34 Weeks: What's Happening

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her arms and legs are continuing to fill out from fat accumulation. She's dimpling at her elbows and knees and forming creases around her wrists and neck. The percentage of fat on her body is 8%, compared with only 1% of her body weight at 20 weeks. At birth, her body fat will be about 15%, helping her to keep warm. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine.

It's hard to believe there's only 6 more short weeks until Emily Claire makes her big debut!

A Dumbo Seat?

I had to work out of town a couple of days this week, and on my way home last night, Mick told me Emily had gotten a package from Tennille, my college roommate. I told him to open it and see what it was, so he opened it and told me it was a Dumbo seat. I laughed at him first, and then told him it was a Bumbo seat...in his defense though, there is a picture of an elephant under the name :).

This very cool seat is made to help support a baby before she can actually sit up by herself--I've heard great things about them, and
the reason I added it to our registry is that Tennille said her son loved his. I can't wait until Emily can sit up and use this! The white tray attaches to the top so she can eat in it and all kinds of other stuff.

I was hoping that Tennille's gift was just the fact that she was coming down next weekend, so this was a surprise bonus. We love it--thank you Ta-Dow :)!

Surprise Gifts for Emily

It's always a nice surprise to come home and see a big box on the front porch, especially when you open it up and find gifts! Alesia, a friend from work, will unfortunately be out of town the weekend of the baby shower. She decided to surprise us with early baby gifts--a really cute bouncer seat, a big box of diapers (sure to come in very handy), a pink octopus towel/washcloth bath set and a "quick change" kit for diapers and wipes. What terrific gifts--thank you Alesia!

Snow Day

Yesterday, all the local weather forecasts were predicting 1-3 inches of snow, and for once, they got it right! It started snowing on Friday around 1:00 in the afternoon and kept going until about 10:00 last night. We ended up with about 4 inches of snow at our house, which is more than we've ever had since we moved to Atlanta. Here are a few pictures of our winter wonderland!

A view of our house as you pull into the driveway

Bella wonders why I'm taking pictures instead of throwing the ball to her

Gracie wonders why Bella is such a ball-playing clown

Gracie and Bella, all tuckered out after playing their hearts out. They LOVED the snow!

33 Weeks: What's Happening

This week your baby is 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. She is beginning to run out of space to move in the uterus and is tucked into the fetal position. Her movements in the womb may be less frequent as a result of cramped space, but she is growing and delivering stronger punches and kicks. She will have periods of deep sleep and periods of being actively awake, much like a newborn baby.

Shower Gifts

Here are just a few of the nice gifts from Wednesday's shower that Emily will be using in no time!

Everyone says these umbrella strollers are essential since they're so lightweight and easy to fold up and transport.
Check out this sweet piggy bank, which will replace the pickle jar full of change that Mick has already started for her.

This adorable photo album says Our Little Princess on the front, and the little boot is also a bank!

The only reason we haven't taken this out of the package yet is because I don't think Gracie and Bella could resist it. It's called an Ocean Adventure Gym, and Emily will be able to use it even when she's really little--there are all kinds of ocean creatures that hang down for her to play with, and a piece that has lights and music that will also attach to her crib.

The Surprise Shower (that wasn't a surprise)

I had a trip planned to Charlotte this week to help with some training we're doing at work, and toward the end of last week, had some stuff come up in Atlanta that meant I needed to be in the office here. Laurie, my boss, told me I still needed to go to Charlotte but I couldn't understand why. She finally broke down and told me there was a surprise shower planned for me on Wednesday night, so I had to be there. After I had practiced my fake reaction, she told me on Monday that the secret was out, and everyone knew the surprise was spoiled.

So Wednesday night, a group of us got together at Devlin's house for a nice not-so-surprise shower! It was a lot of fun (except for the "tell the worst birth story you've ever heard" game!), and Emily Claire received some very sweet gifts! Here are a few pictures from the shower, and I'll post some of the gifts this weekend.

The very pretty, very delicious monogrammed cake.

Jeanie and Theresa

Almost the whole group (Devlin, Julie, Theresa, Laurie, Larissa and me)

This One's a Keeper

We both had been thinking the same thing, but neither of us wanted to admit it. We hated the bassinet we had found on craigslist, but we each thought the other really liked it! We just felt like the quality wasn't what we wanted, and the mattress didn't fit well, which made us even less crazy about it.

Babies 'R Us is having a "Great Trade-In Event" where you can bring in a used piece of baby furniture and get a coupon for 25% off a replacement, so that's what we did. We actually ended up saving more on this bassinet than we originally spent on the first one, so we felt the switch was totally justified!

This one is just adorable, and feels more well-made. It has sweet little safari animals on it, which Gracie and Bella seemed to like.

32 Weeks: What's Happening

By now, your baby weighs 4 to 5 pounds and is between 16 and 18 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She is beginning to develop her own immunity to mild infections. If she were born now, she could survive outside the womb and resist some disease. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. She may also be positioning for birth with her head turned down toward the pelvis.

Infant CPR Class

We went back to Northside today for an Infant CPR and Safety class. It was good information, all of which we hope to never need! Here's a picture of our strange looking practice doll and our diploma for finishing the class.

This was our last class except for the Childbirth classes, which will be next month. We're getting close!

Checkup

I had a 32-week checkup today with Dr. Graham. It's been almost 6 weeks this time because I had to move my appointment from last week, so needless to say, I was very concerned about getting another comment about too much weight gain. Surprisingly, I had only gained 3 pounds since my last visit, so he was happy with that (I was too!). I'm still measuring about a week ahead, which he said was no big deal.

I got to hear Wiggles' heartbeat (138, which they said was perfect), and my blood pressure is still good. We're getting close to the end, and things are going really well! I'll go back in 2 weeks, on February 19.

Gift for Wiggles

One of my close friends from college surprised us by ordering and shipping the Pack 'n Play we had on our registry. I could hardly wait until Mick got home so we could take it out and put it together!

It's awesome--it has a changing space and a separate bassinet on top, which are both removable. We're planning to keep this downstairs since we won't have a separate bassinet from the one in our room. Right now, it's in the dining room (but obviously won't stay there). Thanks Neely and Matt--we love it!

31 Weeks: What's Happening

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. At 31 weeks pregnant, you can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet. Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and she can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents she breathes in, a scent that will quickly become her very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!). Your baby is also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of awake (and moving) periods and sleeping (pretty still) periods.

Staying Well

Mick said he wasn't feeling great on Sunday night--then I had to leave on Monday morning to work out of town for a couple of days, and he was feeling even worse when I left. As the day progressed, he got worse and was running a fever. Luckily, Mick is off on Mondays so was able to rest for the day, but by Monday night, he hadn't seen much improvement.

For those of you who know Mick well, you know it takes a lot for him to break down and go to the doctor...even more for him to actually miss work, but by Tuesday morning, he knew he wasn't well enough to work, and went to see the doctor. It turns out he has the flu, so it's probably better that I had to be away from home. The doctor told him we need to sleep in separate rooms, even though I've had the flu shots, just to be safe.

Today, Mick was back at work and although not 100%, he's feeling much better. Wiggles and I are feeling great, and hoping to stay that way!

Breastfeeding for Couples Class

This afternoon, we went to our second class at Northside--this one was called Breastfeeding for Couples. It was about a 3-hour class, and covered things like different positions for feeding, how to help the baby latch on, and the benefits of skin to skin contact.

There wasn't much in the class that I hadn't read elsewhere (I've been doing a lot of reading), but Mick said it was really helpful to him. He learned about some of the things he can do to be helpful during breastfeeding (like being the bouncer when it's time for guests to leave!). He'll also help with burping, changing, rocking and snuggling with her, all of which I know he'll be good at :).

30 Weeks: What's Happening

Your baby's between 17-18 inches long now, and she weighs over 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face (normal adult vision is 20/20).

Even though your baby's height and weight haven't changed much in the past week, the big news is her brain gain. Until now, the surface of your baby's brain was smooth. Now, her brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb, and the street smarts she will need.

Baby Essentials Class

This morning, we went to a class at Northside Hospital called Baby Essentials. It came recommended by my doctor, who said most people go through a lot of preparation for the birth, but don't know what to do once the baby gets home. It was a 3-hour class where we learned how to bathe, change and swaddle the baby. There was also some helpful information about choosing the best gear and products for her. We came away with a list of resources and websites for things like ensuring the carseat is installed properly, which will certainly be good to know! They also gave us a copy of the DVD called The Happiest Baby on the Block, which I've heard good things about, so I'm looking forward to watching it.

Here's a picture of our practice baby, and the diploma we received for completing the class :).

Counting Kicks

Around 28 weeks, a lot of experts recommend pregnant women start counting the baby's kicks. I won't go back to the doctor until February 5, but I thought it wouldn't hurt if I did it anyway. There's a neat website (http://www.countthekicks.me/) that gives a lot of information about it. Once in the morning and again at night, I sit or lie down and count 10 movements. You're supposed to give the baby up to 2 hours to move 10 times, but Wiggles hasn't taken more than 15 minutes so far! The only time she seems to settle down is when she feels her daddy's warm hands :).

Clumsiness

I've been reading a lot about how pregnant women get clumsy as the baby grows. It makes sense, since your center of gravity is shifted, and you're carrying around a lot of extra stuff you aren't used to. Tuesday morning, I experienced this first hand--I was taking Gracie and Bella outside with a handful of dog biscuits (sort of our morning routine before I leave for work). Most of you know that our deck in the back is on the 2nd floor, and you have to walk down a flight of stairs before getting to the yard. Well, as I got to the bottom two stairs, my pant leg caught under my shoe and I fell--hard. Gracie immediately came to my rescue to see what happened while Bella scurried around picking up all the biscuits that flew out of my hand. They are so different and funny!

It scared me more than anything, but I'm fine--just quite bruised up. My hip got the worst of it, and my arm is bruised and sore. Mick has now banned me from walking down the stairs unless I have approved shoes on :).

29 Weeks: What's Happening

At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). Her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source. Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day!

Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.

And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).