26 Weeks

How Far Along: 26 weeks!

Size of Baby: Tristan is 14 inches and weighs approximately 1-2/3 pounds.

Picture of Baby: None.

26 Weeks: The network of nerves in Tristan's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both my and Aaron's voice as we 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. (Information taken from BabyCenter's website).

Weight Gain: Yes, I'm gaining! No, I don't know how much.

Belly Pic: Tristan is taking over my belly!

Sleep: One night I can get the best sleep, the next night I toss and turn until the sun begins to rise. I feel pretty well rested, though. I'm very tired by the end of the day if I don't get a good night's sleep the night before.

Best Moment of the Week: Many, many good moments...most involving feeling Tristan move and noticing his patterns (like, kicking a lot when Ella is crying really loud or "napping" shortly after eating a big meal).

Movement: Some days Tristan is non-stop moving, some days not so much. My stomach is starting to roll with his movement now. Along with the kicks and jabs, Tristan is constantly rolling. Earthquake!

Symptoms: Heartburn is still an issue, and my lower back is starting to hurt more. I also get winded more easily (walking at Aaron's pace at the store is near impossible now). And, need I remind you of pregnancy brain? :)

Food Cravings: Sour dough bread. I can't get enough of it! More specifically, avocado/cucumber sandwiches. :) 

What I Miss: Nothing.

What I'm Looking Forward to: My glucose test was postponed to this coming Wednesday. Looking forward to getting that done with. And, I'm looking forward to rocking third trimester! :)

Weekly Wisdom: It's never too early for Braxton Hicks contractions. I felt tightness and discomfort yesterday, even when resting (usually I feel that when I'm walking around a lot), and it concerned me a bit. But, staying hydrated and resting really helped and I felt much better today. I'm for sure going to talk to my doctor about this at my next appointment, though. 

Milestones: Making it down to two double digits in days left! Can't believe it! Also, is 26 weeks considered the 3rd trimester? If so, that's a huge milestone, too! :)

Emotions: Happy, but hormonal, so my emotions are up, down and all over the place. Don't believe me? Ask poor Aaron. :)

Pregnancy Brain is Real

My cousin-in-law, who is a nursing student, said that pregnant women lose 6% of their brain throughout their nine months of pregnancy, and that it takes a full nine months to gain that 6% back.

I am a true believer of this fact.

From little things like asking my husband to "defrost" the oven, rather than preheat the oven to bigger things like accidentally signing up for the wrong dental insurance plan after spending hours (literally!) staring at the form, I am losing my mind!

I swear I should not be working in a law office right now! I'm a liability!

When Courtney (my cousin-in-law) told me about this lost 6%, I seriously started feeling better about myself. I've heard the whole "pregnancy brain" argument, but I thought it was an excuse that pregnant women used. That I used!

But now, it's no longer an excuse. It's a given fact. A fact that I am sharing with all my fellow pregnant women - to make you all feel a little bit better about yourself. :)

So, bear with me, world.

Bear with me whenever I take forever to come up with the word I'm looking for.

Bear with me when one out of every two times I have to run back in the house because I forgot something.

I'm only running at 94% capacity, and apparently this missing 6% makes all the difference in the world for me to function like a normal human being.

What I Woke Up To This Morning

I was hurting yesterday. Not pain, necessarily. But, pressure. And lots of it. I felt like I was expanding from the inside out.

And, sure enough, when I woke up this morning, I see that I really was!

I realize the baby can't grow that much overnight, nor can my stomach, but goodness, I just felt bigger when I woke up. And, when my mom saw me, she's like, "Whoa, did the baby grow since yesterday?" Moms always know. :)

Take a look for yourself!

I know little rockstar is measuring a week ahead, but seriously! Wow!

And, aside from a larger waistline, I also woke up to the sweetest image and I'm so glad I was able to snap a picture of it.

As you can imagine, Ella is the best of friends with our pug, Bob. She carries him into her bedroom and they are gone for the longest time. If you peek in, you'll find her reading to him, dressing him up, holding him, dancing with him...anything a 4-year old would do with a younger "sibling" that just so happens to be a dog.

And the most patient, understanding dog he is.

I guess since he's grown up with Ella (we got him when he was 2 months old), he's learned to trust her and love her. And there truly is a special love between the two of them.

So much love that lately, Ella is insisting on Bob sleeping in his crate in her bedroom. And, the nights that we don't haul the crate in there, we wake up to this.

We're not quite sure when she crawls out to join him, but she says it's light when she does it, so it can't be any earlier than 6:00 or so.

But, isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen???