27 weeks - 91 days to go!

"This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like the head of a 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."

According to most websites/books, I'm in the 3rd trimester now! (I've read anywhere from 25-28 weeks, so this seems like a good estimation.) Seriously, where is the time going??

So let's see - big things this week:

We hung up new shelves in his closet, so that's all ready to be organized with tiny clothes and other fun things. Jason did a great job with it, while I handled the important jobs like handing him the drill when he needed it.

We're also in the process of painting the top of the dresser. One more coat and I think that's done. That will leave just fun crafty projects for the nursery.

Last night we had an appointment with the pediatrician we thought we were going to go with - and we loved her! Check something else off the list. :)

My belly button is so close to popping out. In fact, I was visiting Anna this weekend and started coughing and then laughing (which always makes it pop out) and I swear it took a good 20 minutes to go back in.

I haven't been sleeping very well. Part of that is probably because I left my trusty snoogle pillow at Anna's, but hormones could also probably be blamed.

And lastly, I got my first "twins" comment this weekend. I was checking out at Walmart and the cashier asked me when the big day was. I responded that it was the middle of February and got "Oh Lordy! Are you sure there's not twins in there??" I thought it was pretty funny - she caught me on a good day.

I thought I would just answer that quiz thing every few weeks. The answers were all starting to sound the same!

26 weeks - and oh what a night!

So as of yesterday, I’m 26 weeks pregnant, have 98 days until my due date, and the baby is the length of an English hothouse cucumber. Can’t say that I’ve ever seen an English hothouse cucumber, but that’s what he is.

“The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.”

Also, here is a diagram of what he actually looks like in there now. Poor guy is starting to look a little squished! Of course, it’s only going to get worse as we go on!




So, now for the small excitement of yesterday. I’d been having the Braxton Hicks occasionally, but that’s completely normal. Yesterday, for whatever reason, they picked up. I tried to sit with my feet up at work and drink a lot of water (which was what they said to do if I had more.) By mid afternoon they were getting to be about 2-4 an hour, consistently. I called my OBs office, just to confirm that this was normal. They weren't painful and I didn't really have anything else going on. I wasn’t worried, but just wanted a little reassurance. They ended up having me come in to get checked out – better to be safe than sorry.

I got there at 4:15, they were running late - I think it was about 5 before I was seen. I gave a urine sample, they checked my cervix (all closed!), and did the test to check for something called fetal fibronectin. This is a protein that is produced during pregnancy that acts as a glue, attaching the fetal sac to the uterine lining. It’s typically present in early pregnancy, and then again later – but it should not be there between 24 and 34 weeks. They do a test to make sure that it’s negative – which means that they can be 95% certain that I will not go into labor in the next 2 weeks.

They also decided that they wanted to hook me up to a monitor to watch the “tightening” I was feeling. Because it was now after hours I had to go down to labor and delivery to have it done. Just as a precaution, I was actually wheel chaired down. It was actually nice – my OBs office is on the 4th floor of the hospital, which is the same floor as labor and delivery. They wheeled me out one door, and there I was! I had my own room (identical to the one I will have when I actually delivery – which is so nice it’s like you’re in a hotel.) I had two belt type things strapped around my belly – one monitored the baby’s heart rate, and another monitored me. I also had a little button I had to push whenever I felt him move – which was a ton! He was digging all of the excitement. :) (Or annoyed by it – hard to say.) Anyways, during the 1 1/2 hours I was hooked up they saw several of the "irritations" - nothing more though. Yay! All the tests came back fine too, except one that said I was slightly dehydrated. Apparently that, plus being on your feet more (which I was this weekend) can cause the increase in BH. Everything else is just fine and he’s staying put to cook some longer.

I was never all that worried, but it’s nice that they suggested I come in to do all of that. I love my OB (she was actually who was on call last night and who discharged me) and it was reassuring to know that everything is fine.

So that’s how I spent almost 4 ½ hours of my day yesterday! Now I’m just taking it easy and making sure to get enough water!

100 days to go!

Until my due date that is, so probably not until he actually gets here. I just can't believe how fast time is flying!!

PS - To those that read the blog in google reader, the prior post about the quilt is probably all funky. I hit publish too soon, and the pictures were all out of order then. It's fixed on the actual blog now.

PPS - To those that don't use google reader, that probably made no sense - just ignore. :)

And so that this post has a picture too, when I got done with the quilt I made a little squishy toy block!

First project = all done!

How I spent my Friday night/Saturday - in pictures:

It started out with a bunch of this:


Which then turned into this:


After sewing them all together, and sewing each row together, I had this:


Then I spent about 3 hours doing this:




To get a close up that looked like this:


And after washing it and drying it, I ended up with this amazing ragged edge quilt! I love it!!

25 weeks

Before I start with the baby update, I wanted to say congratulations to my sister! Karen found out yesterday that she got a job! She's going to be an attorney for the Department of Children Services. Yay!!

Now for the baby update .... for this week, I give you one of the ugliest pictures (it ranks up there with the gross sweet potato week) - he's now the weight of a rutabaga.



"Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture."

This week has been pretty emotional for me. We're quickly approaching double digits (104 days until my due date) and I've gotten pretty overwhelmed. I woke up at 6:30 on Sunday just to make lists of what I need/want to get done. It will all get done and we have plenty of time, I just let it get to me.

We got the registries finished over the weekend, started some of the nursery projects, and I called and scheduled a meet and greet with a pediatrician today. When some of the projects get a bit more completed I'll be posting pictures!

How far along: 25 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +14.2
Maternity clothes: Yes! I'm actually pretty excited - I get to find a fun maternity dress to wear to my cousin's wedding that is in January. Shopping trip!
Stretch marks: Nothing new. This isn't a stretch mark, but something sort of fun - You can now see that fun line that goes straight down my belly (linea nigra.) It's getting darker. :)
Sleep: This week's fun dream involved the singing group Straight No Chaser, a train, a cruise ship, and Kermit the Frog. With things like that going through my head, no wonder I'm not getting any great sleep.
Best moment this week: I got an invitation in the mail for my first shower! It's a neighborhood/family friend one and the invitations are adorable - I cried! (See picture below) My sister and mom did such a great job!
Movement: A lot! I tried to get it on video last night but it's not a good enough recording to post on here.
Food cravings: Nothing this week
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out: Pretty close to being flat.
What I miss: Being able to sit on the floor to work on craft projects.
What I am looking forward to: Working more on the nursery
Milestones: Nothing huge that I know of

And while it doesn't fit the format of prior belly pictures, here I am last night. He's definitely in there! I actually had my first meltdown about someone's comment last night. Two people yesterday commented on the size of the bump - one who said that they didn't know how I'd make it until February with how big I was already. When Jason related that story to me, I promptly burst into tears. I can laugh now - I love my belly and what it means - last night was just a little emotional. :)

And here is the front of the shower invitation! I love it!

24 weeks

"Your baby is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon."

I think it's amazing that he has gained 4 ounces in a week. I'm also pretty sure that if that's the case, he's well over a pound now, based on my last ultrasound when they estimated 13 ounces.

Something else that I thought was interesting, apparently in the past few weeks the top of my uterus has risen above my belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. The rising uterus probably explains the arrival of heartburn. I'm not sure that I've ever had it before, but it's shown up everyday since Saturday now.

Other things that have happened in the last week or so - Jason actually got to SEE him move my belly. It's pretty funny to watch - I think he was doing the hokey pokey one night. Kick your leg out here, kick your leg out there ..... and you shake it all about. Also sort of neat was that one evening he positioned himself so that I actually saw him sticking out (not sure what part of him though.) Not just a kick/punch, but however he was positioned was making my belly all lopsided.

I've also started to have braxton hicks contractions. They're completely normal, but I was surprised to feel them already. Apparently they start a lot earlier (12 weeks?), you just don't normally feel them until later. It's this sort of sudden tightening of the belly, and then it's rock hard for a little bit. As long as it's not more than a few a day, I'm ok. If it gets to be a few an hour then I have to call Dr. B. She said that if I do feel them picking up I'm supposed to empty the bladder, lay on my side, and drink lots of water.

We had our 24 week appt yesterday and all went well. She used a measuring tape, basically from the top to bottom of my belly and said that I was right on track. (Probably not the most scientific method, but it made me feel good.)

My weight gain is doing fine too. Quite honestly I was nervous. Overall I knew it was fine, but the last month has been a pretty decent increase so I wasn't sure if they would say something.

We haven't done much else in the nursery - although have tons of plans! Lots of things to make/decorate. We actually did just buy the letters to put his name above the crib - I just have to decide how I want to paint them.


How far along: 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +13
Maternity clothes: Yes! Now I'm looking for a coat option - mine is starting to get a little snug.
Stretch marks: Nothing new.
Sleep: I'm actually doing ok here. In fact - 8 1/2 hours last night, with only two middle of the night bathroom trips.
Best moment this week: Watching him kicking/punching
Movement: A lot!
Food cravings: There was one night that I wanted a sprite to drink. I'm embarassed to admit it, but I actually ended up in tears over it.
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope - I wouldn't really call the BH contractions a labor sign.
Belly Button in or out: Pretty close to being flat.
What I miss: We were at some friends on Halloween and they had made some spiked apple cider. I'm not going to lie - I wanted some.
What I am looking forward to: Working more on the nursery
Milestones: According to my websites/message boards - 24 weeks is considered viability day. Meaning at this point if something happened, there is a chance that he'd survive, and they'd try to save him. Obviously not optimal at all, and I really have no sense of relief at being here, but I'd still consider it a milestone.