There is an alien in my belly. . . .26 weeks!

 

Indeed there is an alien in my belly. People told me that when they were pregnant that they could visibly see baby moving around. . . .to be honest I brushed them off, thinking to myself "whatever." But I experienced it first hand this week. I can see baby girl moving around in my belly and it sure does look and feel like there is an alien in my belly. I don't even watch that many "sci-fi" movies. It is creepy and weird. But on a good note, it makes me feel more bonded to her. I have been disconnected this whole pregnancy. Not really accepting the fact that there is a being growing inside me. But when I could see with my own eye her moving, it clicked. In general, I have always had a difficult time visualizing things that I couldn't see or touch. Now that I can see baby girl it drives me even more to want to get ready for her. I want to "nest" and work on her nursery. I've been working hard on getting my ducks in a row. . . .looking for a pediatrician, making appointment to view labor and deliver wing at hospital, researching birthing classes, and purchasing necessary items for baby girl. So much to do and only about 3 months to go. . . .

Baby girl is 26 weeks. Her eyes are beginning to open this week. Her iris' are still developing (the colored part of the eye) and will continue to develop until she is 6 months old. I have read that I can try to shine a light on my belly and see if she will respond. I haven't tried this yet because she moves enough. Her brain wave activity is kicking in, which means she not only can hear noises but will respond to them with movement. I played a variety of music for her this week and will continue to do so for the rest of her life. I hope she will like music as much as I do. She is about 9 inches in length and weighs about 2 pounds.  Now this is all estimated, there is no way to know for sure. I feel like she is running out of room in my belly but I know she has at least 5 more pounds and 10 more inches to grow. . . .ouch!! It's bad enough that at night I feel a great deal of pressure on my belly. It's almost as if she is trying to push her way out or stretch my belly out. What a little rascal!!

I completed my first week of working 8 hour shifts instead of 12 hour shifts and I love it! I feel SOOOO much better. I still have aches and pains, as I believe will continue until the end of the pregnancy. But I don't feel as much pressure in my round ligaments and sciatic nerve. I walk into work now with my head held high instead of walking into work dreading my day. I am able to leave work at a decent hour (4ish pm) instead of 8ish at night. I get to go home and take a nap or just kick my feet up. I am so glad I made this decision. I am hoping this will help me to work until the end of the pregnancy. I am still trying to decide when I want to go out on maternity leave. There have been nurses on my floor that took 2 weeks off before their delivery date and then some that worked up to 2 days before delivery date. I have a month to decide until I have to put my official notice in.

Johnathon got placed this week for student teaching. He will be teaching US History at Slater Middle School. I am very excited for him and this opportunity to work with this age group. I know that he really wants to educate at the high school level, but I think this will be a great experience for him to have under his belt. Middle School is a tough age for kids, they go through a lot of "changes."

Well I don't have any picture of me or baby girl this week. I'm going to try and get a video of her moving around in my belly this week. We'll see if she will let me capture the moment. So I will end this week's post with the infamous Brutus the Beast Muchow. . . .who likes to "prune" my plants for me. . . .