27 weeks...and the 3rd Trimester begins!!

Baby is the size of a Sock Monkey...

Okay...I know this isn't really a good indication of size, but it was so funny, I had to put it! :-) Baby is also about the size of a Pot Roast...give or take! :-)

Here's what's happening with baby this week...

• The fetus weighs almost 2 pounds now and is about 14.5 inches long.


• Baby now weighs about 875 grams and is 36.5 cm in length.


• The head is over 2.5 inches (7cm) in diameter.


• Your baby's hearing continues to develop.


• The eyes can blink, open and close.

Welcome to the third trimester. Congratulations! You have made it 2/3 of the way through. It may be hard to believe, but your baby now appears much like he or she will look like at birth. Baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes and hair is growing everyday. The muscle tone is improving and his or her body is getting plumper.

Your little one's brain continues its rapid growth. Don't forget to share music, conversation, and even books with your baby. Baby may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner, so be sure to say lots of nice things.

The retina at the back of your baby's eyes is beginning to develop. Those beautiful baby eyes can open now, and the baby will notice and may turn his or her head if you shine a flashlight against your belly.

At 27 weeks, your baby's length will have tripled or quadrupled from the 14 week mark. If your baby is born this week, the chances of survival is now at least 80 percent. However, serious complications are still possible.

Baby's lungs and immune system are maturing this week as baby prepares for his grand entrance. If he were born today he would have an 85 percent chance of surviving as his lungs are capable of breathing air (with medical assistance, of course). Other exciting developments:

Baby's done a lot of growing over the past few months. His length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that's not the only thing growing—baby's brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. His brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby. If baby is a he, his testes will have completely descended at this point.

She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Here's me at 27 weeks...

Well, a lot has been going on at "Casa de Bentley." For one...I have the most amazing husband ever. God has truly blessed me with an amazing man. He has been helping me out around the house in so many big and small ways and blessing me at all times by allowing me time to rest. He also has begun re-finishing the furniture we had in our guest room to use in the baby's room. This was my old furniture when I was growing up, and in turn it was my mom's when she was growing up. So it's very old, but it's really well made and the wood is still in great condition. He is sanding it down, and staining and finishing it...as well as updating it a little, by putting new front pieces on it that he has fashioned himself. Here are a couple of pictures...you can see the 9 door dresser, in it's original condition, and the desk (that we are going to use as a changing table) with the changes already in progress. We also got some great brushed nickle handles that we are going to put on these. I think the finished product will look great. I'll post pictures when they are done.

Nathan also started the big project of remodeling the nursery this weekend. I sat and kept him company while he did all the demolition. The room we are going to use for the baby is actually the biggest room in the house...very odd, I know. Anyway...our room's closet and the nursery room's closet back up to each other. So, Nathan blew through that wall, and we are going to steal from the baby's room, to give ourselves a much bigger, walk-in closet, and then build a new standard closet in the baby's room. So, it will take the room we're using for the nursery from a size of 11 x 13 to 11 x 10. Still, a very standard sized bedroom.

Nathan got all the demolition done, and in a week or two will begin to frame out and drywall our new closet and then the closet in the baby's room. I can't wait to see this all take shape! Here are some pictures so you can see what he's done so far.

Here you can see the closet in the room that will become the nursery...

This is the closet in our master bedroom...

And the Demolition begins...

Looking at the progress from our room ....and the 2nd picture is looking from the Nursery...

The area where we ripped up the carpet and you can see the cement... that is going to be the size of our new closet. Then the baby's closet will go about 2 feet further into the nursery. So, there will be a little entry way into the baby's room. I think it's going to turn out really good. I can't wait to see the room and the closet all finished!!