Second Child Syndrome

After giving my parents such a hard time over the years about my being the "forgotten second child," you would think I would do a better job with mine. I have teased them that I must have been adopted since there were no pictures of me as a baby. They had the traditional 3, 6, 9, & 12 month pictures of my brother proudly displayed, and there were no "baby Stacy" pictures! Somehow, I have done the same thing to my precious second child over the past month. Of course, I doubt it will be the same way once he is actually here, but I have neglected him on the blog. Here are the past 3 weeks' stats for the baby with no name.

26 Weeks-14 inches long and 1 3/4 pounds

If this juice bottle were about 2/3 full, then the measurements would be near perfect. I couldn't help but laugh at Lee straining to hold it. He insists that the baby won't be that big and that he'll be able to hold him all by himself. Chances are, the baby will be over 8 pounds, and Lee will really struggle to hold him. This week, his eyes are fully formed, although even at birth, he won't be able to see very far in front of him. His brain is registering things like light and sound, and brainwaves are detectable.

25 Weeks=13 1/2 inches and 1 1/2 pounds or the size of the pre-cut celery bunch

From now through the end of the pregnancy, he will be putting on weight and gaining fat. (Let's hope he gets the bulk of the fat and not me!) This week, his arms and legs reach the length they'll be at birth, and he has developed nerve endings that allow him to feel the things he touches, which I personally think is just my bladder! He can also breathe through his nose now, and his spine is fully formed. He has had sensory overload this week, as we have spent 4 days at Disney World and celebrated Christmas. He was a trooper through it all and didn't cause the first bit of trouble! He even allowed me to eat one of those disgusting-looking, but delicious turkey legs that are a must at Disney. I do have to wonder what he thought about all the music, fireworks, airplane turbulence, and Disney rides!

24 Weeks=12 inches long and 1 1/3 pounds or about the size of this altered celery bunch. I weighed this celery at the grocery, and it was very close to the right weight. After trimming the ends, it is the right length. His ears are fully functioning now, probably much to his dismay! He can hear voices clearly and can become startled from sleep with a loud noise. With a 4 year old around, he's probably not getting much sleep anyway! He has also developed a sense of balance this week and can tell if he is upside down or not. I did notice this week that he became more active if I laid on my left side instead of my right. He must prefer the right side.

Now that our vacation and the holidays are over, I will do a better job at updating "baby Andy's" progress.