From the Peanut Gallery- Week 26: The English Cucumber

Also referred to as the Hothouse Cucumber, don't confuse this gem with a regular old cucumber, oh no.  Give credit where credit is due.  The English Cucumber is far superior- no seeds!  This week, baby is as long as one of these bad boys.

This was the week that when someone asked me how I was feeling, my first thought was "pregnant."  I am getting bigger.  I am waddling more frequently.  I am unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in.  And if you glance at my belly, chances are very good that you'll see it move.  When some of my friends who I hadn't seen in a few weeks laid eyes on me, even they wondered when I had suddenly become so very pregnant!  Yep, definitely a baby on board.

In good spirits, though!  I even ventured out to- GASP!- a bar!  It was fun to meet up with friends, be out in public, and feel like my normal self- just with a protruding abdomen and far less booze.

I am now not only able to feel kicks and jabs, but also what I can only guess are flips and rolls.  Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling, I just know it feels weird.  There are also times when my belly looks a little lumpy, and when I feel around, I know I am feeling a body part of some sort sticking out.  J has been able to feel this, too- along with all kinds of regular movement, without even trying.  Baby is getting better at performing!  Good baby, just in time for a family Thanksgiving!

This was a big week for the peanut!  The nerves in his ears have developed so fully that now he can hear not only me, but J and other noises outside the womb!  I told J to start watching his language now- we don't want baby's first words to be "Oh, goddammit!"  Baby has also been "practice breathing," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, continuing his lungs' journey towards maturity.  And speaking of maturity- baby's man parts became significantly more manly this week, as his tiny testicles descended into his tiny scrotum.  (Sorry in advance, son, for referring to any of your man parts as "tiny."  I won't let it happen again!)

On to the picture...you know that lumpy belly I referred to earlier?  At the moment this picture was taken, baby was down low, causing a flat belly button and some other misshapenness in the bump.  Ah, well.  C'est la vie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Ah, pregnancy- the best excuse to over stuff myself with turkey and the trimmings.