Chestnut Week 26

Today is the last day of the 2nd trimester.  Adios, 2nd trimester!  You didn't suck as much as 1st trimester, but you definitely weren't as glorious as I had hoped.  You know, I always thought I would love being pregnant.  Some days I do love it.  Most days...not so much.

That is the truth.

Aaaaand, friends, we have a name for Chestnut: Marcus!

I had a dream back in the Spring of 2009 (while I was pregnant with Penelope) that I had a little boy.  In the dream, I went to change his diaper and he projected an arc of pee onto my face.  Then he asked, "Mommy, what's my name again?"  I replied, "Your name is Marcus."  And he said, "Oh yeah, I forgot."

Now, I don't know any Marcus.  But Chin was playing a video game called Gears of War at the time and one of the main characters was Marcus Fenix.  Could it be that's how the name got into my head?  Perhaps.

"Let's do this, Marcus!"

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is as tall as an English cucumber - ~ 14.02 inches and 1.68 pounds.
• His feet are 2 inches long. Hands are very active.
• His eyes begin to open around this time.
• The fetal brain scan will show response to touch. Touching and playing with the baby is possible now, as they may respond to your touch through your belly wall.
• Baby is probably very active in the womb (very much!!), as the most active weeks are typically between weeks 24 and 28.

Physical:

• Weight: 137 lb (+24)
• Belly circumference: 38.25 in (+9.75)
• I am the exact same weight and size as last week.  How could this be, especially after a period of rapid growth?  I think it is because for the first time in four weeks, this was the first week that I hadn't gone to a buffet.  Seriously.
• I rub my belly all the time.  It's big and often in motion. :)

Spiritual & emotional:

• I started taking 50,000 IU of Vitamin D once a week starting a couple of weeks ago and I feel a lot more alive.  My mood has been better!  It could also be that the weather is getting a bit sunnier, too.
• School has been keeping me pretty busy.  For a couple of days, Camille didn't nap very well and this definitely cut into my studying time.  Very frustrating.  I had to stay up late those nights to do homework and I have been averaging 6 hours of sleep each night (no naps).  Pretty tiring.
• To make up for her skipped naps, Camille had one massive day of sleep on Monday: she fell asleep on the way home from daycare (where she'd taken a 2-hour nap) and continued to sleep from 6pm until 8:30am the next day.  Chin & I enjoyed a pleasant dinner at home and I got a lot of homework done that day. :)
• We are still in the process of looking for a long-term solution for childcare (starting now and continuing perhaps beyond my graduation).  This topic is on our mind a lot and we are just trusting that the Lord will give us wisdom in where to search for a good option.  Please pray for us.  Thank you!
  

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.