35 weeks!
30 Sep 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Me, pregnancy
What’s going on this week:
Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that he’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, he isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – today is the magical ’35 weeks along / 35 days to go’ mark.
Weight Gain: +22 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: Same as last week! And I’m noticing that my feet are tending to swell up just a* bit* by the end of the day.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing but the ice chewing.
Sleep: Waking up a lot to pee and change positions. This belly is heavy!
I am loving: Washing all the tiny baby blankets and clothes!
I miss: Not having to rock back and forth to gain momentum before launching myself off the couch/bed/chair, etc….
Movement: Still the same – he’s a mover and a shaker.
Nursery progress: I’ve been adding little touches here and there. And I still want to add a side table next to the glider, and a small bookshelf, and some pictures on the walls. All in good time! I’ve also started packing the baby’s bag for taking to the birth center when delivery time arrives. So far in it, he’s got a hat, socks, 2 blankets, some mittens, a newborn outfit and a 0-3 mos outfit, his baby book (for foot prints). The birth center will have some stuff we can use – a throw away hat for when he is all gunky and some diapers, but mostly, he doesn’t need that much stuff! Now I just need to work on packing up MY bag.
Exercise: Blah.
Looking forward to: Seeing Scott’s face when this baby is born. I have imagined how he will react, but I guess no imagining will be like the real thing!
Belly Shot: (later)
34 weeks!
28 Sep 2011 Comments Off on 34 weeks!
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Me, pregnancy
What’s going on this week:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she’s born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you’ve been nervous about preterm labor, you’ll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – (since I’m late updating this week, as of today, I’m actually 34w5d, so only 37 days to go!)
Weight Gain: +22 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: Stretch marks. Snoring. Fatigue. Achey hips and back. Pregnancy is glamorous!
Cravings/Aversions: No change. Although I did have my very first bout of pregnancy heartburn the other night in the middle of the night. No fun.
Sleep: OK. The snoring is tough on Scott, and I’m having to get up about 3 or 4 times a night to pee, and sitting up in bed is kind of painful, so I have to sit on the edge for a minute before actually standing up, but I still fall asleep really easily, so overall, I can’t complain.
I am loving: That the nursery is pretty much DONE! Except for some small decorative details, all the major components are completed. WHEW!!
I miss: Family. It was a crazy, hectic weekend with lots of visitors, and while I’m glad to get back to a normal routine, I miss everyone, too. Lisa, Ada, Mom, Dad, Ali, Grace, Meredith and Tripp all came to town for the baby shower and Karen and Jim drove up for the day. I am so lucky to have such great family.
Movement: Good – I think that one night this weekend, he flipped – I noticed I could feel hiccups high on my right side, but by the next day, I felt them way down low again, so maybe he just needed a quick change of scenery? At my midwife appt yesterday, she did a lot of feeling around (it was painful, in case you were wondering – so much so that she made my uterus contract a couple of times, which, thankfully didn’t hurt) and was pretty positive he was head down again, so that was good.
Nursery progress: See above = DONE! There will be a separate post soon with pictures and details.
Exercise: Nothing specific to speak of. This weekend was very active, though, so now I’m recuperating and trying to take it easy.
Looking forward to: Ummm….with all the visiting and showers over, I’m kind of at a loss for something to look forward to. Maybe having this baby? 😉
Belly Shot:
33 weeks!
16 Sep 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Me, pregnancy
What’s going on this week:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He’s rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren’t fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don’t entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 49 days to go! (Whoa. That’s not a lot of time.)
Weight Gain: +21 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: I don’t think it is necessarily a pregnancy symptom, but I’ve been sick this week – some kind of cold or something. I’m finally feeling better -thankfully it was mostly short-lived. But it does seem to explain the sudden increase in snoring that I mentioned last week. One night this week, Scott actually had to go sleep in the guest room to get away. Sorry dude. I think it’s been better the last couple of nights, though!
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing in particular – this has been a boring heading, really. I still like pretty much everything I normally liked.
Sleep: Well, now that I am not quite as congested, a bit better. Monday and Tuesday night were rough, but we’re on the upswing now!
I am loving: How awesome Scott has been through this whole pregnancy. I have not wanted for anything, (I mean, you know, since I just SUFFER through life, usually.) and he’s been very attentive and involved. Caving to my whims and pretty much just pampering me and the baby.
I miss: Alright – I’ll admit it. Red wine. I’d really like some. Totally looking forward to having a guilt-free glass (or 2) once this baby arrives. (And, (see above re: pampering) Scott managed to score a bottle of the amazing red wine that we had at our wedding dinner that we all loved (especially Shane!) and that I managed to spill a glass of on the white tablecloth. We’re going to crack that sucker open post-delivery as a treat. I’ve been anticipating it for months.
Movement: Still really impressive – I feel like he is actually moving more lately! I thought he would start kind of slowing down and chilling out as he got more cramped in there, but he’s stayed really active. He always seems to know when I am reading (since I rest my Kindle on my belly) and he always starts giving good thumps right where it is pressing into his space. This behavior does not bode well for him letting me have some reading down-time after he’s out of the belly.
Nursery progress: OK…we have some progress! The old carpet is all gone, Scott drilled about a kazillion screws into the existing plywood floorboards and there is not one single squeaking spot left in that room. He’s leveled out the unevenness of the plywood, and the next step is laying down the new flooring boards.
Exercise: Eh…being sick kind of trumped exercising this week. Not being able to breathe very well, due to nasal congestion combined with baby pushing on my lungs was just not a combination I wanted to mess with.
Looking forward to: Only one week until the baby shower and all the family visiting! I’ll get to snuggle some babies and have some good visiting time.
Belly Shot:
No face this week, since it's very tired looking, and also read and splotchy from so much nose-blowing.
Check-up Check-In
13 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Home Improvements, Me, pregnancy
I had my 32 week appt today and all was well. It was a very uneventful visit, so that’s good – everything looked fine and my BP was a little high again, but since I seem to show a pattern of one visit high, the next visit normal, they aren’t concerned. I don’t have any swelling or headaches, and no protein in my urine, so no other signs that there is any problem. I got praised for my excellent weight gain, and told that I am very healthy! I love passing tests. Sandra, the midwife, was able to feel that the baby was still head down, and she was able to pick up a butt, a head and an arm during her poking around. And while she was checking his heart rate, he gave a couple of good kicks that made the doppler unit bounce, and she was able to tell that when he kicked his heart rate went up, which is exactly what you want to happen. It indicates he’s got good oxygen flow. I go back in 2 weeks for the next visit…
Other than that, not a lot to report on, so this is just a quick update post.
(Although I did manage to get the new baseboards and the clothing rod for the closet painted this weekend (outside, with very good ventilation), and Scott tore off all the old baseboards and pulled up the tack strip, so now he just needs to secure the existing plywood boards down tighter to eliminate the squeaking, and we’re on to new floor installation!)
32w4d
We have lost our minds.
11 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Home Improvements, pregnancy
So, with only 8 weeks to go, you would think that we were about ready to clear out the last of the miscellaneous stuff from the baby’s room, and start putting together the crib and folding clothes, and hanging pictures on the wall, etc. However, on Scott’s birthday yesterday, clearly dementia began to set in for both of us, and instead, this is what we decided to do:
We thought it was a great time to put in a new floor! And really, it needed to be done – the floorboards underneath the existing (gross) carpet were really squeaky, and it was bothering both of us. And since the whole room is getting a decoration overhaul, it makes sense to go ahead and replace the floor and the baseboards and give it a complete fresh start all at the same time. Thankfully this is not Scott’s first flooring replacement rodeo, so at least we know what we are in for.
We are sticking with the laminate flooring that we have used throughout the downstairs, since it it easy to install, and doesn’t dent or scratch. Easy to clean, too! Which will be handy in a little boy’s room, when you consider the likely “pee” (or other bodily fluid ) events that are going to happen, and later on, the throwing and dropping of toys, etc. We chose a relatively neutral color so that it will (hopefully) blend with any future wall and furniture colors. For the time being though, we’ll just put down an area rug that coordinates with the room colors, for a nice soft spot to play or hang out.
We’ll Scott’ll have this flooring project done in no time, and together we’ll have all the details completed by the time everyone is in town for the shower on the 25th, so you can rest assured that you will get to see a cute, finished nursery if you will be here in person. But, if not, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to post lots of pictures!
And just a quick snippet to say Happy Birthday to the best husband ever. This will likely be our most eventful year so far, but I am sure it will also be our best. I’m so happy to be bringing this baby into the world with you. I love you!
32w2d
32 weeks!
09 Sep 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, pregnancy
What’s going on this week:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 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, she’ll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 56 days to go!
Weight Gain: +20 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: Excessive snoring – is that a pregnancy symptom? Sorry Scott, I know that one affects both of us! And aching hips after I’ve been sitting for a while, and a touch of sciatica again.
Cravings/Aversions: I just want food. It all sounds fine – whatever you’ve got. I’ll eat it.
Sleep: Meh- this week was a little hit or miss. The above-mentioned snoring has been an issue – poor Scott’s bearing the brunt of this one, unfortunately. But getting comfortable is getting more and more challenging, and changing positions is an effort. When I am asleep, I’m sleeping hard, though, so I guess that’s good.
I am loving: That the cleaning company is starting today- this makes me so happy!
I miss: Sleeping on my stomach – still. Again last night, there was nothing I wanted more than to flip onto my stomach and just sprawl out!
Movement: Good…on Wednesday it was a really quiet day – not a lot of action, but he made up for it on Thursday with non-stop action for most of the afternoon and evening, it seemed like. He is very fond of my right side, and of jutting (what I am guessing is) his butt out just to the right of my bellybutton. It’s funny to see how the shape of my stomach shifts and stretches.
Nursery progress: Mostly we just organized and moved some stuff around in order to make it easier for the cleaning people to access the space. I think we’ll gt the dresser this week, and hopefully a small bookshelf, too.
Exercise: just walking this week…I have Stevie Nicks contractions (as Scott called them) pretty regularly now as we walk – they come and go, come and go – and the best way I have been able to describe it, is that it feels like a bowling ball inside my stomach and it’s being pressed forward towards my bellybutton. Lots of tightness and pressure and weight, but no real pain. Then it just subsides and I’m good for a while. I can keep walking through them, but sometimes we’ve stopped for me to sit to take a break.
Looking forward to: Baby shower #2, and all the family visiting!! Only about 2 weeks left. Guess we’d better get on that nursery progress since that’s what everyone wants to see!
Belly Shot:
Representin' for the Saints vs. Packers game last night. I think they knew my shirt was being stretched to the max, and they lost.
Houston Shower Recap (FYI…this will be very detailed becase that’s how my mom likes it.)
04 Sep 2011 7 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, baby shower, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, pregnancy
A roaring success! Thanks to Aunt Frances and Aunt Marilyn for hosting and for Karen and Kim for helping out. (Well, and for Douglas and Jim and Scott for also chipping in, against their will, and assembling sandwiches and whatnot.) We had a great time, and I will always be glad for the reminder of how many good people there are in the world. In this instance, good people that have never met me before (although most knew, or had at least met, Scott before), but still came and wanted to shower us with gifts for this baby – they were just happy to be there and to ooh and ahh over all the baby stuff.
Now, seeing as I had never met ANYONE at this shower, except for the above mentioned family members that helped out with it, I will now wow everyone with all of the names that I can remember of the guests as they appear in the pictures. Bonus points for remembering how everyone is related to one another. (If I mix anyone up, I’m sorry, I did my best! I’ll be sure to get it right on your thank-you note.)
The theme of the shower was monkeys, and the ladies didn’t disappoint in the execution. (Lisa, I told them all you would be jealous!) There was an all-chocolate monkey cupcake-cake..it was very tasty! (oh look…guess I should have cropped out the tips of Scott’s feet from the bottom of the picture – oh well…keeping it real.)
And lots of monkey table decor to coordinate:
The punch in that bowl was called 'almond tea' and it was amazing!
We started off on the right foot with all the introductions….here is Marilyn giving me the run-down.
From left to right: Marilyn, (me-hidden behind her), Delaine, Carol, Jeanine, Geneva and Lucille (I think). Lucille is Jeanine’s Mom.
From left to right: After Lucille, Peggy Wise (she’s a cousin), Doris, Gina (?) and Yevette (mostly hidden – daughter of the lady sitting next to her, I think it’s Gina?)), and the back of Betty (Geneva’s Mom), and just the very edge of Peggy (daughter in law of Gina.)
After all the introductions were complete, we got down to the important stuff! Presents – and lots of good ones! By this time, my picture-taker had removed himself to the kitchen with his Dad and Uncle, so there is only 1 picture taken near the end of the presents, but that’s OK, because I can just tell you what we got!
Lots of stuff off the Babies R Us registry, which was so nice, plus some extra bonus items thrown in for fun! Lots of clothes, of course, and quite a few that were monkey-themed, to match the shower decor. 🙂 2 very soft and cuddly blankets, several crib sheets, the “womb-sound” teddy bear for the crib, sun-shades for the car windows, a tummy time playmat (with music!), a reclining bathtub, digital ear thermometer, and the Red Cross healthcare kit, several bibs, the breathable crib bumper, baby spoons, some diapers and wipes and my (much anticipated) stroller! And there were several cards with money and giftcards included, (even some from people who couldn’t make it it to the shower, but still wanted to give something!) Seriously, we were feeling the love.
Opening/fighting with the stroller in the background:
This picture also includes Karen (white shirt) and Frances (black headband), who are both leaning over to help me wrangle the stroller. Also, there’s Kim standing up behind the couch. She’s Douglas and Frances’ daughter. We wore the same dress, but hers was black and white striped, and might I say, definitely more flattering on her than mine was on me. Maybe horizontal stripes weren’t such a good idea.
Posing with one of the table-decoration monkeys.
The food was excellent, and plenty of it…chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, chips, olives (black and green!), fruit salad, cupcakes, a cheese-ball with crackers, punch, and some seriously delicious deviled eggs.
More monkeys!
The loot!
All in all, it was a great shower….thanks again to the ladies that put it all together for us. We are so appreciative of the thoughtfulness, and are so glad that this baby will be welcomed into a family that is so excited to meet him and be a part of his life.
31w2d
31 weeks!
02 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Me, pregnancy
What’s going on this week:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 63 days to go!
Weight Gain: +19 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: Can’t think of any for this week!
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing. Please feed me.
Sleep: Still good, amazingly enough. Some nights I am aware of every time I have to adjust and change position, but other nights I sleep like rock, so it all balances out.
I am loving: All the smiles I get in public…people are finally starting to ask me about when I’m due, what I’m having, etc. Everyone seems to love a pregnant belly!
I miss: Not much.
Movement: The movement has changed recently…much more fluid and smooth movements…I can very often feel the curve of a butt or a back pressing out against the front of my stomach, and sometimes something harder and more defined, like a knee or a foot. And then just as soon as I can feel it, he shifts and the landscape changes again.
Nursery progress: No change this week. The next steps are: clear out the last remaining things of Scott’s out of the room, then paint touch ups to the walls, and then, once that is done, crib assembly, and dresser assembly (once we buy it, that is) and all the rest of the set up and organizing and arranging.
Exercise: I went for a swim this week….the pool was totally empty for the whole hour I was there, and it was wonderful! I swam laps, and it was nice because I felt like I got my heart-rate up, and got to really work out all my muscles with some cardio, but it wasn’t jarring at all, so it was the best of both worlds. I’m definitely planning on doing that some more. And since it seems like we will have an endless summer, I don’t have to worry about the weather changing and ruining my plans. Scott and I have also walked several more times this week, as well. Those walks usually last for and hour or so, and they wear us out!
Looking forward to: My first ever baby shower tomorrow! It’s so crazy to think about…I’ve been to my fair share of baby showers in my life, and it’s a bit hard to think that this one is for Scott and I , and OUR baby.
Belly Shot:
