26 Weeks



How Far Along: 26 weeks

Size of baby: He is now a pound and two thirds and measures 14 inches long - babycenter.com says about the size of an English hothouse cucumber (I have NO idea what that is)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have conveniently been avoiding the scale...I'll let you know after my next Dr. appointment :)

Maternity Clothes: Most definitely wearing maternity clothes - I don't like buying them so I try to make sure if I buy something I could still possibly wear it after...we'll see!

Movement: Baby gets more active each and every day.  There are days at the office that people in the other cubicles must think I'm crazy when I yelp because baby kicks so hard it startles/hurts me!  When I lay down at night on my left side baby moves his entire body over to the left side of my tummy and sits his little tush so I can feel him pushing :)

Sleep: While in Michigan sleep was ok, but my hips KILLED me from sleeping on a mattress that was super hard.  Since getting back I have been sleeping like a total log which is good, but these days I feel like I just can't get enough of it!  The worst is when baby is finally calm and asleep and I have to get up and pee at 4am and when I sit down on the toilet baby starts moving all around.  I just sit in the dark with the nightlight on thinking "damnit I woke the baby up!!" haha  After a few minutes of squirming he usually quiets down, but it's hard to go back to sleep when you have an almost 2 pound human inside of you stretching out!

Symptoms: After sitting in the car for 8 hours heading up to Michigan my ankles, feet, and toes were SO swollen I have to lay down and put my feet up.  I tried to stretch out and move my legs a lot in the car, but I guess that didn't help...I'll have to be sure to get up more when we travel to Mexico!

What I miss: Usually when we go up to Michigan we stay out late and hang out with friends, but these days my late is 10pm!  I didn't really miss the staying out late and socializing, but I do miss being able to stay up later than 9 or 10!

Cravings: I really haven't noticed a craving for anything specific.  I am not a donut fan, but while in Michigan I did have to stop by the local donut shop only because they do make some of the best! :)

Best Moment this week: The best moment this week would have to be seeing my grandmother who just a week ago was in the hospital from a heart attack. 

The Best Place on Earth!

Dane and I took a few days off over the holiday weekend to make a trip to Northport Point, Michigan where we both agree it may just be the BEST place on earth! :)  My grandparents have a lake house that they live at full time with my parents currently so we decided to get a little sun, r&r, and family time all in one long weekend.

Looking from our screened in porch :)

We expected that leaving on Friday would be a long drive with everyone heading up North for the Fourth of July, but our usually 7 hour trip turned into an over 8 and 1/2 hour trip!  Being pregnant and sitting in the car for that long is NOT fun, and for the first time in the 6 plus months I've been pregnant my feet, toes, and ankles were swollen when we got there.  We arrived and to my surprise there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway which happened to belong to a long lost cousin that I haven't seen since I was maybe 4 or 5!  My mom's cousin Bruce was in town to see his aunt (my grandmother) and it was amazing to see him and meet his family after over 20 years.  He and Dane hit it off immediately because they are both business men, and Bruce had great advice for Dane.  Unfortunately they had to leave bright and early the next morning, but when I woke up I found a note that my cousin Bruce had left for Dane on the counter.  I immediately teared up after reading his note that gave him an investment website to check out, told him to take care of his beautiful wife, and then said use the $50 (he paper clipped a $50 bill to his business card) to buy that baby a stock in Walt Disney from his cousin Bruce.  I haven't seen the man in 20 years, but it just goes to show that no matter how long it's been family is family and I was extremely touched by his generosity.

After cleaning the entire house on my first day in Michigan the sun FINALLY came out around 4 pm so I was able to sit outside and catch a few rays before the next wave of family arrived.  Dane and I decided that since we were invited to a cocktail party that night we should be social (even though I REALLY didn't want to go), but it was really good to see all my friends that I only get to see once a year up in Michigan. 

The rest of our weekend was spent down at our dock sitting in the sun, wading in the water, and best of all just relaxing!  Dane thought it was a good idea to use 12spf tanning oil the first day even though I begged him to use a minimum of 30spf and needless to say he learned his lesson quickly!

He was begging me for the 30 once the pink started showing up!

Don't worry everyone was using their sunscreen even baby!!

As you can see my belly button is flattening out and baby is really growing!

All in all I was so happy to be up in Michigan for some peace and quiet and to spend time with my grandparents who are getting older.  We hate to leave, and never get enough time up there, but we always hope we'll be back again soon! :)