Week 26 = Cankles!

This has been a week of new adventures for us. Dawn now has swollen ankles (aka, cankles) and is adjusting to not always seeing her feet due to the large bump in the middle of her body! Our baby was also able to enjoy his/her first (and second) Tiger baseball game this week and it was perfect because his/her ears are now fully developed and able to recognize familiar sounds. We are pretty sure our baby will find comfort in Rod & Mario's (Tiger commentators) voices just like Dawn did with Ernie growing up!

Last weekend when Dawn picked up Justin after being gone a few days the baby started jumping/kicking around as soon as he/she heard Justin's voice. It is unbelievable how much this baby knows without ever spending one day out of the womb. When Justin touches Dawn's belly, the baby responds with a kick pretty consistently unlike anyone else. The baby is communicating in his/her own language already and it is pretty incredible.

Development this week:
He/she is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his/her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he/she is born and takes that first gulp of air. And he/she continues to put on baby fat (not too much we hope). The baby now weighs almost 2 pounds and measures 14 inches from head to heel and is similar in size to a head of cauliflower.



Only a few days until we head back to Michigan for Alina's wedding on July 1st. We are excited to be with family and friends again even for a short time to catch up. We can't wait!