honeymoon salad… lettuce alone

how far along?  26 weeks

development:  baby boy is measuring in at 13.6 to 14.8 inches, and weighs 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, about the size of a head of lettuce. his eyes are finally starting to open and are more responsive to light, and he's taking breaths of amniotic fluid, practicing for that air he'll breath in march. he's gearing up his immune system, and most of his bodily systems and functions are now intact - the rest of his development revolves around putting on height and weight. reading about his development this week, he seems to be grown into even more and more of a real little person, as funny as that may sound - it's just amazing!  

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  wearing maternity jeans, leggings, a few maternity tops, long tanks and flowy sweaters. my pretty much daily wear also consists of boots and a scarf (it's not often that i'm not wearing a scarf). speaking of maternity clothes, i'm still waiting on that snazzy holiday dress i ordered, and i just also bought a pretty pushers labor & delivery gown (thanks jess, for the suggestion) so that i don't have to wear the sickly looking hospital gown and maybe be a little more comfy and cute in what i'm expecting to be one of the most uncomfortable times of my life. lol.

sleep?  been using my pregnancy body pillow to lean on and prop between my legs as i sleep on my side at night to try to prevent my hips from hurting. my sleep has seemed lighter and choppy, especially after viewing my sleep stats on the up.

stretch marks?  nothing yet

best moments this week:  picking out and decorating our christmas tree... thinking that this is the last year it'll be just anthony and i. hard to believe, this is our eleventh christmas together, and next year it'll be so different!  •  christmas music  •  being my crafty self and working on some home made christmas gifts  •  a relaxing pregnancy massage last week  •  anthony would say a bears win in monday night football!

miss anything? not too much. maybe sleeping on my stomach, lol.

movement:  the babe seems to be more active in the mid-afternoon and i usually notice it more when i'm sitting still at my desk at work. this past week was one of the first times that i noticed really seeing the movement of my belly - it's quite a weird thing... makes me laugh.

food cravings:  ice cream, mac & cheese 

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  all boy... "there's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm." ~ christina aguilera

pregnancy symptoms:  some back pain, an itchy belly and my hips hurt after laying on one side for too long. i used to joke with anthony about restless leg syndrome (mostly because it just sounds made-up), but apparently it's a symptom of pregnancy that's popped up a few times here and there recently.

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy for the most part and a little emotional here and there 

looking forward to:  holiday happenings at work - vendor lunch and company christmas dinner this week  •  continuing to receive (things i've ordered online), make, shop and wrap christmas gifts - hoping to tie up mostly everything this weekend  •  my next doctor's appointment is 12/20 for the glucose screening test. looking for good results and trying not to expect the worst with the taste of this stuff that everyone seems to complain about, the waiting, but most of all... i'd really like the results to be good.

^^^ a choppy night's sleep - deep sleep (dark blue), light sleep (light blue), awake (orange)

so i saw a second daycare facility last friday afternoon, and a third today. there's so much to think about. cost is obviously a factor, but other things have me thinking and need taken into consideration like:

- keystone stars program - a state initiative to improve, recognize and support efforts of early learning programs in pennsylvania. facilities do not have to take part in the program, but if they do, they are rated 1 through 4 stars for their Standards, Training, Assistance, Resources and Support (STARS). out of the three centers i saw, one was a 2 star, one was a 2 star actively working to soon achieve 3 and one was a 4 star. but in comparison, like i said, not all facilities have to be a part of the program so there could be an equally fantastic center out there not even rated, or a lower star rating doesn't necessarily mean that they'll care for our little one any less.

- one of the centers stated that formula is provided for infants, while the other two do not offer formula as part of their program. it just happens that at the center that i was visiting where they do provide it, the dad picking up his little one that i ran into raved about what a cost savings it is, and even more, not having to prepare bottles every morning.

- while all three provide breakfast and snacks, just two of the centers provide lunches to those eating solid foods (usually over 1 year old) as part of the weekly tuition cost and the third does not.

center 1:
4 star rated, most expensive, formula - no, breakfast, snacks and lunch - yes. locally operated, non-franchise

center 2:
2 star rated, least expensive, formula - yes, breakfast, snacks and lunch - yes. church run center

center 3:
2 star rated, almost 3 star, costs between 1 & 2, formula - no, breakfast and snacks - yes, lunch - no. locally operated, non-franchise

how to choose? i'm leaning towards one, but there's a lot to consider.

^^^ selfie... one of my favorite and oldest christmas ornaments (from '93)... and my boy fender, looking handsome as ever

week 26 down, only 97 days to go! we're into the double digit numbers and we're nearing the end of the second trimester!