26 Weeks: What's Happening

Look who's looking. Your 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 beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that she is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!"). 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 your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until she's close to six months old.
Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity. Her lungs are now capable of breathing in air. The alveoli begin secreting "surfactant," which keeps them from collapsing. At this point, she is only taking in small breaths of fluid in the womb, but she could probably survive and breathe outside the womb with medical assistance.
At your baby's current height and weight (about 14 inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate she's growing, she will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for her to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.