28 Weeks

Baby now weighs as much as a Chinese cabbage!

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before he's batting those beauties at you. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, he has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). His skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

How far along? 28 weeks 3 days

Pregnancy Symptoms: Hey guess what? I have Hollywood feet! My feet suddenly look just like Shrek's. They're huge and puffy and barely fit in my shoes. They're a little less green, though. All this swelling is pretty sudden, but i've been waiting for it to happen. It's true what they say...being pregnant in the summer is *not* exactly fun.

I Wish I'd Known...: That i wouldn't get any sleep *before* the baby is born either. Except for a short stretch during second trimester when me and sleep were best buds, i haven't been able to get a good night's sleep at all...and it seems to be getting worse the bigger i get. Boo and hiss. And i don't want to hear "You better get your sleep before the baby comes" one more time!!
Best moment this week: Presents! Mom gave me her cherry bedroom furniture, which coincidentally matches the cherry baby furniture perfectly. So now i have a dresser for the baby room! I also got some super cute baby Ryan clothes from Susan and Katie that match our jungle-themed nursery. I realllllly need to get the closet cleaned out so i can hang up everything.
Worst moment this week: I have something going on every day this week and i'm exhausted. Luckily today is Friday and my last work day before the weekend.

Movement: Lots of kicks and punches this week, but not too strong. I, on the other hand, can barely move anymore. It just takes too much effort.
Food cravings: Well i found out why i was craving red meat all of a sudden...i'm anemic. The doctor has me taking iron supplements and eating iron-rich foods. So tonight Jake made spaghetti with meat sauce :)

What I miss: Winter. OMG summer sucks so bad. I can't even step outside without blowing up like a balloon and risking heat stroke. It's awful.
What I am looking forward to: Sunday, my only day off. If you call me don't expect me to pick up the phone..i'll return your call on Monday.
In Other News:

   Peanut weighs 9 hamburgers now! Expect some rapid burger-growing. Starting now he'll gain 1/4 to 1 pound every week. Things are about to get interesting!

   We met with the pediatrician yesterday and the office seemed very cool. They have something like 16 rooms, separate well, sick, and newborn waiting rooms, Saturday sick appointments, and they're associated with Scottish Rite. They just moved to a new building so it's all shiny and new. The only downside is that they don't have privileges at Kennestone, so Ryan will have to see one of the hospital pediatricians while we're there. I guess it's not that big of a deal since we're only there a couple of days, but it kinda sucks.

  I also had my 28 week checkup this week. As i mentioned earlier, for the first time this pregnancy i'm anemic. The doctor said that's pretty normal at this stage, that Peanut is sucking all the nutrients out of me. I don't know what exactly he thinks he's sucking up since all that's floating around in there are pieces of ice cream sandwiches. Anyway, now i get to eat iron and (most likely) have to take laxatives. Fun times. The doctor also measured my belly and i'm measuring a week behind. He said that's completely normal too and is pleased with my weight gain (even though i'm definitely not) and said that it's all baby-related weight. I beg to differ because i've seen my butt naked, but i'll take my compliments where i can get them. I now get to visit the doctor every 2 weeks for a bit. I would be much more excited about this if i got an ultrasound every time. Instead all they want from me is my blood and urine.  HR=145bpm