25 weeks

Well, we've reached an important milestone .... Viability!  That's right, Sea Monkey is officially considered "viable" at this point.  What exactly does that mean?  It means that Sea Monkey has the chance to actually survive outside the womb.  Hard to believe that 3 weeks ago doctors may not have made an attempt to save him if for some reason he was born early.  But now, they will.  Right now, his chances of survival are 50 - 80%.  But next week, at 26 weeks they go up to 80 - 90%.  Pretty exciting stuff if you ask me.  Of course, we want Sea Monkey to keep cooking as long as possible .... well, maybe not too long.  I do eventually want him to come out. 


What's going on with Sea Monkey?
First of all, Mike and I finally decided on a name.  Yes, our sweet little boy is starting to get an identity ... and no, we are not sharing the name just yet.  Well .... the grandparents know but they are sworn to secrecy!!  I will say that some of the initial reactions were interesting, but I love the name and that's all that really matters.
Ok so Sea Monkey has a name.  What else?  Right now he measures about 9" long and around 2 lbs.  His veggie this week is an eggplant.  Which is the same as it was last week .... so I'm guessing he's really just getting fatter this week.  He's a fat egglplant.  How cute. 

Yes, I know what an eggplant looks like.  But pictures are fun.  Lately, our little eggplant, I mean Sea Monkey has beek kicking up a storm!  Mike's already been able to feel him kick at least once and I think he felt it again last night.  The kicks are starting to get a lot stronger each day.  Apparently these movements are practice for "life on the outside" and he may be pedalilng against my uterus as a "pre walking" skill.  As long as it's not on my bladder I don't mind.  I can see my belly move when he kicks but it's still not defined enough for others to notice it.  He's also beginning to open his eyes and can sense light.  The "What to Expect" app I have on my phone tells me that if we shine a flashlight on my belly, he might move in response to it.  So of course we were looking for a flashlight last night.  We didn't find one, but Mike thinks he has one in his truck.


What's going on with Mommy?
Now there's a loaded question .... and the answer depends on how much of the "truth" you really want to hear.  Really though, my biggest complaints recently are the continued groin pain that I explained in my last post Was that it?, and the recent insomnia I've been experiencing.  Two nights ago, I slept for a few hours and was then up - wide awake - from 12 (midnight) to 3:30 am.  Thankfully it was the weekend and I slept until 8.  But last night was pretty much the same.  I slept an hour here, and hour there.  Tossing. Turning (well, trying to turn.  That's become increasingly more difficult as well).  I love Sea Monkey, I really do.  But he's really getting in the way of my physical activity and making what were once simple tasks - shaving my legs, putting socks on, or climbing the stairs - seem like I should earn a trophy for completing them.  Only 14 weeks left and I can start to get my body back ....

This weekend I also discovered an amazing thing - NON ALCOHOLIC wine!  Now before you freak out on me, I did a little research.  It has less than half a percent of alcohol in it and it's so minimal that it's metabolized before it has any effect.  Through my research I actually found out that orange juice has more trace amounts of alcohol in it than my non alcoholic wine.  Now if you wouldn't be upset with me drinking orange juice, you can't be upset with me drinking non alcoholic wine. 

Sidenote: I'm really starting to hate how I look in photos.

What's going on with Daddy?
Mike's probably the better one to answer this question, but from my perspective, he's really been a saint.  Sure, I might get the occasional moan, groan or sigh when I ask him to do something, but overall he's been a great husband and father (to be).  He worked very hard this weekend - finishing off his "Honey Do" list in the nursery - hung a shelf and some other decorations, covered all the new plugs with plates and hung Sea Monkey's first initial on the door.  He asks, "What's wrong" when I groan or grunt trying to get out of a chair and graciously took over my dog duty (feeding & walking) last night without one complaint.  He's recognized that daily life activities are becoming harder and harder for me.  And while I'm doing my best to continue doing as much as I can for as long as I can, he's been really great picking up my slack.  I may not always notice or appreciate him - so I'm publicly (as "public" as this blog is) recognizing him and saying 

What's in store for the next few weeks?
* My doctor's appointments are getting closer together.  We're now scheduling them every 3 weeks instead of every 4. 
* My next appointment includes my first glucose tolerance test.  I have to show up, have blood drawn, drink some sugary drink and have blood drawn again.  If I "fail" I have to take a 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  All this to see if I have gestational diabetes.  Crossing my fingers for a PASS! 
(Non Sea Monkey related)
* My final paper as a student is due in about a week and a half and I graduate from my Master's program in 4 weeks!
* My parents will be visiting from Florida for my graduation and we will schedule an elective ultrasound to see Sea Monkey in 3D / 4D! 


That's all for now - 14 weeks, 6 days and counting.  Although I'm secretly hoping Sea Monkey decides to join us a week or two early.  "Full Term" is technically considered 37 weeks ...