Week 36 -- The Start of the 10th Month

Baby Girl's Development This Week: She is still packing on the pounds -- at the rate of about an ounce a day. She weighs almost 6 pounds now and is around 18.5 inches long! She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Baby girl swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, that will form the contents of her first poop! (We'll be cleaning that up soon!) At the end of this week, baby girl will be considered full-term -- which is the start of when we can deliver at the Midwife Center. We are very excited about that :-)

The best part about this week was the wonderful, beautiful weather! I got to take lots of walks at lunchtime. However, the walks and weather (I think) both contributed to my slightly swollen ankles. Hmmmm....not much fun, but oh, well. I don't have to deal with them much longer. I can't believe that, most likely, baby girl will be here in the next four weeks! Chris and I are in a last minute push to get all of our home projects completed. This week, we painted the office, bought some furniture for the man-room, put up blinds, finished the last few details of our closet, among a few other things. Oh, and I did the first two loads of laundry of baby girl's clothes this week and hung them in her closet. They are so cute and so tiny!! I can't wait to see her in them!

Have a great week everyone! See lots of you on Saturday :-)

Week 35

Baby Girl's Development This Week: She doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at around 5 1/4 pounds! Because it's so snug in my womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the kicking still abounds. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

We had another midwife appointment this week and it was really great! My blood pressure continued to be low and I was still measuring at 35 weeks (same as two weeks ago!)...which means that my growth has stabalized a bit. Because of this, we talked to the midwife and decided that the additional ultrasound was not necessary.

You'll notice in the picture that my belly looks quite large at the top and is a bit smaller towards the bottom -- this is because of baby being in the head down position. Her bum and legs are all scrunched up at my ribs, and I really haven't noticed any decrease in her movement. The swiping continues...I'm not sure when she is supposed to 'drop,' but I don't believe she has yet.

Also, this weekend we got to pick up our crib!! Here are a couple pictures:


It is so gorgeous in person! Both sides go up and down -- and the star finials are awesome...we just love it! It looks exactly like the picture we gave to the Amish guy. We hope within the next two weeks to pick up the additional two pieces of furniture.

Professional Maternity Photos

I have always wanted to get professional maternity photos...and when I was 32 weeks 6 days, we did just that. An amazing photographer, Sandy, from Red Lotus Photography came to our home and took some very beautiful pictures. We really had a great time and captured some wonderful belly shots to commemorate our growing baby girl.



Curtosy of Photographer: Sandy Yetter
http://www.redlotusphotography.com/
412.216.3914

Week 34

Baby Girl's Development at Week 34: She now weighs about 4 3/4 lbs (like an average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long! Her fat layers — which she'll need to 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.

I'm so excited to have made it to 34 weeks -- now we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that if baby girl decides to come early, she will do just fine. Not too much going on this week. I've been feeling less of the kicks and more of the 'swiping' (as I call it). My definition of 'swiping' is when baby girl rubs her foot back and forth, back and forth along my side. I have also been feeling her body parts more as she pushes out and keeps applying pressure. Sometimes it actually hurts. Sometimes it surprises me. Sometimes she down right wears me out (and she's not even born yet!). I'll just be sitting on the couch and she will be moving so much, I won't be able to concentrate or relax because of her movements. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

Unless you also ran the race, you probably won't recognize the long sleeve t-shirt I'm wearing in the photo above -- it's from the Great Race that I ran way back when I was 6 weeks pregnant! It's getting quite tight around my belly now :-) But Chris and I plan on running it again this year on September 28th. Let me know if you're up for it and I'll sign you up for Team Creamery!!

Have a great week everyone!!

I miss......It is all worth it because.....

In no particular order, I miss...

1. Sleeping on my belly
2. Not having to pee every 5 minutes
3. Being able to shave easily
4. Sleeping through the night (see #2)
5. Being able to put my socks and shoes on easily
6. Being able to bend over
7. Not having back pain
8. RUNNING
9. Being able to get in and out of a car without grunting
10. My non-maternity clothes

It is all worth it because...

1. I don't have to share her yet
2. I get to feel her every movement
3. I am never alone
4. I get out of cleaning the litter box
5. Maternity clothes may not be cute all the time, but they are comfortable
6. People do anything for a pregnant girl
7. I will be a mommy soon
8. Giving birth to my baby will be one of the most incredible experiences of my life
9. Having this baby means that Chris and I are truly a family and not just a couple
10. I can't wait to meet this person that Chris and I created together!

Week 33

Baby Girl's Development This Week: She weighs a little over 4 lbs now (think the weight of a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

I had another midwife appointment this week. My blood pressure was great, I don’t have any swelling and the baby is still head-down (yippee!). However, baby girl is continuing to measure big. This time, I was 32 ½ weeks at the appointment and she was measuring at 35 weeks. Can you believe it? Do I really look that big? Anyway, I am scheduled to get another ultrasound so they can check the fluid level and baby’s measurements to make sure everything is okay. I may opt out since it is after our next appointment at the midwive's office...we'll see how that one goes first.

I am feeling pretty good -- the normal lower back pain and uncomfortable stretching of my skin, but nothing to really complain about. I definitely enjoy being pregnant, but at the same time am really looking forward to wearing my normal clothes again! It won't be long now. This baby is surely going to be a sports lover. She has some pretty hard kicks and I'm sure will come out with nice leg muscles!