32 Weeks - 8 To Go

32 weeks today - 80% done.

3dpregnancy.com says this about week 32:

Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.

Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If he's a baldy, don't worry.

By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and be between 17 and 18 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots.

He is stretching out more and more these days. Dan and I were reading that he is still sleeping up to 90% of the time. So when he's moving in his sleep, what's he doing? Dreaming of an endless womb that he can stretch out comfortably in?

Another bonus of massage is that Baby Boy goes nuts! He punches and kicks and moves all around. I was enjoying it at the health center after work, and then Dan was rubbing my back last night before bed which our little buddy loved even more. I can't get him to move like Dan can, so I'm convinced he knows when it's Dan playing with him. I love that they have a special relationship already. We can't wait to meet you, little man!

Graph of Pregnancy

My friend Stephanie sent me this graph yesterday:

I like it because it's all the stereotypes that I was convinced would apply to me and this pregnancy. But surprisingly, I haven't been bothered by people touching my stomach or telling me that I'm too big for how far along I am.

However, I would like a nap, a massage and to never take off my pajamas. Not too much longer until I can lounge around in whatever fits, preferably on our couch or in bed. And ice cream? Who doesn't want ice cream?!?!

I have a massage scheduled for 5:00 tonight. That's a win-win because not only do I get the hour of relaxation and pain relief, but I get to leave work early to get there! Shucks, huh?

Less Than Two Months

We're just inside the 2-month mark until Baby Boy Mudgett comes out to meet the world! I feel like the closer we get, the longer we have to go still. This is way more intense than waiting for Christmas or my birthday, and when he's playing around during the day and at night, I know that he's getting eager to meet us too.

We're almost done with the nursery. We have a few things left to hang on the walls, but it looks really good right now. When we're done, I'll post pictures. It's a cheerful and calming room, and it's the perfect place to go to forget the troubles of the day and imagine what's to come.

Even though there are 58 days until the due date, I have 21 more work days (including today) and I'm really looking forward to the time off between work and Baby Boy's birthday. It'll give me a chance to do some serious nesting and nap when I need it too. It's incredible how much we're doing and planning for a little person we've never met. And it's even more incredible how after he's here, it will be impossible to imagine what life was like before him!

I Could Sleep All Day

Zzz. I am sleepy today! It is amazing how much energy it takes to grow someone, especially someone so small. Dan and I were feeling a little under the weather yesterday, so we stayed home from work. We went to bed Sunday night at 9:00 and I stayed in bed until 11:30 yesterday morning! I didn't need a nap after that but I was definitely ready for bed later on. I had a fabulous dream just before my alarm went off this morning. It was stormy with lots of wind and lightning, and our midwife called to tell me I had to stay home - it wouldn't be good for the baby if we got struck by lightning. In my dream I was more than happy to call into work to tell them I couldn't make it. Alas, the alarm went off and I had no excuse to stay in bed.

I am looking forward to a nap and/or early bed time tonight. Maybe I'll catch a second wind when I get home, but it doesn't look like it from where I sit now!

Daddy's Birthday

Today is Dan's birthday!! Our baby gave him an awesome present this morning - a long stretch of solid movements. Dan can make out different body parts, and Baby Boy's movements are much more intentional and way less jerky. You can feel knees and elbows move across my stomach, and we can feel where his head and butt are. He's only got a few more weeks of developing internal organs, and then it's onto getting chubby. I can't believe our baby will be 10 months old by Dan's next birthday.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

After 30 Comes 31

Wow! Another week has passed. Another long and short week. A few things happened this week that are blog-worthy.

1) I had to start wearing my wedding ring on a necklace. My swelling has gotten worse lately and it hurt to wear it on my finger.

2) Baby Boy's movements have become painful at times. He's really pushing around in there but I can only stretch so far. That's a good news/bad news thing, because of course I'm happy he's active and healthy!

3) The nighttime dance parties are interfering with my sleep. I'm trying to get more of it to compensate but I'm definitely dragging in energy. Maybe he could lend me some of his?

4) I moved my maternity leave date up two more weeks. My last day of work will be February 27. That means 24 and a half more work days (including today) until I get a break. Of course, I should be in full on nesting mode by then so we'll see how much rest I get. At least I'll be able to wear pajamas most of the time!

Now here's what 3dpregnancy.com has to say for this week:

From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:

Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so he'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as he mashes them into his hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.

By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that his lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world.

Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!).

I don't know about miniskirts but non-tents would be nice someday. :)

Centering Pregnancy - Session 5

We had our fifth pregnancy check-up and class last night. We toured the birthing center and played around with the different options we'll have for positioning and delivery. The rooms are pretty big and Swedish has a "room-in" expectation - there's no big nursery for all the babies! We wanted to room-in anyway, so it's nice we won't have to fight anyone about it. It's kind of unreal to think about spending a couple of days there but now we have a mental picture of how it might be.

I seem to be right on track with my health statistics too. I'm up 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks, but my blood pressure is good and my uterus is measuring at the right size. Baby Boy's heartbeat is still in the 150s - strong and healthy. He also seems to be head down already, which is excellent. I'd like to avoid a c-section if at all possible and him facing the right direction is a good start.

This is really going to happen!! :)

Happy Inauguration Day

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you have to be excited to see what the man is capable of. Dan and I are very excited and hopeful that Obama can make changes to our country. There are a lot of expectations of him and what he can do. I'm not sure how realistic it is for him to accomplish even half of what he wants, but progress is still progress. If nothing else, Obama is renewing hope and optimism to our cynical country, which in itself is a small miracle. Here's to turning over a new leaf and trying to make changes!

But you aren't here for political reasons, are you? You're here to see how our baby is doing!! Well, he's doing great. I had choir again last night and he LOVES choir! Or, maybe he really really hates it. He's active the whole time (which I guess isn't new) and was pushing his butt out as far as he could last night. I was lopsided and short of breath - it's quite the workout to sing with your lungs squished into your neck! :) But he moved and grooved and danced to the music. He's going to have quite the repertoire when he finally comes into this world.

Today's a short work day (WOOHOO!!) because we have another Centering class. We go every two weeks now until our jumping bean is born. We must be getting closer!

Look at Me Now!!

Here's a picture of me, 30 weeks pregnant! If you go back 8 weeks on this blog to look at my 22 week picture, you can see how much I/we have grown.

Baby Boy is definitely out-growing his little world. There are fewer and fewer kicks and punches, and more and more stretches and pushes. He still has his nightly dance parties, and he actually woke me up this morning (before 7!) with his big movements.

We had our second birth class this morning too. We covered A LOT in the two classes - stages of labor, methods of relaxation and breathing, what happens during and after delivery. We watched movies, we practiced movements, we talked and listened. I have been reading about pregnancy, labor and birth for almost 7 months now, so I was happy that there wasn't much new or surprising. I know that I can never fully prepare for what's to come, but I'm hoping I at least won't be caught of guard by much. It's not too long before we'll see how this whole thing goes!

30 Weeks!!

This has been a long and stressful week, but now that it's almost over, it also went kind of fast. We're hitting the big 3-0 tomorrow - 75% of the way to our due date! Let's go back in time a little...

At 7 weeks (3 weeks after we found out) the baby was the size of a blueberry.

By 10 weeks - 25% of the way - he was the size of a kumquat.

At 20 weeks - 50% of the way - he was as long as a banana AND we found out he was a he!!

Now at 30 weeks - 75% of the way - he's about the weight of a head of cabbage.

That's quite the growth spurt in 20 short weeks!

Both pictures are courtesy of babycenter.com. I've steered away from this particular site for our updates lately because their weight estimates seem really low for our not-so-little guy. They were telling us we were hitting 13 ounces weeks after the ultrasound already put us there, and this week they estimate 3 pounds. That's probably pretty close and it lines up with other sites I check weekly.

Here is what 3dpregnancy.com has to say:

Big news for baby's brain this week: It's starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius's brain cells. Other highlights this week:

Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—causing his or her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.

Baby is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he's chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7.

"I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom's uterus!" When your baby is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he's whittling away the hours looking around, checking out his rather dark, limited environs.

Your baby hasn't gained much weight or height this week, as most of his energy's been channeled to the brain. He weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears' Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!

There you have it! Our 30 week update. Grow, baby, grow!

Hanging In

Another workday is here. It's hump-day, but I wish it were Friday. Work is a little stressful for Dan and me right now, but I guess that's to be expected at our jobs. 43 work days to go for me (including today) unless I get fed up and quit sooner. I almost quit on Monday, but the more-or-less responsible side of me knows that I need to push forward through mid-March.

On a positive note, Baby Boy is going nuts all the time now. He has breaks here and there, but more often than not you can see or feel him moving around. No matter how bad work is, he's there to make us feel better. We can't help but smile and laugh when he does what he does in there. We're very lucky to have him. :)

Birthing Class

Dan and I had our first (of two) birthing classes yesterday. We spent 4 hours talking about stages of labor, and practicing relaxation and breathing techniques. One other couple from our pregnancy class is in the birthing class too which is nice. I couldn't help but giggle when we were practicing some of the breathing and positions for working through contractions. Dan was like, "You laugh now..." which I know is true, but it just seemed kind of ridiculous at the time.

Also, we watched a few birthing videos and now (shockingly) I wouldn't mind seeing ours. I can have a mirror when he's coming out to see him, and I kind of want to do it. I guess we'll see how I'm doing then. I was worried about how gory it would be, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had been picturing. So maybe...

Sneaking Up On 29 Weeks

Wow...we're already to week 29 tomorrow! The maximum wait to meet our son is 13 weeks, and that is AWESOME!

Here's what 3dpregnancy.com has to say:

Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, he'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:

Baby's brain can now control his breathing and body temperature. He can also cough, and his sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!

Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as he packs on the pounds. He's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. He's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat he'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).

And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.

This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

Hmm...Well from what I've experienced, he can definitely hiccup by now. He gets bouts of them every few hours, which is fun because then it guarantees that other people can feel him moving in there. He is a little ball of energy and loves playing games with his Daddy. We aren't tracking kick counts because there's no need. He's on the go all the time, so the number of his kicks aren't crucial. And it is reassuring that his survival chances would be so high if he decided to bust out of here early, but I'm glad he's staying put. How can I brag about a natural birth of a 9-pounder if he doesn't get that big?!?! :)

Oh! I also got my first real comment from a stranger about my size today. I've had people at maternity and kid stores comment, and finally the people at our bus stop everyday asked. But no one out of the blue yet. Dan and I went to grab lunch and the cashier asked when the due date was. She asked, "Is it soon?" When I told her March, she said, "Two more months...Wow! It's big!" Yes, he is. He is indeed. And I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was more like three months (I rarely say end of March because I know I'm big), but it was fun anyway.

Belly Button = Escape Hatch?

Wow, this little guy is strong! He has taken a liking to my belly button, and is using it more and more as a target for his hard kicks. Now that he can see in there, I wonder if there's light filtering through my stretched out belly button that he is focusing on. I'm convinced he thinks it's a way out and is trying to break through. These kicks are the first painful kicks I've experienced so I can be thankful for that. But he still has a few more months of cooking before he's ready to bust out of there!

And Happy Birthday, Grandpa Louie!

My New Favorite Game

Dan has invented the coolest game to play with our unborn son. He presses his fingertips into my stomach and right about the time Dan can feel his own pulse, Baby Boy punches or kicks at Dan's fingertips! Then Dan moves his fingers a little bit and Baby finds him again. It's the coolest thing!

Baby has also been getting hiccups pretty consistently lately. They're pretty close together and definitely noticeable. I bet they aren't as uncomfortable to him as they would be to us, but I wish I could help him get rid of them when he gets them. I guess it just means he's doing extra swallowing practice which will help him on the outside.

28 Weeks

...only 12 to go! 3dpregnancy.com has our status for this week:

As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she's doing). Other highlights this week:

Your baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it's fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as he has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We'll be here all week.)

His eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color he ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they'll most likely change soon. Sorry.

Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. He is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.

This week also marks the official beginning of the third trimester. Estimated weight gain for this trimester is 10-15 pounds, so bring on the donuts and cookies. I know, I know...it shouldn't be *me* gaining all that wait, but since he's only going to come out at 8 or 9 pounds, I get to gain some of it! ;)

Even though each week is passing pretty quickly, and we're down to the last 12, it feels like March is never going to get here. I'm very impatient (clearly) and it's torture to wait to meet our son. But I'm going to keep my head down and push forward, and hopefully time will pass pretty quickly.

Happy 2009

Happy New Year! I made it until 9:30 last night before I fell asleep on the couch. Dan helped me get to bed around 11:30, and I woke up to the sound of music and fireworks at midnight (but I was too tired to sit up and look out the window).

We woke up this morning and had about 45 minutes of feeling our son move and groove. Dan had a good show of my stomach jumping too. He's turned up again, so the kicks and punches are much more comfortable to me. He's really strong and the shots to my bladder are getting a little painful.

Well, Baby Boy, this is your year! See you in a few months.

PS Happy Birthday, Aunt Katie!