29 weeks today...

Good gracious, these weeks are going by so fast...29 weeks today!

This is what babycenter.com says has been happening this week:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

And whattoexpect.com said this:

 

At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.

Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar donut you ate half an hour ago.

Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his gums as well.

And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).

 

shower #3 (mini-shower)...

I have been remiss!  I should've posted this before now...

When we were in Lexington last (about 3 weeks ago), my mom and dad gave us a little mini-shower of sorts.  My mom has been stockpiling stuff since she found out we were pregnant, even more so once she found out it was a boy.  :)  So she had some "stuff" she wanted to just go ahead and give us.

It was fun -- a bag for each of us.  Jeff went first and then I opened mine...

Jeff got his own diaper bag!

...with denim diapers...

...and a cute little onesie!

I think he's ready, don't you?  :)

I got a bath-theme filled basket full of stuff (among other things).  :)

[26 weeks pregnant]

[photo credit goes to my Momma, with some editing by me]

We had a ball opening, unzipping and sifting through stuff to find our goodies.  Thanks, Momma & Daddy!  We love you both bunches and appreciate the goodies!

childbirth education class #1...

Jeff and I went to our first childbirth education class last night, Prepared Childbirth.  This was the first of a 4-week series of one-hour classes at the lovely (no, really) Women's & Children's Hospital of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Our friend -- and phenomenal (so I've heard :) labor & delivery nurse -- Jackie is teaching the class and she did great!  I wondered how she felt about 1) teaching her SS teacher and 2) talking about such things as vaginas & discharge in front of him.  She said it was a little awkward, of course, but she's a professional so she did what she needed to do and told us what we needed to know.

It was a FULL hour's worth of information she threw at us so before we knew it, it was 8:30pm and time to go.  We talked about some of the basic terms involved with childbirth (anatomy, birthing terms, etc.), the different stages of labor, what to look for/note if this or that should happen, etc.  She gave us a book with the information so we had that to take our own notes in if we chose to.

I enjoyed the class and at this point, don't have anything to fear yet.  She was very upfront with how hard this childbirth thing is and how it is painful, but even with that, I'm not panicking.  Yet.

We still have 3 classes to go, so there's still time to scare me out of my wits.

There were about 15 folks in the class -- only one who was there by herself.  I was proud of the soon-to-be daddies that came with their mommies (including mine :) -- there were 5 of those.  One of the girls brought her mom since her husband had to work, and another girl brought her sister-in-law since her husband was also working.  Incidentally, her SIL made a good point: "This is an excellent class to take to KEEP you from getting pregnant!"  :)

28 weeks today...

I cannot believe how fast these 28 weeks have gone by!  We are 2/3 of the way there, peeps.  Whoa.

Here's what's been going on with the baby this week, according to babycenter.com:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

This is what whattoexpect.com says is going on:

 

At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.

The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

Amen.

 

We took a meal Saturday to a couple in our Sunday School class who just had a little one, a boy, this past week.  He was a cutie!  Weird to think that that will be us in just a few months...

doctor's appt #10...

I had another doctor's appt today -- I'm now going to my OB every 2 weeks (instead of 4) -- crazy!

Today's appt went well.  My blood pressure was relatively normal and according to their scale, I hadn't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks so that's great!  I feel like I have been gaining weight like crazy so that part of the appt always worries me.  I'm always afraid someone is going to mention it and tell me I've got to slow down.  So far no one has said a thing about my weight, God bless'em.  :)

I saw Dr. Vogel -- and a PA student -- today.  I think I may be getting close to meeting all the doctors now.  There may be 1 or 2 I haven't met yet.  And it always seems like there's a student following the doctor I'm going to see.  :)  I don't mind that, though.  Seriously, I think I've met 3 young girls in PA school.

Ashley (the student) checked my fundal height -- I'm measuring right on, she said -- and listened to the baby's heartbeat with the doppler.  She actually pointed out the heartbeat and the sound the umbilical cord makes -- never had anyone point out the subtle difference before, so that was kinda neat.  Both sounded very healthy.

Dr. Vogel mentioned that at this point in the pregnancy I need to be taking count of the fetal movement at some point each day.  Nothing official but just to count at least 5-6 movements within an hour's time at some point during the day when I know he's awake and will be active.  No problem there -- when this kid is awake, it's at least 5-6 movements, if not way more than that.  Even so, Dr. Vogel said that if at any time I can't count at least that many in an hour's time, I should give them a call.  After that, he looked over my chart and said everything is looking great -- "don't change a thing!".

Roger that.  :)  

do we HAVE everything?

I got an article in my inbox today entitled "Diaper-Bag Essentials" (from whattoexpect.com) and I thought it had some pretty good information in it.

That cute diaper bag you got at your baby shower (or bought yourself!) probably wasn’t meant to be stuffed until bursting at the seams. Well, the good news is that there’s no need to overpack and lug around a bag that weighs a ton. The following items are pretty much all you need when you’re out and about with your baby. Just be sure to restock when you get home, so you’re never without these diaper-bag essentials.

Diapers. Obvious, yes, but how many you pack depends on how long you’re going to be out, how old your baby is, and how he’s feeling. (if you’re heading to the doctor because your baby has diarrhea, for instance, pack several so you’re prepared for a maximum number of changes.) And don’t forget to follow the plus-one rule: Always pack one more diaper than you think you’ll need.

Wipes. Tuck them in a reclosable plastic bag or case to use during diaper changes. But don’t just relegate them to tushy cleanup. Wipes are handy for cleaning your own hands before and after diaper duty and can be used to remove spit-up and baby-food stains from clothes and furniture.

Diaper cream or ointment. It’s a good idea to carry around a tube of ointment or cream to use as a layer of protection to help prevent a diaper rash from developing — or to soothe your baby’s bottom in case one develops.

Changing pad. Most diaper bags come with a pad, so don’t leave home without it — especially if you’re going somewhere that doesn’t have a changing table (like Grandma’s house). If your bag doesn’t come with a pad, add your own, but choose one with a washable or wipe-off cover. In a pinch, you can always use a towel or cloth diaper, but be careful — they aren’t waterproof and won’t be able to adequately protect carpets or furniture.

Extras. Depending on how long you’re planning to be out, be sure to pack a bib, burping cloth, a ziplock bag for dirty diapers, and a bottle of formula if you’re not breastfeeding. Consider packing a replacement outfit for your baby if he’s prone to spitting up or tends to produce diaper blowouts (lucky you!). And don’t forget a bottle of water and snack for you. (And if the diaper bag’s doing double-duty as your purse, toss in a small bag where you can stash your cash, keys, and cell — that way you won’t be rooting around for your essentials when you need ’em.)

I do actually already have my diaper bag.  I registered for one at Babies R Us when we were there but wasn't "gung-ho" on it -- it was just there and I liked it the best of all that I saw in the store.  I knew I needed one so I zapped had Jeff zap it with the gun.

Since registering for that one at BRU, I was in a Walmart when we last visited my family and they had one that was PERFECT.  It was cute, not too big and most importantly, was the right color scheme.  :)  

Some of you know how I like to coordinate.

Due to that personality flaw trait, I snatched that bag right up (and removed the one from the BRU registry -- before anyone could buy it)!  This is what it looks like:

And if you will recall this post and this one, you will totally see why THAT is the perfect color scheme.

Ready to start filling it with all the stuff they said I need!

27 weeks today...

Well, I've made it to the 3rd trimester -- I'm 27 weeks today.  Can't believe it!

Lots of fun stuff is happening with our little one this week.  Here's what babycenter.com says:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he 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 him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

And whattoexpect.com has these things to say:

For a baby, it's time to trade in the old crown-to-rump measurement for a new head-to-toe standard. So what are your baby’s stats this week (which, coincidentally, is the end of the second trimester)? Fifteen inches — more than a foot long — and triple (or even quadruple) what it was in week 12. His weight is creeping up the charts as well, coming in at just over two pounds. More big news: Your baby may recognize your voice by now, so feel free to serenade your belly (start learning those lullabies!).

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

Wow, such interesting stuff!

Now that's perspective right there...

Jeff is steadily working on the crib and it's coming along rather nicely, if I do say so myself.  He's already got the front part of the crib done (sans stain) -- this is the part that will convert to the footboard of the regular bed.  It looks so great.  Now he's working on the curved sides of the crib -- a challenge, but I think he's definitely up for it!  :)  He really amazes me with this handiwork.

I, in the meantime, am doing things like getting us signed up for childbirth education classes.  We'll take a 4-week Prepared Childbirth class starting on Aug 11 (with our friend and lover of all babies, Jackie Parker -- she's an L&D nurse at the hospital), a breastfeeding class on Sep 15 and a Baby Care class on Sep 23 (Jackie's also teaching that one, yay!).  We'll also have 2 meetings with our doula, Kelley, in September.

Time seems so short and we're just cramming as much as we can into each day.  I hope we get everything done and ready before this kid gets here!