This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1\/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning \u2014 with a lot of medical help \u2014 if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.<\/em><\/p>\n What’s going on this week (28):<\/strong><\/p>\n By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.<\/em><\/p>\n My Update: <\/strong><\/p>\n Due Date: November 4, 2011 \u2013 as of today, 82 days to go!\u00a0 (Wow. That sounds…short.)\u00a0 Also, we’ve now entered the 3rd trimester!<\/p>\n Weight Gain: +15 lbs from pre-preg weight.<\/p>\n Symptoms:\u00a0 My belly really has made some impressive leaps and bounds in the last few weeks.\u00a0 It shocks me when I catch a side glimpse of myself in the mirror…but I still love the way I look!\u00a0 With the bigger size, comes a more noticeable ‘waddle,’ as they call it.\u00a0 My feet are turning out as I walk and my goodness, it just feels so much better that way!<\/p>\n Cravings\/Aversions:\u00a0 Lisa and Meredith were right – the ice chewing\/crunching is seriously addictive.\u00a0 That’s what I want all the time.\u00a0 A cold drink with crushed ice for constant chewing.\u00a0 I know it’s bad for my teeth, and outside of pregnancy I don’t usually do it, so I’m not beating myself up for it for these few months, when it makes me so happy right now!<\/p>\n Sleep:\u00a0 Not bad…I’m waking up about 2 times a night to pee, on average, which is annoying, but I was expecting it, so it’s bearable.\u00a0 Plus, I am really lucky to have the ability to fall right back asleep with almost no effort, so it doesn’t seem to disrupt me too much, overall.\u00a0 However, the maneuvering from one side to the other in bed is getting to be more and more challenging as the belly gets bigger and bigger.\u00a0 It involves some heavy breathing and usually a pause in the midst of all the shifting to sort of catch my breath, before settling back down.\u00a0 That part I could do without, if we’re being completely honest.\u00a0 And, seriously, I would really, really love to sleep on my stomach.\u00a0 Sometimes in the middle of the night, while I’m doing my flopping around from right to left and back again, I glare at Scott for a minute, when he is peacefully sacked out flat on his stomach.<\/p>\n I am loving:\u00a0 My last ‘baby-free’ trip to see my parents was great!\u00a0 Mom and I did lots of shopping, and we all did lots of eating.\u00a0 And even squeezed in a short beach day.\u00a0 The flights were nice and easy, and I met another pregnant girl in the Houston airport during my layover and we walked and talked together for a bit.\u00a0 All in all, a good success.<\/p>\n I miss:\u00a0 Mom and Dad.\u00a0 The beach.\u00a0 Sleeping on my stomach.\u00a0 I think that about covers it.<\/p>\n Movement:\u00a0 Excellent!\u00a0 The trip to Jacksonville seemed to be the trigger time for more constant and active movement.\u00a0 He seems to go to town with the kicking\u00a0 the most when I lay down in bed at night, or when Scott and I settle in to watch a movie or TV.<\/p>\n <\/em> Nursery progress:\u00a0 No change since the last update, what with me being out of town and all.\u00a0 Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I’ll get the nail holes in the walls spackled and covered and we can move on from there.<\/p>\n Exercise: Since I am home now when Scott gets home from work each day, we’ve gone out walking around the neighborhood some of the evenings, which I love…last night we went a bit farther than normal, and I think it might have been too much.\u00a0 I took a couple of sit-down breaks during the walk when I felt like I needed too, but after we were back home my hips and back were aching, and it felt like a\u00a0 little sciatica <\/a>might have been kicking in.\u00a0 I feel better today, if just a little tired, so I think it’s just a matter of getting used to how this extra weight feels on my body and keeping on exercising so I can build up my strength.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.shereadsinthedark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Julie-Week-27-192x300.jpg\" "\\"Julie")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.shereadsinthedark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Julie-Week-28-183x300.jpg\" "\\"Julie")
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