29 Weeks

Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:

Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected.

Baby's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with.

And speaking of energy, baby is on fire these days. I feel my share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when I'm lying down. Or maybe those are flip turns! Eric hopes that she is training for the mile.

This week baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

Ugh

Basement flooded last night, at least 6 inches of water. And it came out of the drain, so there is a nice smell to it. Needless to say, our 7 month old carpet is ruined and being ripped up. We have guys working on it now and they are going to sanitize, deodorize, and make sure nothing molds. I've been a very hormonal pregnant woman today, it's hard seeing our carpet go in the trash. We'll probably have to install a sump pump and some valves in the drain so it doesn't happen again. As of 9pm last night the rain fall had doubled the previous record.

Fun times, this was before it got bad:

28 Weeks

As the Big Day nears, baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

Baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Baby has begun having rapid eye movement. Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born.

Babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.

In more exciting news, Eric's parents were in town this weekend and his dad painted the nursery!!! It's so beautiful! I absolutely love it, it's bright and cheery and a happy place for little Emily.

Here's Grandpa Greg painting:


Here's a shot of the corner, you can tell the color a bit here:



And we're repainting all the trim, can you tell a difference? HAHA




Once we get things all situated I'll post more, but didn't want to keep everyone waiting for too long!

27 Weeks

Baby's lungs and immune system are maturing this week as baby prepares for her grand entrance. If she were born today she would have an 85 percent chance of surviving as her lungs are capable of breathing air (with medical assistance, of course). Other exciting developments:

Baby's done a lot of growing over the past few months. Her length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that's not the only thing growing—baby's brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. Her brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby.

Baby now weighs in at approximately 14½ inches and just over 2 pounds, or about the size of a roast.

Next week Eric's parents are coming into town and we're painting the nursery!! I'm so excited. Plus they sent little Emily some diapers and outfits for Valentine's Day. Hope everyone is enjoying the day. I spent it doing 5 massages and came home to only the dog since Eric is out of town this weekend =(. That's ok though, because we had a great date night last weekend. Today was my last Saturday at the health club!! Yay!!! Which is really good since I had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions from being on my feet for 8 hours today, no worries all is good now. 13 weeks to go (or 11 if I'm lucky).

26 Weeks

Air sacks are developing in baby's lungs, which means it just might be possible for baby to take a breath at the end of this week. The air sacks (technically called alveoli) will continue to grow for the next nine years. The membrane that keeps the alveoli separate from the blood vessels is now thin enough to allow for that oxygen–carbon dioxide exchange we call breathing.

Brainwaves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in baby's noggin this week. That means baby's brain is registering things like sound and light. She can't understand what any of it means yet, but she's on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time!

Baby has now completed two-thirds of her stay in Hotel Womb. Baby is about 1 2/3 pounds and is 14 inches long head-to-heel, or about the length of a burp cloth.

We start our childbirth classes this Monday. This is my last week in the second trimester, next week we're onto the third and final. 97 days to go!

99 DAYS!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are now in the double digits. Only 99 days to go!!!!

25 Weeks

Wow! Starting the 6th month, this is going fast! If Eric puts his ear to my belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up my antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

I promise a belly shot next week!!