26 weeks

Let's do first things first. You can easily "see" Baby Mia from the outside now, no question about it.

I'm starting to move from the glory days of the second trimester into the slightly more achy days of the third. I learned this week, for example, that 3+ hour car trips are no longer in the cards. Too long for this lady to sit comfortably, and Mia, for some reason, starts kicking like crazy after I've been in the car for an extended period of time. And no wonder! She's going through another growth spurt stage. I've put on another 2lbs in the last week, bringing the grand total up to 14, and I'm starting to feel the extra weight. She's got a long way to go, though! Here's what else is going on:

She's now about 2 pounds and over a foot long, approximately the length of a hothouse cucumber.Her eyes are fully developed and will soon open and close with her sleep cycles. They are currently blue, as the final color is not determined until a few months after birth. However, since Mommy's eyes are a blue-green, and Daddy's are blue, it's likely that they will stay some shade of blue.

She's still practicing her breathing by continuing to take gulps of fluid.

Mostly, though, we think she's preparing for a future in acrobatics as she is constantly moving. Typing with the computer on my lap, pressed up against my stomach almost always causes a reaction. Earlier this afternoon, the kick was strong enough to actually move the computer. Guess she wanted some attention?

We'll be starting to clean out the room that will be the nursery in the upcoming week, as my parents have bought the dresser below for us, and it will be arriving sometime in the next 7 days or so. Time to get a move on!