26 Weeks

First off, I apologize for being extremely late this week. It's my final week in school (for this semester) and with exams and such, I've had a one track mind. This has really been a hard semester for me, but I'm determined to get the hell out of these classes and never look back, so I've been a study crazed pregnant lady lately. On with the pregnancy news: We hit our double digit countdown!! I am in total disbelief that our baby girl will be here in less than 100 days! It gets more real to me every day.

We went on our hospital tour last Satuday, which was interesting. We live in a decent cized city, with 5 or so hospitals, and we decided to go with the smallest of them all. What interested us in this particular hospital was the fact that because of it's size, the nurse to patient ratio was outstanding. (We confirmed this during our trip to L&D. They were so attentive, and checked in almost constantly) Only a few, and I mean maybe 1 or 2, babies are born there each day. Compared to 10+ at the other hospitals, I find it comforting to know that Lily's birthday will be even more of a special occasion to the staff. They are also very family oriented. It's a religious hospital, and their beliefs translate into their jobs. They truly try and take care of their patients like they were a member of their own family. Once you're in your post delivery room, you may have as many visitors as you'd like. That was important to me, especially since the other hospitals are only allowing two visitors during your stay. Jack and I have our entire immediate families within 20 minutes of the hospital, so of course we'd want more than 2 visitors.

**How far along? 26 Weeks! 14 to go!

**Total weight gain/loss: I'm excited to report- 0 this week!! Total is still 20.

**How big is baby?: Huge. Okay around 1 3/4 lb.

*Maternity clothes? Oh yes...

**Stretch marks? Still the same - just that one lonely mark on my boob.

**Sleep: Horrible. a disaster. pointless. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point. I'm itchy, sore, can't breathe, and I have to pee constantly. Makes for a wonderful night of sleep. (Or should I say, lying in the bed wide awake all night?)

**Best moment this week: Everytime I hum, she starts kicking. I don't think she's too fond of my actual singing, but she likes the humming. It makes me melt every time. :)

**Movement: She still thinks she training for a heavyweight kickboxing match. I love it!

**Food cravings: blah - anything I see, I eat. So I guess my craving is food in general? Healthy, I know.

**Gender: Sweet baby girl!

**Labor Signs: Let's hope these stay away for a while!

**Belly Button in or out? Wow it is sooo close to being a permanent outie. I'd say about 3/4's of the day it's out.

**What I am looking forward to: Finishing the house! We only have 2 weeks or so!

**Weekly Wisdom: Take advantage of the time you're sharing with your baby right now. Talk to them, sing, even hum. It's amazing to see them react to your voice!

**Milestones: Less than 99 days left! Seriously?!