" bathroom trips have ramped up again, too. I can definitely see a pattern with this in pregnancy. Seems like bathroom related wakings are very frequent in the beginning .. somewhat slow down in the middle .. and then RAMP up again closer to the end of pregnancy. I'm in the ramped up stage once again.
Cravings: Nothing really new to report here this week. Looking forward to some "home cookin'" in the next few weeks, though!
Struggles: We've had some major sleep issues here this week. BOTH girls have been up and down several nights. And -- the hubs has been under stress AND under the weather. He's just days away from taking another HUGE EXAM (an oral exam this time) and has been battling the same cold the girls have had the past few weeks. One night Ms. R woke before 3am and refused to go back to sleep - at all! We haven't uncovered any real reasons why the girls are waking ... which is almost more frustrating. I'm doing my best to put my worries at bay about their sleep while we are at home. Thinking of them sleeping in a new environment and different time zone ... has caused me to lose sleep! How silly! Here's hoping it all goes much better than my middle of the night worries!
Favorite happening of the week: Anticipating our arrival home....seeing loved ones.. and sharing our precious girls with so many people. They have changed "a bit" since we've been gone!
Here's to one last full day of power-packing and staying calm under pressure at the airport .... with ... 3 bags of luggage ... 2 car seats ... a double stroller ... 2 backpacks packed FULL of sippys, blankies, puppies, books, SNACKS... oh ... and not to forget -- TWO toddlers! ;)
With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!
Good luck with your trip back home! Enjoy your time with your family and friends. And, it's actually been nice and "mild" around here! Merry Christmas!
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