Week 35

Dear Bun,

We are at 35 weeks now, and most of your physical development is complete- your kidneys are fully developed and your liver can process waste.  Your biggest progress now is packing on the pounds until delivery day!  You should be about 20 inches tall now, and your height will stabalize from now until you are born.  You probably weigh around 5 1/2 lbs. 

Last week, we went to Infant CPR class and hope we never have to use it, but if we do I think we'll be prepared.  Your dad already told me that my job was to call 911, he was going to do the CPR, which is fine with me! I'm almost finished with your nursery, I am waiting on the mobile that I ordered to arrive, and once that comes, and your dad finishes with the toy chest, it will be ready!  I have a feeling it may be awhile before that toy chest is complete though- he is having a hard time getting all the old paint off.  I have almost everything I think I need before you are born.  I bought a video monitor for your nursery on Saturday and that was the last thing I wanted to get before you get here.  We will have a camera setup in your room so we can check on you.  It may stay there until you are 18, ha ha!. Kidding, kind of.

I'm still doing well, except Spring has arrived in Charlotte, which means I have to stay inside.  I am allergic to everything that blooms and right now, trees are getting ready or have started to bloom.  Normally I take a prescription for it, but I can't take it being pregnant.  So, I have a box of kleenex with me at all times, and just try and stay in the AC.  Hopefully you don't get allergies, but when I met with the pediatrician, she said they were highly genetic, so you may end up with them.

Here we are at 35 weeks:  My weight gain (28 lbs) has stayed the same the past 3 weeks.  I think a combo of allergies, no appetitie and very little room left for my stomach may be the cause.  We go back to the doctor this week, and will start going every week from now on- it's getting so close!!

Love,

Mom

Week 34

Dear Bun,

We're 34 weeks along now!  You could be as long as 20 inches and you weigh about 5 lbs.  You are continuing to accumulate fat and your lungs are continuing to mature.  Also, your fingernails have probably reached the tip of you finger now, which reminds me that I need to get some baby nail clippers for you!  You have reached the point now that if you were to be born, your prognosis is excellent.  You may require a small stay in the NICU, but most babies born after 34 weeks don't have any long-term health problems.  I'm not ready for you to come out yet, but at least if you decide to make an early entrance, you should not have any major problems.

This week, I found a pediatrician for you!  I met with her on Friday, and she or one of the other doctors in the practice, will come and see us right after you are born, and every day that we are in the hospital.  Then we will have to go visit her several times for checkups and well-baby visits after that.

It seems like every weekend, we are doing something to prepare for your arrival.  Today, I made several meals to freeze so we will have some healthy food to eat after you are born.  Your dad is putting the swing together now that your Grandpa Paul and Grandma Retta got for you.  We want to have it up early so Miss Morgan has a chance to sniff it out and get used to it before you come home.  I can't believe we have less than 6 weeks to go until your due date!

Here I am at 34 weeks.  I am still feeling good, other than being tired/not being able to sleep much.  I know that is very normal though and is probably a good thing since I'm getting used to life without as much sleep as I normally would get.  Recently, I have lost my appetite,which is a first since I've been pregnant!  I can't eat much at all at one time (guess my stomach must be taken over by you), so I have gotten used to eating really small meals 6-8 times a day.  That seems to work better than eating a regular sized meal at once.  We learned in birth class that that is normal too, and that a few weeks before you are born, lots of women experience "lightening" which happens when you drop in preparation for delivery, and leaves mom breathing easier and hungrier since you are lower in her abdomen.

Love,
Mom

Baby Shower!

Dear Bun,

We were blessed with 2 baby showers this weekend- one given to me at work and one couples shower given by our friends.  There are so many people anxious to meet you and we were spoiled by lots of nice things!  You will be stylin' many of your dad's favorite sports teams- you got some Michigan State gear, some Detroit Tigers gear, and a Red Wings jersey.  Everyone was smart enough not to get you any Detroit Lions gear :)

Your Grandma and Grandpa were so nice to drive all the way up from Florida to help us celebrate too!  Grandma Retta got lots of practice holding little babies and I think she is more than ready to hold you in her arms too! 

We only have a few more essential things to pick up before you get here, but other than that, I think we are all set on baby gear- at least until we meet you and decide what else you may need that we did not think of. 

Here are some pictures from yesterday.  We may not live close to any family, and you many not have cousins for awhile, but we are so lucky to have a nice group of friends here.  Some have little ones, and some have little ones on the way, but everyone is so excited to have you join our Charlotte family.

Bloody Mary Bar!

We had brunch foods: shrimp and grits, ham biscuits, pasteries, fruit salad and cupcakes for dessert!

The cupcakes deserve a close up- yum

Some of the ladies L to R: Meaghan, Leigh, Me, Megan, Allison, Samantha (hostess) and Noelle (hostess)

The Yeh's and thier youngest son Nolan.  They have 3 boys so you will have some older boys to play with and look up to :)

The Murphy's and Miss Olivia

Your Grandma Retta and Grandpa Paul

Quilt made by your Grandma Teri

John liked the "butt paste" for diaper rash..

When your dad opened up the baby tub, he said "all right, a sled!" He was kidding, but it was really funny

Your first truck!

Callie and Laura- Laura and Jeff drove all the way from Atlanta to help us celebrate you!



Whitney and Jimmy



Sam and Brian



Meaghan, Jimmy, Chris, Rachel and Jeff

Thanks to Samantha for taking all the pictures! We enjoyed the shower so much and are as excited as ever to have you join our family in a few weeks!

Love,

Mom

Week 33: Honeydew

Dear Bun,

This week, you should weigh over 4 lbs now and are estimated to put on a 1/2 lb each week until delivery! You are rapidly loosing the "wrinkled" look and your skeleton is hardening.  The bones in your skull are not fused together though, which allows them to overlap and make it easier to fit through the birth canal.  It's amazing how all these developments have a reason and a purpose! 

Last week, I had to go to Maine for work and was hoping for that to be my last trip, but we may have to PA at the end of February now.  Travel is uncomfortable, but people always impress me by how friendly they are to me.  I expect to get the stink eye when I try and travel with you as an infant though, I think that will be another story :)  More and more, strangers will come up to me and ask questions about you and wish us good luck.  I have not had any strangers touch my belly though. 

I had another doctor's appointment last week and they are very pleased with our progress.  The nurses get frustrated with you though because the past 2 times, they have had a hard time getting your heartbeat- not because anything is wrong, but because you are constantly moving around that they have to chase you around my stomach.  Finally the nurse just put the doppler on the side of my stomach and said she was waiting for you to come to her, which you finally did.  Everyone tells me an active baby is a healthy baby, so I'm glad to feel you moving around. 

Here we are at 33 weeks! 

Love,

Mom

Week 32

Dear Bun,

This week you are almost 4 lbs and just about 19 inches long.  We are in the eighth month of pregnany with less than 8 weeks until your due date!  This week's developments are all about practicing for life outside the womb, so you are busy swallowing, breathing, kicking and sucking.  You can even suck your thumb now.  Your skin is also turning opaque thanks to the fat that has started accumulating under your skin.

This weekend, we attended childbirth classes to help us get ready for the big day.  It was overwhelming to get all the information at once, but now that it has sunk in, I am feeling good about it.  We both said that now we are getting really anxious for you to get here!  Many parents go into the birth experience with a plan of exactly what interventions they do or don't want, but my birth plan is simple: an open mind.  I am hoping to avoid a c-section if at all possible, but other than that, I am just taking things as they come.  Your dad is going to be great too.  We learned several relaxation/breathing/massage techniques that he can help with.

Your nursery is almost complete!  Your dad has been working on stripping the paint off a toy chest that your great-great grandfather made.  We have a spot for it in the nursery, but your dad wanted to repaint it and put some safety hinges on it first.  Here he is, hard at work in his man-shack. 

And here I am:

And here is the little miss.  She can't wait for you either.  I think she will probably be jealous and protective of you at first (she is already much more protective of me than she usually is), but once you can play with her, I think you guys will be best buds.  She will especially like you when you start eating solids and drop crumbs of food from your highchair, she loves getting treats of human food!



Love you,

Mom

Week 31

Dear Bun,

This week you are up to around 3.3 lbs and could be as long as 18 inches- you are quickly approaching your birth length but will still pack on some pounds over the next few weeks.  This week, you can now turn your head from side to side, and you have fat accumulating on your arms, legs, and body.  I feel like I write this every week, but you are still so active!  I gave up on doing kick counts because it would be easier for me to count when you are not moving! 

I went to the doctor last week for a checkup and they say we are doing great, and that all your activity is a sign of a healthy baby, so I'll gladly take the jabs in the stomach.  While I was at the doctor, the nurse was checking your heartbeat like always and we noticed that my stomach kept moving up and down.  She said you had the hiccups and it was funny to see them from the outside!  After that, I started watching my stomach in the evenings, and sure enough, I can usually see where you are based on where my stomach is poking out.  I can seen you kicking and punching from the outside now! 

Last week, we also finalized your daycare.  Daycare has been hard to find, but I talked to someone at the gym that told me about a smaller center close by that is like a neighborhood secret since they don't advertise- they like to be found by word of mouth.  So, of course I visited the center, met the 2 directors, and I really like it!  It is smaller than some of the other places we looked, but I like that.  They only take a max of 5 infants at one time (only have 3 now) so you will get to know your teachers better and hopefully less kids= less germs so you won't get sick as much. They are also really flexible, have a good curriculum, and are a church center.  I will take you over there several times during my maternity leave so you can get used to Miss Vicky and Miss Tammy, and both of us will feel more comfortable when I have to leave you there full time. 

Here we are at 31 weeks! I think I have had a growth spurt the past 2-3 weeks because my stomach seems so big now!  I noticed the other day that I can no longer see my feet when I stand up.  So far, I have gained 25 lbs, which my doctors seem pleased with and think is "on-track" given my pre-pregnancy size.  I have noticed that lately, I have to eat smaller, more frequent meals because my stomach can't expand to the size it used to!  I get full very quickly, but I have to eat frequently to keep you happy, so that's been an adjustment :)

Here is the 31 week bump picture:

Love,
Mom

Week 30

Dear Bun,

10 weeks to go! I can't believe we are now in the 30's!  You are around 17 inches long and just over 3 lbs now.  Your big developments this week are your brain- it is preparing for life outside the womb and is starting to develop grooves and indentations just like an adult brain.  One thing your brain is taking on now is temperature regulation.  Several weeks ago, you started growing lanugo (hair to keep you warm) but now your brain is capable of turning up the heat, so you are starting to shed that lanugo that has been keeping you warm up until now. 

I have still been feeling good, aside from being really tired most evenings.  I had to travel last week and it is starting to get uncomfortable. I can no longer bend over in my seat to get something out of my bag, and I have to put a pillow behind my back now because those airplane seats have no support.  I am hoping this will be my last trip, I am supposed to go to Maine next month, but I may see if I can just conference in for the meeting.  The good thing about traveling while being pregnant is that people are so nice!  Everyone was trying to help me with my bag, talk to me about you, tell me about thier babies, etc.  It's amazing how a whole new network opens up once you have parenthood in common. 

Last week, we took a tour of the maternity ward at the hospital.  It was very surreal to think that we will be there in 10 or so weeks!  The hospital you will be born at is Presbyterian Hospital.  It is about 3 miles from our house. The facilities are very nice and high-tech.  For example, every now and then a few years ago, you would hear of "baby snatching" where someone would sneak into the nursery and take a newborn.  Well I found out that now, you will have an ankle monitor on you right after you are born, and if anyone (even me) takes you outside a certain radius, the hospital shuts down!  All the elevators are stopped and the exits are locked.  We saw the room where I would deliver you, and then the room we would go for recovery, and I thought both were very nice.  They had tv's, hookups for ipods, stereos, dvd players, jacuzzi tubs, etc.  I don't think your dad was very impressed with the sleeping arrangements for him, but we probably won't be getting much sleep anyway. 

Here we are at 30 weeks! 

Look how far we've come!

Love,

Mom