27 weeks

The final week of the second trimester- I can't believe how quickly it has been going by! I was looking through my collection of baby bump pictures, and I remember thinking I was sooo huge at like 10 weeks LOL. Well, I think I am in for a surprise as baby will probably be getting much bigger as the third trimester approaches.

This week, according to my collection of info from babycenter.com, thebump.com, and whattoexpectwhileyoureexpecting.com, our baby has been sleeping and waking at regular intervals, practicing opening and closing his eyes, and developing those lungs by "breathing" the amniotic fluid. At this point (with lots of medical assistance) his lungs are developed enough for life outside the womb. He is about 2 pounds this week, and about 14.5 inches long from head to toe, comparable to a head of cauliflower.

I went back to work this week- the previous week, if you remember, was like a vacation for me : D Back to reality at some point though. They have been offering a lot of "excused unpaid time off" this week at work, and I am already entitled to 10 hours off a week by my doctor, so it has been hard not to gobble it all up when it is offered! I have been so tired and achy, it's nice to be at home with the luxury of a couch, bed, etc. But we need the money right now, especially with Mike being home for the last 4-5 weeks, we need to get this nest egg ready!! This weekend we plan on finishing up the paint job in Sean's room, and then hopefully next month we will be installing the new carpet.

My feet have been swelling again (I knew it was too good to be true when they stopped!) and consistently, every Friday (sometimes the day before or after too) my belly is achy- I think that Friday is his growth spurt day, so my tummy feels stretched and sore. Cold packs have been helping for the swollen feet a little, and I have been trying to avoid salty foods, but it is harder than you think! My biggest accomplishment this week has been avoiding getting sick- Mike caught a cold over the weekend, and was stuck on the couch all day Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday trying to kick it. And all I got was a scratchy throat and cough for a day or two, whoopee! Knock on wood it stays that way!! I think the worst thing I have been experiencing is the lack of sleep, even comparable to insomnia. I seem to fall asleep just fine, sometime between 9:30 and 11 pm usually. But right around 3 am is when I first wake up to go to the bathroom, and it is all downhill from there.... I am lucky if I can stay in bed past 6 am. Tossing, turning, achy hips, legs, feet, back, tummy, arms. Everything feels sore in bed at that point, and pillows don't help any more either. The only two nights I got a decent amount of sleep was after I ran a bath with Johnson and Johnson's bedtime bath bubbles. So I am trying to make a habit of doing that every night before bed.

Side note- remember my post from a month or two ago asking about the fruit in our backyard? Here is a pic of them now that they have ripened. I think they are satsumas, or some kind of tangerine. Whatever they are, they are delicious!!!