25 weeks and all is well...

At nine inches (from head to rump) and more than a pound and a half in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes (an analogy you'll find particularly apropos in a few years, when those juice boxes start taking over your refrigerator, your pantry, your car.…).

Don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker. No, not because he or she's getting overheated (in fact, the amniotic fluid is perfectly climate controlled, keeping your baby at an always comfortable temperature), but because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in your baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But at 25 weeks pregnant, those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales.

The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows your little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, your baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?) ~What to Expect

I'm so excited to see how much Baby P grows every week. The progress that this little one is making in a matter of 40 weeks is jaw dropping. Every week I say it but I just can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is going but honestly...only 15 more weeks to go! In less than 2 weeks will be the baby shower and that following Wednesday I'll be into my 3rd trimester...the time is flying!

How far along? 25 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: to my calculations I'm gaining the recommended 1 lb a week
Maternity clothes? Shocking I can still wear pre-pregnancy shirts (only a few but I'm still happy about that) - medium pre-pregnancy shirts are fitting pretty tight around the belly area.
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: Got better sleep this week.
Best moment this week: Making baby stuff with mom and seeing my best friend, Alanna.
Movement: Kyle saw the little one punching and kicking last night.
Food cravings: Mexican...but I blame Cinco de Mayo!
Gender: thinking boy this week.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? in
What I miss: Being able to function like a normal person aka feet not swelling after a day on my feet.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the downstairs bedroom ready for visitors next week (yes, it will take cleaning and hard work but I'm ready for our house to be totally put together...at least for now)
Weekly Wisdom: When people say pregnant woman need to stay off their feet, they mean it!
Milestones: It's kinda silly but getting the first official baby shower gifts in and purchasing all the cloth diapers & covers Baby P will need until he/she is 18 lbs.
This is my first attempt in being artistic with taking a belly photo. Kyle takes great direction :o) He's a great photographer. In this picture I'm 24 weeks and 4 days so I round up and say 25 weeks. My belly measures 39.5" around and I've read my uterus is the size of a soccer ball...no wonder it takes a lot to get up and maneuver these days....and I know it's only going to get harder. This weekend mom helped me with some baby crafts. I fancied up some baby t-shirts and diapers/changing pads/burp cloths. I made a few for friends who were having little ones soon and then of course the Aggie one and the P one are for Baby Pringle. Mom and I were so floored by how little the shirts are for newborns. I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Friday Kyle stayed up till nearly 2am helping out my dad and Logan fix his truck. Those boys were so dirty and loving it. Kyle woke up at 6am to ride in the Bike for Mike memorial ride. Mom and I met up with him after the ride to enjoy the beautiful morning. Needless to say Kyle rested most of the day at my folk's house.

Sunday, Kyle and I headed to Huntsville to visit Alanna. It was her birthday last Monday plus it's been WAY too long since I've seen her last. We hung out at her apartment, played with the dogs, horses and got some grub. It was a great day.Two of my favorite people...Kyle and Alanna!We got to meet her new boyfriend, Louie. They look so happy and cute together. Alanna takes care of 2 horses, Bullseye (Tommy Joe's horse) and Baldy a very gentle girl.Bullseye has 2 crazy eyes, this one is blue and the other one is half blue/half brown. He's a beautiful paint horse for sure!
This is Winnie...she's a chiweenie and soooo adorable. Weighs in at a tiny 4.6 lbs :o)

As a side note, I've been suffering from a very sore thumb/wrist. It hurts pretty bad and I'm not able to use my left thumb. After some WebMD research, it appears I'm have De Quervain's Disease, which could have been caused by my crocheting...crazy eh? I've been icing it down and wrapping it up for the most part which seems to be helping. They recommend taking an anti-inflammatory however, they are a class B drug that is until the 3rd trimester (which is ok to take) but during the third it becomes a class D (not good to take) and can cause birth defects. Being just 2 weeks away from the 3rd trimester, I'm opting out of medicine taking or even bothering the doctor to ask if it's ok.