Week 26

  Gooooood morning and happy Labor Day!!  I think it's great to honor those who work hard to provide for themselves and their families with a day off, but don't forget about the stay at home parent who works hard to keep the family running!  Make sure if you're off work today and home with your stay-at-home partner/spouse you help her (or him!) enjoy some time off her/his job too!  So there is my two cents....on to baby D!
  The still unnamed child flopping around my innards is 1.6-2 pounds this week and 14 inches long!  After hearing 14 inches long I'm sure you've already guessed that our veggie of the week is the English hothouse cucumber!  Could we please pick a more obscure reference?  Perhaps next week we can compare him to a unicorn's horn or Goliath's pinky finger.  Everyone knows how big those things are, right?!  Anyhow, the little guy's ears are in full swing now, picking up conversations I'm having and other noises around me.  So please, watch your language....I don't want him flying out of my uterus with a string of "potty words" to describe the rough journey (I'm sure I'll take care of that).  Sidebar - how ridiculously awesome would it be if he could talk, just for a minute after he was born?  I would LOVE to know his thoughts on uterine living.  (This is getting weird, maybe my best and most succinct blogging is done at night...)  He has also begun "breathing" - same motion we use just on a much smaller scale and he's taking in and breathing out amniotic fluid instead of oxygen.  Super great for lung development and also the reason for hiccups (which I haven't felt yet).
  The coolest/weirdest development this week (I think it started on Saturday) is that the movements are not only "fluttery" with a quick and sudden punch or kick, but now they are starting to sometimes feel like a whole body part slithering across my belly.  He's running out of room in there so I'm feeling each motion more and more and it's really cool.  James and I have a little nightly routine where after we get in bed he'll put his hand on my belly for a bit.  Last night I had him put both hands on - one on each side of my belly button - and he was feeling motion on both hands.  I am feeling great and still sleeping decently - waking up a few times to glup water (still can't get over how dry my mouth and throat get) and go to the bathroom.  One annoyance, seems like every time I cough I get a sharp (SHARP!) pain on my right side.  Unfortunately my clumsy nature extends to drinking water and I "choke" rather frequently causing a coughing fit.  I'm really working on that because owwww.  My nose has stayed stopped up for several weeks caused, I'm assuming, by the swelling membranes.  Nothing is off limits when it comes to swelling.
  On that note, I should probably wrap it up.  It promises to be a very busy laboring day off in the Driscoll household - we are in full baby preparation mode!  James plans to put the chair rail up today and my list of errands has been growing since I opened my eyes this morning.  Have a great day and a GREAT 4 day week!