Week 25

I've been getting lots of requests for more pics of my bump, and hopefully, I'll get some up in the next week or two. We left our camera charger in Jamaica last month, so I just have to get a new one. In the mean time, though, here's how the baby and pregnancy have progressed so far:

Pregnancy Symptoms
Most of my pregnancy symptoms I mentioned in a few posts past have luckily gone away. The one that has stuck around, though, is lack of sleep at night. I'm still frequently waking up to change positions or go to the bathroom. I guess the interruptions are just nature's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights I'll be getting when the baby actually arrives. Other than that, my bump just continues to grow, and I started using tummy butter to hopefully prevent stretch marks. I read that stretch marks are just genetic, that there's no proof that lotions or creams work, but it can't hurt to try them, right? One more symptom that has begun is swelling ankles. I think they'll get better when school is over because, then, I won't be on my feet all day, but for now, it helps to just prop my feet up on the couch for about an hour when I get home. Hopefully, the summer heat won't magnify the problem too much, or I'll be walking around with the worst cankles ever.

Baby's Development
My last few doctor's appointments have just been quick checks of his heartbeat, but my next one (in two weeks) will be the blood sugar screening which tests for gestational diabetes. I think they'll also be checking for iron-deficiency anemia. Hopefully I won't have any issues, though, and things will continue to go smoothly!

According to everything I've read, the baby is about the size of an eggplant right now and weighs between 1.5 and 2 pounds. For still being such a lightweight, though, he sure can kick! He definitely seems to be making my uterus into some sort of gymnasium. It's funny to see my stomach bounce up and down he twists and turns, and I like to picture him either doing kickboxing or gymnastics in there. He definitely seems to be a hyper little guy right now. His skin is very transparent and wrinkly since fat hasn't formed under it yet, maybe resembling a furless, see-through Shar Pei? His face is fully formed, his lungs are beginning to develop, and he can hear most noises outside the womb. Apparently, he'll already recognize Mike's and my voices when he arrives! I read, too, that it's pretty noisy inside the womb. He can hear my lungs filling with air, blood rushing through my veins and arteries, my heart beating, stomach gurgling, and voice. I should also be able to hear his heartbeat with a stethoscope now, so my friend, Sonya, who sells medical equipment/devices, is going to bring one to me in a week or two when she comes to visit from Ohio. Her husband is returning from a year-long deployment; yayayayay for his safe return and their reunion!