27 weeks

27 weeks marks the start of the 3rd trimester. Only 3 more months to go! I wonder if they make a cloth version of Depends because I just might shit my pants. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by.

We've signed up for a Childbirth class now, and are looking forward to that. The place where we signed up for the the class also offers a newborn essentials and breastfeeding class which we're debating about signing up for. I fear baby info overload, but also fear the "oh crap, what do we do with it" feeling that might happen after the baby arrives. Maybe I'll need to go for some prenatal yoga just to clear my head of the onslaught of information.

Yesterday, I attended a conference call that was hosted by one of the women's networks at work. It was about working mothers and breastfeeding, and 2 of the speakers were the authors of the book The Milk Memos. They were very inspirational, down to earth, supportive, and genuinely helpful. The call went about 20 minutes beyond its alloted time for questions. It introduced me to a support community that exists internally, and made me feel empowered and all warm and fuzzy. I'm looking forward to adding the book to my collection. I was inspired to share information about the community with my office on a local discussion board and was pleasantly surprised at the support I received. I got a note from a colleague in which he expressed excitement for me, and also offered support if I needed help. Ok, that sounded creepy. How about I just quote him:

"Anyway, if you're interested, I'd be happy to share our nursing experiences with you. I know that might sound sort of pervy coming from a guy, but I was very involved in all the aspects of nursing. Except producing the milk. But I tried. Well... not really... My son did latch on to me once when I picked him up out of his bassinet. That was really freaky."

It just goes to show, you never know where you'll get the support you need to be successful with something that may be difficult. I may be a hardass on the outside sometimes, but I'm really a gooey mushball and was really touched by his thoughtfulness.

Before I ramble on too much, here's the current state of the belly:


and the Stumps development report:

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 — with a lot of medical help — if she were 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.