26 weeks...

I've obviously 'known' I'm pregnant all along. But it's only just starting to seem real. Without wanting to sound too dramatic, it feels weird that I'm this far along! Almost like I'm not supposed to get past 18 weeks? That sounds ever so over the top considering that only happened once but it certainly puts you in a funny mindset very quickly. Anyway, very thankful and grateful and all those other happy things that I am 26 weeks and 2 days! And in a week and a half''s time I shall be going on A/L then going straight from that into maternity leave. WEIRD. It is still very early to be going on maternity leave but no way will my legs hold out for another month. This morning, I could barely get out of bed without whimpering and when I stood up, fell over. And I've been wearing flats so I can't blame them for damaging my back! Anyway. Nowhere near as bad as the last pregnancy, I'm thankful for that. I'm completely looking forward to starting my mat leave though; 10 solid weeks with my firstborn! Oh yes.

This week, Junior is all about busting funky moves. In fact, when I lie down in bed, the baby will be as still as anything then all of a sudden jump so hard my entire tummy moves sideways. A very active child this one, on the move constantly. You get told that your movement rocks the baby to sleep which is why they are always quiet and still when you walk. This child, no such luck. Wide awake 24 hours a day it seems. Not complaining. God knows I need that reassurance clearly!

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, our baby begins to open his eyes this week. His eyes are almost completely developed. The eyes are blue in the womb and may change colour later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. Interesting fact of the week. Though one virtually everyone knows. Josiah had a funny hazel colour for ages before his eyes turned to the lovely chocolatey brown they are now. Littlest Stevens will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. Other news; finger and toe nails continue to grow, blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus, the blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. To those who know what a placenta looks like, that is a pretty disgusting fact. Even though it is still way too soon for our baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital. 

So all in all, it sounds like 26 weeks is a good week!