Thirty Three Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Quick study
"All of my senses are working now!" Your baby's brain is still developing rapidly as her five senses get ready for the world outside the womb. At this point, she can see the liquid world around her; feel sensation when she grabs a toe or sucks on a finger; taste the amniotic fluid she's swallowing; and hear your heartbeat, your voice, and the grumble of your stomach. Of course, there's no air in the amniotic sac to carry scent, but if there were, she could also smell her environment.

Head most
Because of tremendous brain growth, your baby's head circumference has increased by nearly half an inch just this week.

What Mommy is Doing:

Scaling up
You should be gaining weight too—about a pound a week. You'll continue to put on pounds until just before delivery. Don't try to slow your weight gain even if you weigh more than you'd hoped. Your baby needs the extra pounds right now. There's plenty of time to lose weight after he's born.

Dawn’s Notes:

LEG CRAMPS!
I awoke to an excruciating leg cramp last night and was unsuccessful in hiding my pain from Chris. He was frantic at first and I can only imagine what his thoughts were when he realized that I was in pain. He massaged my leg and helped me limp to the toilet, so he is my hero.

Feel the Burn

I must admit, as much as I will miss being pregnant, I have found two pregnancy symptoms that I will not miss:

1. Heartburn

2. Hot Flashes

I really shouldn’t complain about the heartburn since it’s usually only a problem when I don’t eat often enough. Eating always seems to solve the problem, so it’s not so bad.

I really can complain about the hot flashes, though. I am ordinarily a freeze baby, but I am burning up lately. Do you know how hard it is to be graceful at work when you have sweat dripping off your face? Thank goodness it is the middle of winter.

I also find myself ripping my clothes off in the middle of the night. I’d do it during the day, too, but it’s not socially acceptable in our culture.

I was starting to get worried, so I asked my doctor if it was normal during our last prenatal visit. Fortunately, I started having a hot flash at that very moment and my doctor had a good laugh because my entire body turned bright red. Chris didn’t believe it until he felt the sweat dripping down my back.

It will be nice to sleep with my socks on again.

Countdown

I have so many feelings regarding the impending birth of our Baby Squirt.

I’m really going to miss having my baby growing inside of me. I’ve loved being pregnant. Every day is a miracle and the sensation of feeling your baby move inside of you is indescribable.

I’m so happy for Chris because he will finally get to hold this baby all by himself. Chris and Squirt have secret meetings in the middle of the night while I am asleep. I’ve woken several times in the middle of the night to find Chris exploring my belly and Baby Squirt bouncing around for Daddy. For some reason, Squirt settles down whenever Daddy rubs my belly during the day, but the baby likes to entertain Daddy at night.

I can’t wait for the hotflashes to be over!

I can’t wait to use all of our adorable baby clothes!

I can’t wait to start taking pictures!

I’m intimidated by the thought of caring for a baby and working a full-time job and keeping our house organized and preparing my Sunday school lessons and volunteering at church and grocery shopping and finding time to talk to my husband. It must be possible!

I’m looking forward to breastfeeding. Although it’s intimidating, I’m glad I’ll still have one way to keep my little baby close to me.

Those are all of my thoughts for today!

Thirty Two Weeks

What Baby Is Doing:

Ups and downs
Your acrobat may be standing on his head now: Most babies settle in the head-down, or vertex, position by this week. Ideally, he'll stay put until you give birth. But remember, your little one has a mind of his own—he might decide to change positions several times before he's born. You might feel him jostling into place as he flips, especially if he does so late in your pregnancy.

As full as it gets
The amount of amniotic fluid in your uterus right now—about two pints—makes it fairly easy for your baby to switch from head up to head down. Over the next eight weeks, the amount of fluid will decrease as the amount of baby increases.

Measuring up
Your baby weighs between 3.5 and 4 pounds and measures about 17 to 18 inches stretched out.

What Mommy is Doing:

Let the ribbing begin
Ouch! As it gets more crowded in your belly, you may feel your baby's toes or elbows poking you in the ribs. It's not as fun to play "guess the body part" when said part is wedged up under your rib cage. Try lying on your side or changing positions to coax her into moving.

Double up the checkups
When you reach 32 weeks, most health care providers will want to start seeing you every two weeks instead of just once a month. Among other things, your provider will be on the lookout for signs of infection, preterm labor, or preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy.

Our next appointment is today at 1:15pm!

Delivery drill
If you haven't already, sign up for a tour of the hospital where you'll be delivering. The tour will typically take you through the labor and postpartum rooms and acquaint you with registration and intake procedures and paperwork. Knowing where to go and what to do ahead of time will prevent a last-minute scramble when you're in labor.

Our tour is scheduled on Sunday, January 22. We should have this done already!

What Daddy is Doing:

Daddy and Squirt have been spending some quality time alone together at night. Squirt’s tumbling and bouncing don’t wake me up at night, but Daddy can feel the baby moving when I cuddle up to him in my sleep!

Vacation Countdown

The holidays are over.

No more days off work until May.

Lucky for me, I'll be on "vacation" very soon!

Just eight more weeks, maybe less...

Rambling Thoughts

Ever wonder what rattles around in a pregnant woman’s brain during the day?

Here is a sample of my miscellaneous thoughts, just to satisfy your curiosity.

*We’re hungry.

*Ouch. Why is Squirt rolling around so much?

*Did we already schedule a tour of Labor & Delivery? We should do that.

*I can’t wait to go on maternity leave because my boss is getting on my last darned nerve.

*What should we take to the potluck party on New Year’s Eve?

*Should we donate our cord blood?

*What was I working on today?

*Is it too early for lunch?

*Ouch. Why is Squirt rolling around so much?

*Only 58 days until Squirt arrives. I can’t wait to meet this baby, but I am so terrified at the same time! How will I know what to do? I’ll miss being pregnant. I’ll miss sleeping.

*I should do some work. What do I feel like doing? I’m so glad it’s Friday.

*My reminder to practice relaxation just popped up on my computer screen. What was I thinking? Relaxing is just not something that I do.

*Potty time.

*My boss just came in and told me that I can leave early since it’s a holiday weekend. Hurray!

*I just told Chris that I’m leaving work early, so now I have to stop at the grocery store and pick up Erica from her friend’s house before we go to church for church cleaning tonight. Oh, poop!

Happy New Year!

Thirty One Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Counting to 10
Many health care providers recommend that their patients monitor their baby's movements once they're well into the third trimester. Here's the drill: At roughly the same time each day (if possible, the time when your baby is most active), lie down and keep track of how long it takes to feel 10 kicks, rolls, or flutters—any type of movement. Ideally, this should be less than an hour. Many women find it takes only a few minutes, depending on the time of day. If an hour passes without any movement, eat a light snack, lie back down, and try again. If you still don't feel anything, call your health care provider.

Slow down
"It's pretty crowded in here." Don't worry, however, if your baby seems less active as the weeks progress. In fact, less-frequent movement now means she's right on track (assuming you are counting 10 movements in an hour each day). Her movements are simply becoming less erratic and more organized; also, there's not as much room in your uterus as there was just a few weeks ago.

Measuring up
Your baby is about 11.2 inches long from crown to rump (17 inches stretched out) and weighs about 3.3 pounds. She's been in the fetal position, with her legs tucked, for a few weeks now. She still has lots of growing to do—she won't get much taller, but she'll put on another 2 pounds this month. In nine more weeks, she'll be ready to greet you!

What Mommy is Doing:

Out of breath
You may have begun to feel breathless a few months ago; now you're probably having a tougher time getting enough air. That's because your ever-expanding uterus is pushing your diaphragm into your lungs. If you're carrying low, consider yourself lucky—women who carry high have an even harder time breathing. If you find yourself huffing and puffing, slow down and take a few deep breaths (as deep as you can). Toward the end of your pregnancy (around week 37 or 38), you may get a break as your baby drops down into your pelvis, easing up on your diaphragm and lungs.

Dawn’s Notes:

There are plenty of opinions regarding whether I am carrying high or low, but no consensus. I tend to think that I am carrying low because I have not had much trouble breathing at all!

Overall, I’m still feeling great, but I’ve noticed a few small discomforts as Squirt continues to grow.

My back hurts when I sleep, which makes it difficult to roll over or get out of bed for a potty break. It’s also difficult to get undressed in the morning to take a shower. Once I’m up and about, the pain and stiffness melt away.

I still can’t complain!

Movie Star

It's official: Squirt will be a movie star!

Chris bought me a digital camcorder for Christmas this year.

I'll be able to make home movies of all the kids and send DVDs to our out-of-town relatives.

This will be a great excuse for me to stalk our baby with a camera.

I'm excited and I know that the grandparents will be happy, too. My Dad is in Florida and is very disappointed that he'll only be able to visit a couple of times a year. Chris' Dad lives in Austria, so he only visits about once a decade. This will be a great opportunity for him to "get to know" all of the kids.

I am so excited!

I can't wait to start filming!

The Last Christmas

Without our baby!

Christmas is always an exciting time of year, but it is especially exciting this holiday season as we anxiously await the arrival of God’s most precious gift to us.

This is what baby is missing this year:

Tropical Weather
We’ve had snow this season, but not for the past two weeks. It is actually so warm here that it’s difficult to decide which coat to wear. We’ve been enjoying warm days with temperatures in the mid-50s during the day. The weather has been fantastic compared to normal winter days in Cleveland, but we are all disappointed that it won’t be snowing on Christmas Day this year. We are hoping this is a sign of a mild winter to come, which would reduce the likelihood that we will go into labor during a snowstorm.

Church Celebration
The Sunday School is presenting a program for the Christmas Eve morning service this year. Mommy is helping by narrating part of the nativity story. Specifically, I was volunteered to tell the kids about the journey to Bethlehem. The other Sunday school teachers thought I would be the best person to demonstrate the penguin-waddle walk that Mary most likely used to cross the desert.

Deck the Halls
Our Christmas tree is looking better this year, since we finally got rid of the pink ribbons and replaced it with red ribbon. The pink ribbon was a tradition started by Kayla and Erica and they were very sad to see it go. The tree was designed to resemble the tree from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Christmas. Dad and I were very happy with the change. Finally!

Also, Squirt’s first gift to Daddy this year is a Snow Man ornament that reads “Most Loved Daddy.”

Tradition!
We’ve started talking about new traditions that we would like to start for Squirt’s first Christmas next year. Starting in 2007, Santa will visit on Christmas Eve. We will celebrate the next day with the Austrian tradition of receiving gifts from the Christkinde, or Christ Child, on Christmas Day. We will bake cupcakes instead of cookies in celebration of Christ’s birthday. We’ll read the story of the first Chrismas. We’ll have a nativity set, but baby Jesus won’t arrive until Christmas morning.

It’s exciting to dream about Christmas seasons to come, but we are very thankful for this Christmas season that we have spent anticipating the arrival of God’s greatest gift!

Thirty Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Making headway
Your baby's brain continues its amazing development. Up until now, its surface has been smooth. This week, the brain begins to take on its distinctly wrinkled appearance. These wrinkles are called convolutions, and they allow the brain to hold more brain cells.

As some things develop, others disappear, like lanugo, the ultrafine hair that covered your baby's body. He may still have patches of it on his back and shoulders, however.

A Shared Meal
Eating well is tremendously important in the third trimester because your baby is taking nutrients directly from you to build up his internal stores and to gain weight. The calcium from the milk you drink goes directly to building his bones, and the iron in your prenatal vitamins and iron-rich foods boosts his iron supply, which will last until he's 6 to 9 months old. Protein is also crucial in these last few months, because it supports healthy cell growth throughout your baby's body.

Measuring up
Your baby weighs about 3 pounds this week and is a little more than 10.8 inches from crown to rump. His total length, including his legs, is about 17 inches.

Dawn's Notes:

Squirt is such a good little baby! I'm incredibly comfortable, despite my size. I haven't suffered from many of the common complaints of pregnancy, for which I am truly grateful. I'm still sleeping well, I'm not any more tired than I would have been about this time a year ago, and I'm still running around like nothing has changed.

I am starting to become increasingly excited with every passing day. Sometimes, I can't imagine that our baby will be with us so soon, and other times, I don't think I can possibly wait any longer!

Baby Moon

We had our 30 week prenatal appointment yesterday.

The doctor said that Squirt is already head down!

She showed me where baby’s head, butt and back are situated. Now I know what parts are poking me when Squirt rolls around in there and I can spank that little butt! Can’t wait to see it!

Squirt has been mooning me all this time.

Chris and I are both predicting an early birth. Hopefully, our baby is just as anxious to meet us as we are to meet him!

Only a couple more weeks!

Twenty Nine Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Temperature control
"How does it stay so warm in here?" This week marks an important milestone in your baby's brain development: The brain has matured to the point where it can help regulate body temperature. Of course, your little one isn't ready to do it all on her own yet; she still needs the warmth of your body to keep her toasty until birth. She also continues to develop nerve cells in her brain. By the time she's born, she'll have hundreds of billions of them. That seems like a lot, but she needs to stock up, since she won't produce any more after birth.

Puttin' on padding
Your baby is looking more like a full-term baby, too. She's plumping up nicely; the surface of her skin is smoother and paler because of the fat she's starting to gain. This fat will be an important factor in her ability to keep warm. Your baby also has eyelashes; she may be batting them at you right now!

Measuring up
Despite the increase in fat, your little one is still pretty thin—only about 2 to 3 percent of her 2.7 pounds is made up of fat. Crown to rump, she measures 10.4 inches, but if you stretched her out, she'd be more than 16 inches long.

Going for the Glow
The baby will move toward a soft light shown through the mom’s abdominal wall. He’ll startle when he hears loud sounds but turn toward soft ones.

What Mom is Doing:

Weighty matters
You're in the home stretch now—11 more weeks to go! Your baby will be putting on most of his weight over the next three months, and so will you. You can probably expect to add about 11 pounds in the last trimester, about a pound a week.

Third-trimester complaint
Are you waking up suddenly with cramps in your calves? Leg cramps are a common complaint during pregnancy, though not every woman gets them. Experts aren't sure exactly what causes them; some say it's the added weight on your legs, while others think the pain may signal a calcium or potassium shortage. They may also be the result of the pressure of your uterus on the nerves running to the legs.

Dawn’s Notes:

Time is flying by so fast!

Slow down, baby!

Cloud Nine

We found a daycare center that we love!

Chris and I toured a couple daycare centers yesterday, and the first visit was the best.

Naturally, I was a little depressed when I was hit with the realization that someday we will take our baby to a daycare center and LEAVE. It was an agonizing revelation, but I am comforted in knowing that our baby will be comfortable and safe.

The center we have chosen is everything that I could have asked for. It is close to home via the freeway. The center is on the campus of a catholic seminary and is next door to a catholic elementary school. The campus is easily accessible from a main road, but still feels secluded and peaceful. There is plenty of open space for playing outdoors, and the daycare center uses a courtyard as a playground. There are no fences because the courtyard is surrounded by buildings on all sides. No dangerous parking lots and no strangers wandering in.

The center is opening a new, larger infant room on the second floor in January. Every baby has their own crib and eating space and the play area has new equipment. The room is filled with windows to let in the sunlight and provides a beautiful, peaceful view of the campus and the courtyard.

Chris and I are making plans to go back and meet the director and the morning infant teacher sometime soon. Gotta get Squirt on the waiting list!

We also visited another center last night, but that place was so depressing that I wanted to cry! I won’t even share the details here, because it’s too upsetting to me to even imagine leaving our little Squirt there.

Anyway, I’m relieved to know that we have a safe place for Squirt to go.

We’re almost ready for baby!

Question of the Day

What are you going to miss most about pregnancy?

*Never being alone

*Talking to myself without looking like an idiot

*Having someone kick me everytime I get worked up over something that is not important in the grand scheme of life. I'm sure the baby has no clue that he/she is reminding me of my priorities, but I like the subtle reminders throughout the day.

*Being able to eat and drink where ever I want, regardless of what the signs on the door say.

*Skipping to the front of the line in the restroom and at the grocery store.

*Having an excuse to sit down and relax.

*Being appreciated for everything that I can accomplish, regardless of my condition.

*Having an excuse for being forgetful.

*Looking great and being fat at the same time!

*Chris rubbing my tummy in the middle of the night.

*Always knowing where my baby is.

*Sleeping while my baby is awake.

There are so many more...I just love being pregnant!

Mommy's Baby Belly at 29 Weeks

It's been too long since I've taken baby belly photos, so this is an update.

Chris wasn't home last night and I'm notorious for my impatience, so I took these pictures myself. I had lots of great poses, but most of them were blurry and I was too tired to try it again.

These are better than nothing!

Getting Ready

Being the anal, uber-organized individual that I am, I have been in a panic recently about the items on our baby to-do list that remain unaddressed, and here we are just eleven short weeks until our due date.

I am feeling a sense of relief today as Chris and I move a little bit closer toward being ready for this baby.

We learned last night that our childbirth instructor will most likely be available to attend our birth as a doula. Hurray!

I called a couple of daycare centers today and learned that our top two picks do still have openings for an infant in early spring, which is a huge relief. I called a couple of months ago, but I was worried that someone else might have beaten us onto the waiting list. Chris and I plan to visit the centers today and tomorrow after work, and I’m really hoping that we will find a place near home that we love. It’s hard to imagine any place that I really want to leave our baby, so this might be more of a challenge than it needs to be.

I’m also on the brink of scheduling the last of the baby preparation classes. We still need to attend Breastfeeding Basics, Infant CPR, and Baby Care Basics. I’m waiting on one hospital to mail us a schedule of classes because their website is useless.

Lastly, my body is still doing what it needs to do to get ready, too. Imagine my shock and surprise yesterday morning when I realized that my breasts were leaking for the first time. OH MY GOD! I know I shouldn’t be surprised because I’ve read that it is completely normal, but I couldn’t help but panic. They’ve never done that before!

Even if I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s comforting to know that my body does!

Surrender

I’ve met my match.

Baby Gear triumphs.

I had some spare time last night, which is a luxury in my world, so I thought I would be productive and spend a few moments preparing for the imminent arrival of Squirt.

I’ve been told that this child will need space to sit, lie, swing, and be transported. Hence, we have a plethora of bouncy seats, infant swings, strollers, and car seats. Being the thrifty mama that I am, I have been collecting these items over the past couple years in the anticipation that we would one day have a tiny baby butt that would need all of this gear. I also get a thrill out of buying a $200 travel system for $15 at a garage sale.

Although the bargain is out of this world, I now realize that I need to clean all of this infant gear before it can touch our precious angel. After all, it has been sitting in storage collecting dust for ages. It must be sanitized!

So, my plan was to gather all the baby gear in the basement. I would remove the covers, launder them, wipe down all the plastic pieces, and reassemble the gear like new.

There were a few obstacles that I didn’t anticipate:

*The baby gear was in storage. I had to move all of our luggage, seasonal clothing, baby gates, toddler car seats, income tax files, and Halloween decorations to unbury the baby gear. Then, I had to move all of that stuff back.

*The baby gear was in storage on the second floor. Our basement is under the house. Down one flight of stairs, over one tortoise gate, around the tight corner by the kitchen stove and side door, past the landing where the entire family stores their shoes, and down one more flight of stairs.

*My belly is the size of a watermelon and the travel system weighs more than me.
Hauling myself up and down the stairs alone is an Olympic event. Adding baby equipment to that equation is a recipe for disaster.

That was only the beginning. Once I hauled all that crap down to the basement, I encountered even more obstacles:

*The cover on the car seat slips off easily…except for the harness straps that are threaded through it. How do you get the harness straps off? I didn’t realize that I would need a screwdriver…

*The cover on the bouncy seat should slip right off…but it doesn’t. The bouncy seat evidently folds, but I didn’t know it because the hinges were hidden by the seat cover.

*The baby swing was a piece of cake. This piece of equipment is by far my favorite. The seat cover was easily removed. This is a sign that Squirt will either have no interest in the swing or will never, ever puke or poop while using it. The clean-up would just be too easy.

*The travel system. I saved this item for last. The entire contraption is such a maze of snaps and screws and screws and screws that I have no clue how I got all of the pieces off or how they fit back together. It took me no less than an hour to remove all of the covers and pouches and baskets and canopies. Now I understand why my neighbor sold it for $15 at her garage sale rather than just taking a few moments to clean it.

The seat covers are now in the dryer, sparkling clean and fresh.

All I need to do now is put them back on…

Twenty Eight Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Loud and clear
Your little one's sight isn't the only sense that's working. His brain wave patterns indicate that he's responding to sounds in the environment. What's he able to pick up? The sound of your voice, the growl of your stomach when you're hungry, even noises outside your body. His brain waves are also starting to show differences during sleep. These sleep cycles will become clearer and more distinct as he gets closer to his due date.

Breathe easy
This is a vital stage in your baby's lung development. Blood vessels are forming throughout both lungs. When he takes his first breath of air, his lungs will absorb the oxygen, then send it into these vessels, which will circulate the oxygenated blood throughout his body. Your little one is also just starting to manufacture a substance, called a surfactant, which keeps the air sacs in his lungs from sticking together. The surfactant will allow him to breathe properly after birth. The bronchial tubes are also maturing, dividing into smaller and smaller branches.

Measuring up
Your baby is gaining weight rapidly now—he may weigh about 2.3 pounds. Crown to rump, he measures 10 inches, but if you were to stretch him out he might be around 15 inches long.

Mommy’s Commentary:

Pregnancy still isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, even after all these weeks! I hope caring for a newborn will also be easier than I expect. I’m terrified at the thought of being solely responsible for a little person, but I can’t wait to see Squirt. I feel confident knowing that Chris will be there to help and support both of us. I can’t wait to meet our baby!

A new pregnancy development that just started last night: My ribs ache. Chris says the cartilage in my ribs is expanding to make more room for Squirt.

Hey, Baby, don’t forget to leave some room for Mom! I was here first!

Twenty Seven Weeks

What Baby is Doing:

Just looking
"What are all those lights and shadows?"
After being fused shut for more than four months, your baby's eyelids can open again. This, combined with the facts that the visual part of her brain is active and most eye structures are complete, means your little one can see the world around her, limited though it may be. She can't make out objects yet, but she sees light and shadows.

Rock-a-bye baby
By paying attention to her movements inside you, you can get a good idea of how your baby spends her days...and nights. Just like babies in their mothers' arms, your little one gets lulled to sleep by rocking. Your daily activities may not feel like rocking to you, but the amniotic fluid provides such a cushion that all your baby feels is gentle swaying. So she's likely to sleep more during the day. It may be a different story at night, once you lie down to get some rest. Suddenly, she's awake and ready to party!

Measuring up
Your little one will gain about 1 pound over the next month. This week, she's up to 13 inches, crown to rump, and weighs about 2 pounds. Though she's growing quickly, her brain and lungs are still immature. Luckily, she's got 13 more weeks to get ready for the outside world.

Mommy’s Commentary:

Although sometimes I really wish Squirt would settle down and stop hurting me, the best part of being pregnant is feeling my baby move inside me. Those soft little tickles of early pregnancy have now become belly rattling kicks and punches! I’m amazed that Squirt is so strong and I love to watch my belly jump around.

Work It, Mama!

Chris finally called me onto the carpet last night.

When am I going to start exercising?

YIKES!

We’ve been taking Bradley Method classes and an important preparation for natural childbirth is exercise. Labor and birth requires flexibility, strength and endurance.

Of course, that sounds logical.

And I really do have good intentions.

But I also have three huge obstacles:

1. lack of time

2. pregnancy-induced exhaustion

3. pregnancy brain

The lack of time just proves that my priorities are wrong. A good mother would be focused on the arrival of her new baby.

Strike one for me.

The pregnancy-induced exhaustion is entirely my fault. First of all, I would have more energy if I would simply make time to exercise. Is this a Catch-22? I could also make more time to sleep if I would simply turn off the TV at night rather than propping my eyelids open with toothpicks just to find out who the killer is on CSI.

Strike two for me.

The pregnancy brain makes me forget that I need to exercise. I know it’s hormonal and I need to take control. No problem. I have a love of charts and checklists. Chris fondly refers to me as an anal, uber-organized planner. I assure you that these traits do not offend him when his dinner arrives on the table or he has clean underwear in his dresser drawer.

One point for me.

So, now that Chris has fulfilled his obligation as my Bradley coach and I am drowning in guilt, I have committed to start exercising as I should.

Wish me luck!