Week 27

This is the last week of 2nd trimester and time seems to be flying by at this point. With so much to think about and do, I wonder how I will get it all done!

About Baby: This week, our little girl continues to practice breathing in amniotic fluid and she has signs of brain activity! She weighs over 2 pounds and measures between 13.6 and 14.8 inches long. She can now open and close her eyelids which had previously been fused. And she can move her head from side to side as neck muscles become more flexible.

How am I feeling? Pretty good. I have slept better this week although there is still a lot of tossing and turning at night. I find I am more emotional. The last two times we have watched Undercover Boss, I have teared up when the boss revealed who they are and started giving away cash to people.

Movement: There are some days where she is more active than others, but I guess that is normal. I started doing kick counts this week even though I don't have to do it until 28 weeks. I found an app for my phone that makes it really easy. The other night when Dave and I were watching The Voice on TV, it felt like she was dancing! She must have liked the music. We will definitely have to start playing different types of music to see what she seems to like best. I think my little girl has the hiccups, which is apparently very common in developing babies as they learn how to breathe. It felt like a rhythmic pulsing and after reading a few websites, I think it was hiccups. A new sensation - how amazing!

Updates: I failed my one hour glucose test on Monday. Apparently this happens to about 20-25% of women. But the good news is that 66% of women who fail the one hour pass the three hour so I am cautiously holding out hope. My number for the one hour was in normal range for the one hour part of the three hour test. And I spoke with some other women who scored higher on their one hour than I did and passed the three hour. I can't get in to take the three hour test until after Christmas since I do not want to take a day off work. I am going to walk a lot between now and then and try to watch the sugars, except for a few Christmas treats.

Last Sunday I tripped and fell. Other than a little soreness and bruised ego, baby and I are fine. I saw my OB on Tuesday and little girl was playing hide and seek with the doppler, but she had a nice strong heartbeat. Because of the fall, I get an extra sneak peak at her next week with an ultrasound on Wednesday morning. I am now at the point where I will be seeing the OB every other week until about 36 weeks when I go to weekly appointments.

Food: Nothing different in this area. Still limited on what I can eat due to heartburn.

Prepping for Baby: I have not had time to do much for baby this week, but we have a name for her. After much discussion, consideration and input from friends, family and students, this little girl will be called.......Alexandra Suzanne! Dave and I both love the name Alexandra and there are so many different alternatives for nicknames including Ali, Alex and Lexi. Her middle name is Suzanne based on family tradition. Going back to my great, great grandmother Eliza, the first born daughter has gotten the name of the mother as their middle name. I am excited to carry on the tradition. We decided on Suzanne instead of Susan as we felt it flowed better, but still honored the family tradition.

Funny Story: Pregnancy brain has set in. The other night, I put my phone away in the carrier where the keys are kept and my keys in my purse before I realized what I had done.

Here is a bump photo I took this morning. It is pretty good considering how hard it is to take a decent mirror photo!