Week 28

This week, Abby weighs a little over two pounds and has grown in length to be almost 15 inches long from head to heel. She's sporting some eyelashes now and will turn her head toward a continuous bright light from outside the womb when her eyes are open. Her fat layers are beginning to form and she's preparing to pack on some major pounds as we enter the third trimester.

And speaking of third trimester...we're in the home stretch now with only three months left to go until we get to meet our precious baby girl. (Still can't believe how time has flown by...) We're told Christina's growth--which has been slow and gradual up to this point--will start to really pick up now. She's gained about 8 inches and 16 pounds since the start of this pregnancy and can look forward to gaining about 11 more pounds (and who knows how many inches!) in these last three months. Coincidentally, bending over is becoming more and more of a chore for Christina as Abby expands her territory in mom's belly. Although the additional surface area in her midsection comes in handy for taking notes and propping up her elbow when she's on the phone.

We feel like we're getting to know our daughter especially well as she is getting ever more active in the womb. Her sleep and wake cycles are very easy to distinguish, and most of her awake time is spent in what seems to be an effort to make more room for herself by kicking, punching and stretching as much as possible. Sometimes Christina wonders if Abby might just be all feet, hands and elbows. Then we see her little rump scooting around to the right of Christina's belly button and remember that there's actually a whole little person in there.

Justin has introduced Abby to some daddy-daughter play time, and we're very entertained (and amazed) at just how responsive she is to his voice and touches during the game we're affectionately calling "Thumps" (also commonly known as "Okay Abby, kick me!") For those of you who aren't familiar with Thumps, you'll need a pregnant belly, an active fetus, and one very creative dad to get started. The game goes a little like this: with his hand firmly on Christina's belly, Justin will press his fingers in gently and then tell Abby, "Kick daddy!" And amazingly, she does! Then we repeat the process until Abby gets bored and turns away or until the novelty of being kicked repeatedly wears off for Christina.

Justin started renovations on Abby's room this week, hanging chair rail and painting up a storm. Only a few more coats of paint to go before it's all ready to start moving stuff in. Next come curtains and crib assembly. But first, we're off to the beach where Christina's mom has promised to help her dig a hole in the sand for her belly so she can lay out on her stomach. Please pray for safe travels and that Christina will be able to tolerate the long hours sitting in the car without too much trouble.

Off to stick our toes in the sand,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)