25 weeks!

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bump watch: i still feel like this varies by the day (and the clothes!). there's no doubt that something is going on in the belly region, but sometimes it can be hard to tell if it's a food baby or an actual baby. all the women in my hypnobabies class are between 1-3 weeks ahead of me and they all have the cutest, round bumps! all in good time i suppose!
sweet pea: according to What to Expect, baby is still the size of an eggplant, just a bigger one at two pounds and over 9 inches long from crown-to-rump (aka head-to-butt). this week's big accomplishment is opening those eyes! i think the bebe in the illustration below looks like he's plotting some mischief, perhaps a harbinger of things to come. baby's brain is also developed enough to respond to sounds with increased activity and pulse. 

Fetal Development Week 26

best moment: my first Hypnobabies class last week! i absolutely loved the instructor and all the other couples are first-time parents, all around the same age and with similar personalities. i was a little afraid that everyone would be sporting unshaven legs and birkenstocks. i knew we'd all get along when we were discussing our weekly snack and one of the guys suggested beer and pizza. Nick has the great privilege of reading a childbirth hypnosis script to me three times per week as part of our "home play" (what they call "home work" -- okay, that one makes me gag a little) and we've gotten through it with surprisingly few giggles. 

symptoms: hooray for less heartburn! i don't know whether to credit this to random good luck or Sarah's suggestion to try apple cider vinegar. it can't be a change in diet because i'm still wolfing down the tomatoes and marinara sauce. it seems impossible that ACV is the reason because i only took it once and have only had the slightest twinges of heartburn since. obviously the vinegar doesn't create lasting changes in your stomach's pH, but since the heartburn has subsided i haven't felt the need to take it again. whatever the reason, i'm happy!

cravings: definitely more into the sweets recently. chocolate peanutbutter cheese cake. a snack-size Twix bar (how did i forget how amazing Twix bars are?!). Oreo Klondike bars. yup. 

what i miss: real beer. 
looking forward to: the imminent arrival of part of the Geiger clan! mom, dad & kira will arrive tomorrow and we can't wait to see them! 

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