26 Week Updates

BC and I made it home safely from our Babymoon- albeit extremely late last night. We had another full day of travel including a 2.5 hour drive from Taos to the airport to board the 1st of our 2 flights (and you better bet I quadruple checked the take off times!). Our final flight from Houston to Austin was delayed about 2 hours, and when we finally boarded we sat on the plane another hour before taking off, then had to circle Austin for about 45 minutes due to storms. That flight is only supposed to be 25 minutes- it was the longest "short" flight I've ever been on!

We finally arrived home around 1:30am to our very happy fur baby Sam:

Here are my (sleepy) 26 week updates:

How far along? 26 weeks (as of yesterday). I've officially entered the single digit countdown to our due date! Just 97 days to go....

How big is baby? She is nearing the 2 pound mark, around 14 inches long. This week's food comparison says she is about the size of a head of lettuce. Her body is working hard to continue producing "surfactant" in her lungs- an important substance needed for the lungs to function. Her hearing is also getting better and better, and BC warmed my heart this trip by declaring that it was time to start her music education! He has started choosing songs he loves from his phone app and playing them to my belly. So sweet.

Weight gain? I was VERY curious to see where I'd be with this after a week of vacation. I was definitely eating a bit more than normal, but was also walking a lot more than normal, so it likely all balanced out. The tally this morning? Up another 2.2 pounds from last week! For a total of 13.4 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. The prune juice I lifted from the VIP lounge has finally set in, so I can't blame constipation for the gain- I think this is all baby, and that is what we want. Grow baby girl, grow!

First 26 week belly shot in purple tank

This picture was literally taken immediately after the previous one. Doesn't it look like I instantaneously got bigger once I put on the gray tank top? Weird. I guess there is something to be said for the slimming effects of dark colors!

Sleep? We stayed in two awesome hotels in New Mexico, our favorite of which was hands down the El Monte Sagrado in Taos. That bed was A-MAZING and so, so comfortable! I slept super well the entire trip, including almost daily naps.

Food cravings/aversions? I have noticed I have a slight aversion to red meats in the form of brisket or BBQ. If we order something like that, my body gives me a definite NO after a few bites. I also haven't been craving steak or red meat nearly as much as in weeks prior. This trip I was really loving fish (trout is fresh & plentiful in New Mexico) and veggies, with the occasional chocolate ice cream cone thrown in (had my first ever cone from a Baskin Robbins on the Santa Fe Square and it is safe to say I am now a bit obsessed, and may have to seek them out here in Austin).

Symptoms? As mentioned in previous posts, some interesting physical changes have happened in the past week. Somewhere between Texas and New Mexico- weeks 25-26 - my belly button completely flattened out, and as of this morning now has a slight outie bulge at the very top. I also confirmed that my hips have widened, due to my difficulty pulling up old familiar pants.  I have some kind of bloody mucous almost every time I blow my nose, resulting in full on nose bleeds about every 3 days. And the constipation- oh the constipation! But you've already heard enough about that.

Most looking forward to? Right now a nap. I popped up at 7:45 with BC's alarm (he had a golf date with the boys this morning)- meaning I only had about 5-5.5 hours of sleep. I'm looking forward to a quiet day snuggling Sam at home before returning to 'real life' tomorrow.