We have only a week or two left (depending on your source) in the second trimester. And week 26 is apparently fairly action-packed. Monkey is opening his eyes this week - so far they've been fused closed so his retinas can develop. They still don't have much pigment in them, though. He's also growing the hair on his head - odds are strawberry to blonde judging from Zoo Keeper baby pictures - and if he has any cowlicks or weird growth patterns, they're forming now. This is a huge week in brain wave development, and he's becoming more responsive to outside stimulus like light, sound and those crazy people pushing on the belly. (Please do not try this without permission: Zoo Keeper tends to exhibit some ursine-like qualities lately.) His head has become more mobile, so he can shake his head for yes or no, if he knew what that meant. At 14 inches and about 2 pounds, he is trying to make the most of his still somewhat-roomy environment by practicing 'pedaling' - a pre-walking leg exercise that he'll eventually use on his bike.
At this point we don't anticipate seeing Monkey again until perhaps the very end, when we might need to see how big he is. We'll try to get some other pictures up in the next few weeks as work on the Monkey Habitat continues.
All the business of Monkey
