Baby Scratch Fever.

Baby Cute is developing finger and toenails. This could be linked to my cravings for milk, or I could be a crazy pregnant woman who loves dairy products. Whatever. Baby Cute is definitely growing away, being a busy baby boy. He has been quieter this week. I think he is saving up all of his good kicking and punching for the weekend. Smart boy; it's going to be a busy weekend.

I'm so happy to feel so good. I keep expecting to NOT feel good because of the way people trepidatiously ask me "How are you feeling?" I feel great, actually! I planned a last minute trip to Traverse City yesterday to cover an event for work next Thursday. While my planning instincts continue to rage away inside of me, I am doing my best to take each day as it comes and not plan too much in advance. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised at how good I feel and how productive I continue to be at work and home. My co-workers especially keep hesitantly asking me how I am feeling, like they expect the answer to be "horrible!" But no complaints. I'm thrilled to be going to TC to take pictures and do interviews at a field day next week. I'll wear tennis shoes and drink a lot of water and be extra careful to prevent falling. :)

Today is my last day in the office this week. I am so excited to head to Saginaw tonight! So excited to see all of my siblings tomorrow! So excited to feel Baby Cute startle when my parents' dog Bella goes crazy when I arrive! So excited to see the joy on David's face when he gets to experience "Karen cake" again! So excited to see all of my Mom and sister's hard work on the shower come together on Saturday!

We've hit the 8-month mark Baby Cute. Good job growing. Keep up the good work. I will keep feeding you frappucino and corn pops (oh, and fruit and vegetables and whole grains of course).

BabyCenter: By now, your baby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

BabyGaga: In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there-- yes, baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor. Time to celebrate (no, no, wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne!) We’re talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch!