Update on Baby Horak - 26 Weeks Pregnant

We're entering the third trimester!  Not much longer now!  :)

This week, the network of nerves in our baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before; so not only does she hear sounds, but she is even able to respond to them by an increased pulse rate or by movement. Also, she's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These "breathing movements" are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now probably weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

Our baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop — are finally beginning to open. Now, our baby is able to see what's going on around her (unfortunately the view in my uterus isn't all that exciting). The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing our baby's eye color. Even the eye color our baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so we may actually be kept guessing until our baby is close to six months old!