30 weeks

Just as a disclaimer, at this point in the pregnancy, the updates I have been doing may vary a lot more for each baby, as development can vary so much. But just for fun sake, I will keep doing them anyway: D

At 30 weeks, our baby is about the size of a cabbage (our very own cabbage patch kid!) weighing in at about 3 lbs and getting close to 16 inches long. His skin is becoming more smooth, but his brain is getting more wrinkly, increasing the surface area making more room for that essential brain tissue. Now that he can regulate his own body temperature, he is shedding the downy body hair called lanugo which was previously keeping him warm.

We went to the doc on Thursday, and had another ultrasound. No good pics, unfortunately- he is a bit too big to capture very much in one screen, which is a good thing! I was 29w5d at my appt., but he was measuring at 30w3d- about 3 lbs. 8-9 oz. So our little man is growing healthy and strong! His head is about as far down into my pelvic bone as he can get- I am starting to feel the results of that. They were trying to get a good look that the placenta and my cervix, and his big head was in the way most of the time! They did see that the placenta moved a bit since my 20w U/S, but not quite enough. Doc says he still considers it placenta previa, just meaning that the placenta partially covers my cervix. He recommended one more U/S at 36 weeks, since it is almost out of the way, and it if continues to be stubborn, it just means I have a scheduled c-section instead of a normal delivery. In the meantime, I am on light duty activities for the most part, but I can continue to work until 36 weeks since it's just a desk job.

My sleep schedule is constant now for the most part- I wake up about every 3 hours. I am guessing that will be Sean's schedule when he gets here, I can't see any other reason why I can't sleep more than 3 hour at a time without waking up! He kicks a lot now, to the point where my stomach looks like there is an alien trying to break out inside! I was even telling Mike that I think he has somehow bruised parts of me on the inside. He will kick, and at first it doesn't bother me, and then he will kick another spot and it feels so tender it hurts. But I am so happy and excited to think about meeting this little guy, in as little as 6 weeks, or hopefully no longer than 10 weeks!

In other news, Mike was sweet enough to cater to my needs of having Christmas decorations up soon after Thanksgiving. He hung the Christmas lights on the house on Monday night with Josh, and then we picked out a tree and put that up in the living room. I was too exhausted to do much on Monday (I actually stayed home from work that day because the exhaustion was too much to handle) but then when I went back to work on Tuesday he got the tree all decorated for me! Our living room is a little short on space now, but it's beautiful. I have been listening to a lot of Christmas music, especially instrumental (my favorite). I broke out the Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker, and have been listening to that full blast in my car. They say having your baby listen to classical music helps with brain development- I don't know if it's true or not, but it calms me down and I like it, so that alone must be good for him.

Today Mike and I are off to Lamaze- I am so glad my friend Katie (who is 35 weeks tomorrow!) and her hubby will be there with us. Mike and I went to the hospital tour and birthing basics class on Tuesday, and it was waaaay too crowded for my liking, and I could feel the tension from Mike as he tried to not look like he wanted to run away screaming. So hopefully having some friends there will help make it more comfortable. Tomorrow is the baby shower and I am so excited! But the only problem is that it is at my house, and due to my extreme exhaustion, I have not been cleaning house much- and I am embarrassed to think about having so many people here unless I clean up a bit. I am going to see how much I can get done when I get home today, like a quick vacuum and tidying of the living room, and the rest will just have to wait.

29 weeks

11 weeks until the due date, 7 weeks until we're full term.... I am ready to be done with this pregnancy!! At 29 weeks, our baby is about 2.5 lbs or so, and longer than 15 inches (about the size of a butternut squash). He is almost at what his birth length will be, but he will at least double, if not triple his weight by the time he is due! His muscles and lungs are developing more and more, and his head is getting larger to make room for his growing brain.

This week mommy has been busy! For Thanksgiving, and we had about 20 people at our house for dinner! It was nice though- all we made was a baked 20 lb maple glazed turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin dessert bars, green bean casserole, apple cider, and stovetop stuffing. Everyone else made everything else! Mashed potatoes, fried turkey, more stuffing and yams, pecan pie, corn casserole, cranberry sauce.... all of it was so yummy! It was nice, because a lot of our friends are recent Louisiana transplants, so for most of them it was their first Thanksgiving away from their families... Mike and I, on the other hand, have celebrated 4 Thanksgivings here now, and are kind of used to the idea of doing it on our own. I am hoping next year we will be able to fly Sean to see some family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we will see!

Mike also made some shelves to put in Sean's room- for books, toys, etc. They look very nice, I am very happy with them. It was hard to decide where to put them, since we have no furniture yet, but I think they will be fine where they are at, and we have our shower in a week, so hopefully we will have some things to put in his room at that point! I know it is a bit early for me to be "nesting" but I am so anxious to get everything done!! I am pretty sure that is why I am not sleeping well. I always feel like there is something more to do, not just in the nursery, but all over the house. It never feels clean enough, and there is always a project that needs to be finished. I am really trying not to overdo it, because my energy levels literally cannot handle it, but my brain can only take so much lying down!

Here's my 29 week belly shot. It's cold outside, so I feel like the layers make me look fatter than I really am, but oh well.

Baby is getting big now! I can feel his kicks (or punches, I guess) in my hip bones now, but he seems to stay away from my ribs so far. You can tell he is running out of room- when he is moving around a lot, my whole stomach moves like a wave, it's pretty neat looking. I am anxious for this upcoming week. We are doing a birthing basics class at the hospital, along with a tour, on Tuesday. Then on Thursday we have our appointment, where we will have another ultrasound to see if I still have placenta previa. Saturday is Lamaze for most of the day, and then Sunday is our baby shower!

I am hoping the Christmas lights get up on the house by the end of this weekend, and I can't wait to get a tree. Mike still hasn't been to work yet in about 6 weeks, so I am worried we may not be able to afford one, but we will see. Money is super tight now, with my decreased work schedule and waiting for offshore work, and of course baby on the way. I am trying with all of my heart to trust that things will all work out, just like they always do, but sometimes that seems highly unlikely, or even impossible.

That's all for now- next post will include ultrasound pictures, so look out for that!

28 weeks

Welcome to the third trimester!!! We are finally in the last leg of the pregnancy, and it's sure to be a doozy! Mommy is supposed to gain about 11 pounds this trimester (I gained more than that in both the first and second I think, so I am a little worried about the third- fingers crossed I don't gain too much!) and baby will probably gain 3-4 times his current weight by the end of it all!

This week baby is about 2.25-2.5 pounds, and about 15-16 inches long (about the size of a chinese cabbage). He is developing billions of neurons in the brain at this time, and his lungs are still getting stronger as the weeks go by. If I haven't mentioned it by now, his eyes now have eyelashes, and he has recently begun to experience REM, which means he may already be dreaming as he sleeps.

I went for my "28 week" checkup on Thursday, even though my weekly mark is always on Saturdays. I had my glucose screening then, which I assume went fine because I never got a call about my lab work, and no news is usually good news : ) The doc says everything is still great, his heartbeat was about 138, and after poking at my stomach a bit he said he is already moving into "position" which means his head at the bottom and his legs and booty are up top : D We scheduled an appointment for 2 weeks from Thursday (I will be going every two weeks from now until 36 weeks, then I will be going once a week until birth) and at my next appointment we will do another ultrasound! I am excited for that- we were only supposed to have the one routine ultrasound at 20 weeks, but since my placenta was partially covering my cervix at that appointment, they need to check it again and make sure it moves out of the way. Which means I get a few more snapshots of our precious baby boy!

When I posted my blog last week I got a little bit ahead of myself and may have been a bit too cocky- I mentioned how everyone around me (especially Mike) was getting sick and how proud I was that I avoided it.... Sunday night my throat was itchy, and my eyes watering, and my nose stuffy/runny- I ended up calling in sick to work Mon, Tues, and Wed : ( I am feeling much better now, but let me tell you, being sick while being pregnant is no fun at all!

This week my lovable husband finished painting Sean's room, I love it! I cannot wait to get the new carpeting, and get furniture in there, it will feel like a real bedroom! My friend Katie said the other day (she is 5 weeks ahead of me and just had her baby shower) that now that they have everything they need, technically they would be ready for their son to make his appearance any day now! And that just hit me- once we have everything we need to get started, and the bedroom put together, we should be ready for him to get here- all this time spent planning and anticipating, and the day is almost here! I can't quite grasp it yet.... But here are some pics of the room- one before, a few in progress, and then a few of the final product!

This is a pic of when our friend Doug was living in this room-

he was going for a "lounge" theme....

This is with the blue primer on top, and the first coat of the dark color on bottom, with trim still primed but not painted

Here we have all the trim and color complete, but the chair rail is not up yet, and the outlets are not the new ones.

These ones start the final product- Mike's mom and dad sent the picture on the wall, and the sailboat on the windowsill is Mike's, it's his first gift to his son : )

27 weeks

The final week of the second trimester- I can't believe how quickly it has been going by! I was looking through my collection of baby bump pictures, and I remember thinking I was sooo huge at like 10 weeks LOL. Well, I think I am in for a surprise as baby will probably be getting much bigger as the third trimester approaches.

This week, according to my collection of info from babycenter.com, thebump.com, and whattoexpectwhileyoureexpecting.com, our baby has been sleeping and waking at regular intervals, practicing opening and closing his eyes, and developing those lungs by "breathing" the amniotic fluid. At this point (with lots of medical assistance) his lungs are developed enough for life outside the womb. He is about 2 pounds this week, and about 14.5 inches long from head to toe, comparable to a head of cauliflower.

I went back to work this week- the previous week, if you remember, was like a vacation for me : D Back to reality at some point though. They have been offering a lot of "excused unpaid time off" this week at work, and I am already entitled to 10 hours off a week by my doctor, so it has been hard not to gobble it all up when it is offered! I have been so tired and achy, it's nice to be at home with the luxury of a couch, bed, etc. But we need the money right now, especially with Mike being home for the last 4-5 weeks, we need to get this nest egg ready!! This weekend we plan on finishing up the paint job in Sean's room, and then hopefully next month we will be installing the new carpet.

My feet have been swelling again (I knew it was too good to be true when they stopped!) and consistently, every Friday (sometimes the day before or after too) my belly is achy- I think that Friday is his growth spurt day, so my tummy feels stretched and sore. Cold packs have been helping for the swollen feet a little, and I have been trying to avoid salty foods, but it is harder than you think! My biggest accomplishment this week has been avoiding getting sick- Mike caught a cold over the weekend, and was stuck on the couch all day Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday trying to kick it. And all I got was a scratchy throat and cough for a day or two, whoopee! Knock on wood it stays that way!! I think the worst thing I have been experiencing is the lack of sleep, even comparable to insomnia. I seem to fall asleep just fine, sometime between 9:30 and 11 pm usually. But right around 3 am is when I first wake up to go to the bathroom, and it is all downhill from there.... I am lucky if I can stay in bed past 6 am. Tossing, turning, achy hips, legs, feet, back, tummy, arms. Everything feels sore in bed at that point, and pillows don't help any more either. The only two nights I got a decent amount of sleep was after I ran a bath with Johnson and Johnson's bedtime bath bubbles. So I am trying to make a habit of doing that every night before bed.

Side note- remember my post from a month or two ago asking about the fruit in our backyard? Here is a pic of them now that they have ripened. I think they are satsumas, or some kind of tangerine. Whatever they are, they are delicious!!!

26 weeks

As baby Sean continues to grow, he is putting on the weight and inches. He is close to (if not already at) 2 lbs and measures about 14 inches in length from head to toes (about the length of an English hothouse cucumber). Eyes are starting to open, which means he may startle or react to light near my belly. And his nerves in his ears are more developed, which can also mean more activity in response to certain sounds. Also his testicles are starting to descend into his scrotum- it takes about 2-3 days for that process to complete.

This week mommy has been battling some swollen ankles (I know, again? But this time it is mainly ankles and not my entire feet!) and some major heartburn. The weight of the baby has really hit me harder than normal this week- my feet are exhausted, along with my hips. I've also been experiencing the belly taking up it's space- this morning I almost spilled my coffee because I bumped it with my belly while trying to sit at the kitchen table!

But this week has also been fun- I only had to work M-W this week, and then my parents flew into town Wednesday night, I have been vacationing with them here since Thursday. The are flying back home tomorrow, but we have enjoyed having them here. We celebrated my 26th birthday on Thursday, which was one of the best birthdays I have had in a long time- First, my husband made me breakfast (my favorite, french toast!) and then my mom and I went to get our nails done. Then we went to the mall, where I got a few fall maternity clothes and a new comfy bra from VS. Much needed, at this point, I will take what I can get to help with back pain. Then we went home, took a quick nap, and met up with a bunch of friends for dinner at the Olive Garden. It has been tradition every year in LA so far to have dinner there on my birthday, but up until this time it was always just me and Mike. The service there was great, and I got so much food and dessert it was almost too much to handle! My friends chipped in and bought me an ice cream cake too- not just any old ice cream cake, but they actually drove to the Dairy Queen in Rayne and got a real ice cream cake, with the yummy fudge chocolate center! I was ecstatic : ) Then we all just hung out and talked until it was late and went to bed. I felt so loved and special, it was a great day : D

25 weeks

Baby Boy is up to about a pound and a half now, and about 13.5 inches head to toe, about the size of an eggplant. He is starting to put some fat on those skinny little arms and legs now, and his wrinkled skin is starting to smooth out. His hair is starting to get some color to it, his nostrils (which have been plugged up until now) are starting to open, and his vocal chords are beginning to develop. Under his skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood, and by weeks end, air sacs (also lined with capillaries) will develop in his lungs, getting him ready for that first real breath.

Same old, same old for Mommy this week- pregnancy is a little exhausting, and different symptoms are more prominent each week, while others become less noticeable. But I am so excited to think that in about 3 months is when we will be welcoming this baby into our world! As long as I keep reminding myself that, then it all seems more than worth it.

This week at home we have been a bit busy- preparing for lots of guests, mostly. Doug came back to visit for a couple nights, Monday and Tuesday. He and Mike worked on priming the walls in Sean's room. We picked out some paint, and chair rail, and the new carpeting will probably get done next month. Mike's mom from Austin came into town on Friday, hung out with us for the day, and then went into New Orleans yesterday. Josh's friends from WA are here now, they just flew in yesterday. Now I am preparing for my parents to fly into town on Wednesday. I am really looking forward to seeing them, and also to the 4 1/2 day weekend : D

24 weeks

This post may be a bit short... I spent a lot of time on the computer last night and this morning organizing my pictures and putting up a blog post about our pumpkin carving yesterday.... so now I am tired of being at the computer, and I have lots of laundry to do today. So here goes!

So at 24 weeks, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball (goodness that seems so huge!) and to top of it has risen above my belly button now (which you can tell because my belly button looks totally different that it did before I was pregnant!) and our baby boy is about the length of an ear of corn, just about a foot long. He should have gained about 4 ounces in the last week. His brain is growing very quickly now ( I have been good about taking my fish oil/DHA supplements!) and so are his lungs- they are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree," as well as developing cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still very thin and translucent, but that will change soon.

As for Mommy, it is getting harder and harder to get comfortable, at any given time- sitting, laying down, standing. And I keep thinking "oh my goodness, can I deal with this for another 3.5 months?" My hips hurt at night- my body pillow helps a little, but we sleep in a full sized bed, so sometimes I think me and the pillow take up a little more than our fair share of the bed. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night on my back, with my arms up over my head. Not only am I not supposed to sleep on my back, but when I put my arms over my head they get very cold, because all of the blood leaves them, so they are sore in the morning. And it's difficult to breathe on my back. I can feel little pops in my lower rib cage when I breathe in very deep. Being pregnant makes me feel like my body is old and out of shape! But I am feeling pretty good other than that. I got a decreased work schedule approved by my doctor, so it has been nice to be able to go home early on some days.

That's all I got for now- Doctor appointment is this Thursday, as well as Angelia (Mike's mom in TX) is coming to stay for a night. I'll keep you posted!