26 Weeks

At 26 weeks, baby is the size of a bunch of kale (boy, even the baby fruits and vegetables are keeping up with trends these days!). He measures about 14 inches and weighs about 1.7 pounds. He or she is developing senses, features, and even talents! Baby's taking breaths—of amniotic fluid, not air. Baby's getting his immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up my antibodies. And baby's eyes are forming, and his eyes will soon start to open. Can you believe he has already grown eyelashes? Soon, he will start batting them.

How far along? 26 weeks (and 2 days)

Weight gain/loss: Haven't checked since last week. I'll go with 5 lbs ;-)

Sleep? I've slept really well since getting back from my trip. I LOVE my own bed.

Best moment this week?Coming home. Four days is a long time to be away from my family, especially when it's spent in a not so fun place. It was so nice to be back home and give everyone big hugs and kisses.

Movement:Still no luck getting the kids to feel him kicking. Patience is difficult for them (wonder where they get that?)

Food cravings:Yesterday I went to Taco Maria for lunch with my mom and it was amazing. So I am pretty much craving that food, because I could eat it all day.

What I miss? Normal clothes. My mom and I visited the boutiques in SoCo yesterday and there were such cute tanks and tees and dresses. But alas.

What I am looking forward to? Hawaii a week from Tuesday. I am not sure how it's going to work with work, but I definitely need a break and am very much looking forward to that trip.

Milestones: I am going to give myself the 6 month mark. I am a bit short but given that my kids tend to arrive early, I've probably got almost exactly 3 months left.

What I'm nervous about:Work lately It keeps getting more intense and I feel like I am constantly playing catch up with all of the meetings and days out of the office. Hopefully it gets back to normal soon but I am tired.

25 (and 24 Weeks)

It's becoming a trend folks. Last week we were on vacation and I am even late on the catch up post. Oh well!

At 24 weeks, baby is the size of a cantaloupe. He is 11.8 inches and now weighs about 1.3 pounds. His see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque, and it’s taking on a fresh, pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

Baby at 25 weeks is as big as a head of cauliflower, measuring 13.6 inches in length and weighing nearly 1.5 pounds. Baby's enjoying his new sense of equilibrium; he is now learning which way is up and which is down. In the arena of 25 weeks fetal development, baby’s growing more fat and more hair too.

How far along? 25 weeks (and 3 days)

Weight gain/loss: 25 lbs. Ugh. Same as Joaquin at this point but 10 more than Emi. Must be a boy thing.

Sleep? Eh. It's a bad day to ask. My alarm went off at 4:45 am to catch a flight to NJ.

Best moment this week?We went to Ojai last weekend. And it was amazing. AMAZING. I love that place so much. The kids had a fantastic time playing at the pool, making new friends and collecting eggs at the easter egg hunt. Jay and I enjoyed playing with them and the delicious food, gorgeous views and unbelievable landscaping at the property. I still can't believe how great the trip was. I was nervous about sharing a room with the kids but it worked out great and it made me even more excited for our upcoming trip to Hawaii.

Movement:Lots. I really want the kids to get a chance to feel the baby kicking but they are less than patient so we haven't had lucky timing yet.

Food cravings:Well, I am stuck at the Embassy Suites in Piscataway, NJ at the moment so I would kill for anything approaching a decent salad or some sort of interesting roasted veggie. I do not recommend you visit.

What I miss? My family. I've only been away for less than a day and I wish I was home hanging with Joaquin, Emi and Jay. It is pretty lonely in an empty hotel room. And I can't even enjoy a glass of wine in a nice bathtub!

What I am looking forward to? Coming home! That will happen Thursday, which seems like a really long time. Sigh. I am so glad work travel is an abnormal thing for me.

Milestones: We passed V-Day. Check out my previous posts on this for the other two kiddos. But in short, as of week 24 baby is developed enough to have a chance of survival if I want into preterm labor. Of course, I hope that doesn't happen but it's nice to get past this milestone and have every day that passes be another day to develop and get ready for life on the outside.

What I'm nervous about: Right now, it's simple: access to healthy food. Jeez, I sound like my dad. I realize that I may be a bit of a prima dona, but budget travel like this just doesn't work for me. I cannot eat the kind of food they serve in these hotels. I think we have a nice dinner out tomorrow night, so hopefully I will find something wholesome.

23 (and 22) Weeks!

Another combo post this week. I've been super busy at work with our transition to J&J and generally just tired and busy in life, so apologies for the late update.

At 22 weeks, baby was as big as a coconut and is about 10.9 inches long (from the crown of the head to the heel of the foot) and 15.2 ounces. Now that baby's eyes and lips are more developed, he is looking even more like a newborn. Baby's sleeping in cycles—about 12 to 14 hours per day.

At 23 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a grapefruit (are grapefruits bigger than coconuts??) and measures 11.4 inches from head to foot and weighs 1.1 pounds. Baby is forming little nipples (yeah, really!) at this stage. And his face is fully formed—he just needs a little extra fat to fill it out. Baby's entertaining himself by listening to my voice and heartbeat, and can even hear some loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking.

How far along? 23 weeks

Weight gain/loss: No idea. 2 weeks ago it was 17. I actually don't feel like I've gained much weight recently so maybe just 18 (or maybe that's wishful thinking).

Sleep? Okay. This has gone downhill in the last few days. Nothing too disruptive but I am waking up uncomfortable more often. Luckily I am really great at falling back asleep quickly.

Best moment this week?We went to Joaquin's elementary school silent auction gala last weekend. It was a prom like event for parents with a Great Gatsby theme. We rented costumes and looked the part and had a fun time. It was much more fun this year than last year, partly because it was just a better event and partly because we are starting to get to know other parents. I am really happy with our school and so grateful to live where we live with other supportive (and generous) parents. I am looking forward to many more of those (and OMGosh, I am realizing there will be a LOT. Like 14 years in a row of being parents at this school - WHAT?!?!). Good thing we like it!

Movement:Tons and I even saw my stomach move one time. He's not kicking hard yet and I'm definitely not at the point of seeing my stomach move like in the movie Alien but I definitely know there's a baby in there. Jay gets to feel every now and then but it's hit or miss. It will be fun when he's kicking enough for the kids to feel him.

Food cravings:Cuties. I'm eating at least two a day. They are tasting really good right now and bonus points for being healthy! This is much preferable to the period of time when I was craving almond twists from Pain du Monde (which are delicious but not exactly nutritious).

What I miss? My clothes and shopping for normal clothes. This is the time of year when everything in the stores is my style. I love the vacation/summer style and it is hard to have to wear the same old (mostly second hand) maternity clothes. On the bright side, I guess it makes it easier to save some money. I did, however, just get two new bikinis for our vacations and am considering some other accessories (shoes, jewelry) that work whether pregnant or not.

What I am looking forward to? Joaquin's closet. The guys came and removed all of the old stuff in the closet today so this weekend Jay has to patch, sand and paint to get it ready for Monday. Then we have the installation of his custom closet. It is exciting because I've been waiting for this to get all of the old baby clothes out and start actually prepping for the little guy to arrive. I am fairly sure Jay is not going to know what hit him after this week, because I am going to go all Melissa on him getting the baby stuff in order (yes, I just said that, and yes, you probably have a good idea what that means ;-)

Milestones: At this point, every week I can check off feels like a milestone. I LOVE my kids but oh man do I NOT love being pregnant. 17 weeks to go!

What I'm nervous about: I have a lot going on in the next month or so. It's Spring Break next week and I am taking Monday off to hang with the kids and because of the closet install. I'll be at work on Tuesday and Wednesday and then we are off to Ojai on Thursday. And it's super busy at work, so it may be difficult to manage everything - people are not used to me being out of the office that much (HA! They'd better get used to it!). Then I have a normal week followed by a trip to NJ for work for 4 days and then two weeks later we are off to Hawaii. So it's going to be a lot of hectic work stuff mixed with these vacations, which is great but can be stressful. I am sure everything will be fine in the end, but it would sure be nice if coffee was allowed!