26 Weeks

Our main accomplishment this week was the big dint we put in nesting. With the help of my parents we managed to, as Mike likes to put it, "check 23 things off the To Do List." These items ranged from the large an onerous to very small, but most importantly, we've moved all the guest room furniture out Short Stranger's room, hauled it to charities, and now have the nursery furniture in and installed. We could do nothing else and would at least have a place for the little guy. Despite the pain that it took to assemble the changing table we love the the sleek look and rich tones of our new crib set, and are now working up our design for the decor to match the ensemble. So no pictures yet! We still have much to do in the nesting arena.

As for the Short Stranger himself, he is now apparently the length of not just any cucumber, but an "english hothouse cucumber." Sometimes babycenter.com can be oddly specific about their consumable metaphors. He seems to be sloshing about all over the place, since sometimes I feel him up near my ribs, and other times way down near my groin. He's also managed kick Mike in the head on several ocassions (Mike likes to listen to my belly to hear him move).

Babycenter.com has this to say about his developments this week:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you 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. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.