28 Weeks

Don't waddle! Don't waddle! That's what I have to tell myself every time I'm walking. It's hard not to give in to the natural reflex, but I don't want to look ridiculous. Besides, it's way too early to be big enough for this obvious display of full term pregnancy.
My heartburn has completely gone! No, I didn't find some miracle cure, I was just forced to stop eating sugar. As it turns out, sugar gives me heartburn. I haven't felt the burning or the bile rising in my throat for a week now. If I hadn't developed a sudden case of insomnia, I know I would be sleeping like a baby. I have discovered the joy of sugar free pudding and jello, almost as good as the real stuff.
I think that this was a bad time for us to get TV. All I watch are shows about giving birth, miracle babies, and high-risk pregnancy. It's starting freak me out. Xander loves to watch "A Baby Story" with me, especially if it's a C-Section. He loves it when they "cut the baby out and wash off the bwood". I think I might be scarring him for life, but he seems okay with it for now.

We are going to Arizona in a few weeks and I've been saving money to buy some new clothes for Frank. No, we have not decided on a name, but we have decided on a middle name, Frank, after my dad. So, it you feel the need to refer to our unborn child as a name, Frank or Frankie will do for now.

Your little pea has been concentrating on bulking up this week -- he’s steadily adding body fat and filling out that loose skin. His muscle tone is improving, too, so no need to worry about him emerging with spaghetti arms! His adrenal glands are functional and starting to produce the all-important androgens and estrogens. Although he's about the size of a sunflower bloom, he’s not yet terribly cramped by the size of your uterus, so he is still very active.


baby insight 28 Due Dialect: Androgens and Estrogens
Androgens are the hormones that stimulate and regulate the development of masculine characteristics. The androgen you hear about most often is testosterone, but there are many others that our bodies also produce. Androgen production is what causes the typically male characteristics we recognize: larger muscles, bigger skeletal frames, aggression and so on.

Estrogens, on the other hand, are the primary female sex hormones. Estrogens are present in both men and women, but are present in significantly higher levels in women of reproductive age. They promote typically female characteristics: breasts, menstruation and so on.