God is AMAZING

      Don't panic if your uterus suddenly starts tightening and relaxing -- Braxton Hicks contractions often begin around this time. They're simply your body's way of practicing and preparing for labor. (If the contractions are regular or particularly painful, call your doc just to be sure it's not the real thing.)

      Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

How far along? Almost 27 weeks at this point.  I know, I know.  I've done a poor job of updating....

Total weight gain/loss: Well, last week I got on my scale and according to it I was less than what the dr. had weighed me at.  However, somehow I doubt I've lost weight

Maternity clothes? Some.  Still no pants.  We'll see if I can hold out....
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Still not too bad.  Have to pee every few hours, but I think I'm getting used to it.
Best moment this week: I just LOVE it when he moves!
Movement: YES!  Like crazy. 
Food cravings: I could go for sushi.  The cooked kind.
Gender: BOY
Labor Signs: NO
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
What I miss: Running, being able to pick anything up I want, lifting weights
What I am looking forward to: Meeting Cole and running again

In the past couple of weeks, a few things have struck me.  First, how is it possible to love something/someone so much that you've never seen?  God is truly amazing in what he does with the whole pregnancy process.  Yes, it feels like there's an alien inside of me, but I love that alien so much, even when he lets me have it or decides to do push-ups on my bladder.

Second, the craziness your body undergoes.  I no longer have ribs, barely have hip bones, and just realized the other day at church that when I'm standing up and looking down, it appears I no longer have feet.  If I'm eating standing up and drop something, it WILL land on my belly.  Excellent.  My belly button is super weird looking and I have veins in places I didn't know there were veins.  If Cole decides he wants to be in a certain spot, my belly WILL be lopsided.  No matter what.  Apparently, there's also ligaments running along the sides of your belly, and when they stretch, they hurt.

Despite all the strangeness, I'm SUPER excited!  I cannot wait until Cole's born.  13 more weeks!  Give or take a few days.  On the nursery front, WE'RE ALMOST DONE!  We would be done, only Ryan's in LA this week, and I cannot put the furniture together by myself.  Now, it's just decorating.  And we've moved on to the bathroom; thank you builders for doing a crappy job of putting up the wall paper in there.  It made it MUCH easier to get down!  I'll post pics when everything's together!

Belly pics.  It's getting bigger and bigger.....

25 weeks

Week 26