Nursery... in progress....

We are 25 weeks already! Can you believe it?! Time continues to fly by, and though I'm super ready for Braylin to get here, I don't want the pregnancy to end. It's been so much fun and so very exciting.

Jay finished painting the nursery last weekend, and all of the furniture is in place. Well, all except the glider...it should be here in the next three or four weeks. Can hardly wait! I'm busy painting her letters to put above her crib and her canvas for the hospital door (and eventually nursery wall). I feel like my belly has shot out over night and I love it! It keeps growing and growing and growing and getting tighter (is that a word?) and tighter and tighter. People are definitely getting "pat the belly" happy -- I feel like everyone who walks up to me can't resist the urge to put their hands on my belly. Luckily I'm not one of those people who mind -- I absolutely love it! But I can definitely see how those of you who do mind the belly patting (during pregnancy, of course) couldn't handle it. :)

25 week update from "What to Expect..."
Baby's growing by leaps and bounds (and inches and ounces), this week reaching 9 inches in length and more than 1.5lbs in weight. And there are exciting developments on the horizon, too. Capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. By week's end, air sacs lined with capillaries will also develop in your baby's lungs, getting them ready for that first breath of fresh air. Mind you, those lungs aren't ready for prime-time breathing yet - and they have a lot of maturing left to do before they will be. Though they're already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth, your baby's lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide from the blood (aka breathe). And talking about breathing, your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open up this week. This enables your baby to begin taking practice "breaths." Your baby's vocal cords are functioning now, leading to occasional hiccups (which you'll certainly be feeling).