Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

5.29.2009

Kids say the darndest things.

This past Sunday I decided to go swimming at Jimmy's dad's house. Jimmy was gone for the day with his Mom boating on the lake so I was hanging out with his 11 year old neice, Sammy, in the pool. We'd been in the water for about 20 minutes and she gets this horrified look on her face. The following conversation ensued:

Sammy: Oh my gosh.
Me: What?
S: How can he breath!?!?!!?
Me: What? Who?
S: The baby, how can he breath?
Me: What do you mean?
S: He's under water and has been for a long time now, can he breath?
Me: ::Laughing hysterically::
S: No really. Can he breath?
Me: He's fine. He doesn't breath air like you and me. He's fine. He likes the water. I promise.
S: So, he's ok.
Me: Yes, he's fine. ::Still laughing hysterically::
S: So, if he doesn't breath air, how is he alive.
Me: Well, when he's inside my belly, he doesn't need to breath air yet, so he practices breathing, but he survives off of the nutrients and fluid in my body.
S: He breaths fluid?
Me: Well, yea, kinda.
S: So, he won't breath air until he's born?
Me: Yep.
S: Huh... that's weird.

I was dying. I love little kids. Their logic makes me so happy sometimes. It's priceless!

5.26.2009

Honey Do!

Weeks 33-36 (Month 8): HoneydewBaby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month. This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

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33 Weeks. Holy Moly. That means he will be full-term in 4 weeks. That means he could be here in less than a month and be perfectly healthy. That means I'm about to be a Mom. Holy Moly.

Do you see the counter on the right? Do you see it??? It's screaming 49 DAYS! That's until my due date. That's like barely more than a month. That's insane.

On the home front, the nursery is progressing. Still limited to a crib and a bouncy seat, but we've added a stroller and carseat to the mix (THANKS MOM!!!).
The dresser will be arriving sometime this week, thanks to the mother-in-law. We've got a decent stack of clothes going, a few blankets and some towels and sheets. YEA! Major purchase remaining to be made are relatively limited. I need to get the pack-n-play as I plan on putting him in this in our bedroom (it has an infant sleeper built in). And I really want a swing as Mom claims that this was the only item that allowed her to keep her sanity with me. And we still need bedding. But other than those, we are pretty well set. I need to go by the free and clear detergent so I can start washing all his stuff!

And here is this week's obligatory pic. Some say I'm huge, some say I'm normal... one thing's for sure, this kid is getting HEAVY! And he gets the hiccups A LOT. He woke me up Sunday at 4AM for half an hour because his hiccups were so out of control. I'm guessing he's going to hiccup like me... poor kid.



5.21.2009

These poor children...

Can you imagine the emotional trauma that will be had when they decide to tell these two kids about this...

Click here.

Absolutely amazing and disturbing and appalling and...

5.19.2009

What the heck is a jicama?

32 Weeks:

Your baby is taking up more and more space in your uterus and weighs as much as a large jicama -- about 3 3/4 pounds. (Length: about 16 3/4 inches, head to heel.)

This week, your body may start prepping for delivery day by flexing its muscles — literally. If you feel your uterus bunching or hardening periodically, those are practice contractions, otherwise known as Braxton Hicks. These rehearsals (typically experienced earlier and with more intensity in women who've been pregnant before) feel like a tightening sensation that begins at the top of your uterus then spreads downward, lasting from 15 to 30 seconds (though they can sometimes last two minutes or more). What's up with your baby? He's starting to get ready for his big debut, tipping the scales at almost four pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. In these last few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as he hones the skills he'll need to survive and thrive outside the womb, from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck his thumb for a while now. Another change this week: As more and more fat accumulates under your baby's skin, he's becoming less transparent and more opaque. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

Still have no clue what a jicama is, but hey, who am I to judge. So, he's right around 4 pounds, and gaining at least half a pound a week. Oh boy! I know he has hair, saw the "texture" of it on the ultrasound, but did anyone doubt that... I came out looking like Elvis, so the boy is doomed.

I'm feeling pretty good. Starting to get tired in this giant body that I'm so not used to. I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to have my body back... 8 more weeks! It's already HOT HOT HOT here in Phoenix. We're supposed to dip back in to the 90s for the next couple of days (YEA) given that we've been in the triple digits for almost two straight weeks now... I suppose that means I need to suck it up and go try to find some kind of bathing suit to cover my ginormous self. Oy, that so does not sound fun...

Other than that, nothing major to report. Awkward lunch Sunday with the mother-in-law and her husband. It was fine until he told me my arms were bigger than Jimmy's and then they proceeded to discuss how long it would take me to lose weight. He said 3 months, she said a year. Oh gee thanks... anyone want to start placing bets. I had to excuse my hormonal self to go to the restroom so I could cry. Then I ordered a soup and salad for lunch. Punks.

Then Saturday night I was accosted by two hippie tree-hugger friends of Jimmy's step mom at his sister's graduation party. I was showing them Jace's awesome pics and they decided to ask about how I was planning to deliver. I told them I'm not planning on a c-section, but things happen... I do plan on an epidural! They FREAKED. Went off on how it's not that bad and epidurals drug you and your baby and you are a horrible person for taking one and blah blah blah and do I realize I will be paralyzed... oh dear lord, they wouldn't stop. The one lady had 5 kids (one set of twins) all natural and couldn't believe I didn't want to experience the womanliness of childbirth naturally and how could I even think about drugs... it was freaking ridiculous. Someone finally came in the room and saved me. And then this savior lady told me she had four kids, three natural and one with an epidural. She said if I would have known how much heaven that epidural was, I would have taken it with the first three. That right there is my answer folks, someone who has done it both ways and she prefers door number 2!!! Epi please!

The good lord made those drugs for a reason and I will take full advantage!

Here is this week's pic... yes, I'm wearing the exact same thing from last week... I need to go shopping. It's difficult to find that motivation and it's getting hard to maneuver in the dressing rooms...

5.18.2009

Jace has a face... and it's so CUTE!!!

This weekend we had our 3D ultrasound. Yes, the one I posed as a Mother's Day present for Jimmy's mom. It was awesome! So, without further adieu, here is Jace!



This is how he was laying. Bent in half with his hands and his feet in front of his face! He's like a little froggy!
He's had his hands in his face most of the time. Almost a smile!
More hands in his face, but this time he's looks like he's getting mad at us for poking him.
Isn't he precious! He has Jimmy's eyes and nose and my mouth and chipmunk cheeks. Just ask my Mom, I didn't outgrow those cheeks until I was 20!
He yawned A LOT! Must be so rough hanging out in there all day. He didn't want to wake up for us. He and Jimmy kept yawning at the same time!
His toes and foot! I love baby feet!

This is his foot up by his face. He has his big toe spread way apart from the rest of his toes... not sure what he's doing, but looks like he's gonna have my feet.

If you want to see all the 76 pics we took, you can view them here.

5.12.2009

I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL. It makes me laugh everytime.


Can't... Breathe...

31 Weeks.

As your baby's senses increase, his mommy's breathing room decreases.Chances are your diaphragm is feeling a little cramped these days. Okay, a lot cramped. That's because your uterus is pushing up against it, crowding your lungs and making it more difficult for them to expand fully. The result: Your body is spare on air, and will be until your baby drops near the end of pregnancy in preparation for birth. Your baby, however, is happy as a clam since he gets all the oxygen he needs through the placenta. Weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 18 inches long, he's quickly approaching his birth length though he's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. Also developing at an impressive clip: your baby's brain connections (he's got to make trillions of them!). He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He's 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.

So... I can totally relate to the not being able to breath thing. As we speak, I'm pretty sure I have a foot jabbing in to my right lung. But that's just a hunch. Other than that, my rings are THIS CLOSE to not fitting anymore. I bought a fake one, but haven't worn it yet. They didn't have it in a size 6, so I bought a size 7... it's a little big (my regular wedding ring is a size 4.5). Swelling is still relatively mild, but my shoe wardrobe is now limited to my dressy flip flops and my regular flip flops. Pretty sure that doesn't fit well with the office dress code, but I don't care.

Other than that, nothing major. Found out I DO NOT have gestational diabetes, yea. Everything seems to be progressing normally and he seems perfectly healthy. I'm getting ramped up for my showers to come... yea!

So, I came to the conclusion yesterday that I probably won't see our little man again until he's born. I don't think I will have any more ultrasounds unless it is medically necessary. This made me sad. So, I started pricing out the elective ultrasound places, you know the ones that do the 3D/4D ultrasounds. I found one here who do them... it's a 20-30 minute session, you get to walk away with a DVD of the whole session and a CD of all the pics. Sweet Deal. And they're giving me an extra $20 off because their West Valley office is closing so I have to drive to the other side of town. My dilemna was how to pose spending $109 on this to the husband.

He walked right in to my trap! We weren't able to make it to the other side of town to see his Mom on Mother's Day. He was going to go out with her this week for lunch, but decided we'd head over there Saturday. I happen to have just found out that the place had an opening for an appointment on Saturday at 2:30. So, I slyly said, well, what would your Mom think about coming with us to a 3D/4D ultrasound? He always says she feels so disconnected from us, so what better way for her to feel bonded, right? He asked how much, I told him. He asked when, I told him. I then suggested we keep it a surprise and take her on the way to lunch on Saturday. He loved it... So, by convincing him it was his brilliant idea, I get to see my little boy in 3D this weekend. YEA! I'm so smart. :)

Here is this week's pic. He's getting big!

5.11.2009

You're the BEST!

Happy Mother's Day. I love you!

My present.

I got this on Friday as my Mother's Day present from Jimmy. I don't get it delivered until Tuesday, but isn't it pretty!


Jimmy said it's a manly dryer, so he might do laundry. We'll see about that.

I LOVE it! We need a dryer so we got this, we don't NEED a washer yet, but will probably look to buy the matching washer in the next 6 months or so. According to the salesman (who doesn't work on commission), LG and Samsung make the best washers and dryers, so if you are in the market for a new one, these are AMAZING. They have awesome reviews and great warranties.

Oh, and if you're in the market, I highly recommend shopping at Best Buy. They don't work on commission, give their honest opinions, they price match and they aren't pushy AT ALL. And there is still room to negotiate with them. We got the guy to throw in the pedestal at $80 off.

It was a great experience and we were being pain in the butts with all of our questions.

So, yea. I saved a few loads of laundry to do once I get it delivered.

5.06.2009

The Butterfly Effect

This made me giggle.


NO.

A man in the hallway, yes, the awkward hallway, and I just had this conversation:

Man: You're pregnant, right?
Me: Nope.

HAHAHA!

Oy...

As the weight of the baby starts to make me slouch over. And my gimpy walk makes a male coworker ask why I'm limping around. And I bump in to counters and doors and walls with this large stomach I'm so not used to... the longing begins to start for a body like this again...

This was at 14 weeks... I thought I had a "bump."

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

30 weeks...

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)
Your baby's brain is getting smarter by the minute, but for Mom, the only thing that smarts right now may be heartburn pain. These days you may feel as if you've got a flamethrower in your chest. Heartburn is one of the most common (and annoying) pregnancy ailments and here's why: The same pregnancy hormones that cause your body's pelvic muscles to relax so you can deliver your baby also relax the ring of muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach. The upshot? Food and digestive juices can head upstream from your tummy into your chest and throat — hence, the infernal inferno. Your expanding uterus, now exerting pressure on your stomach, only fuels the fire. And speaking of your belly, its increasing size is a definite clue that your baby is getting bigger every day, weighing in at over three pounds now. Also growing daily is his brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with those characteristic grooves and wrinkles. And now that your little genius can regulate his own body temperature and turn up the heat, he'll start shedding lanugo, the downy body hair that's been keeping him warm up until now.
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Well, I suppose I'm lucky in that heartburn is one thing I can say I have NOT experienced. Hopefully I don't jinx myself, but here's to hoping! I hear it sucks... :) Apparently, baby is getting smarter and his brain is growing, yea! I'm so hopeful that he gets the perfect combination of my smarts and Jimmy's athletic ability. I hope I DON'T pass on my legs, and I hope he DOES get Jimmy's perfect teeth. Other than that, as long as he's healthy!

Anyway, still feeling pretty good. Had a dr. appt yesterday and all looks good. I'm almost to the home stretch. TWO MORE MONTHS give or take. That seems so close yet so far away! Baby shower planning is officially underway. May 30th and June 6th. Getting excited!

Here is this week's pic.

5.04.2009

Saturday Surprises!

Jimmy opened the front door to lay down some weather stripping and he found a big box! We're not sure how long it had been sitting outside the front door (we go in and out of the garage)... but YEA for Saturday surprises! *Side note... we never got back to the weather stripping.

We immediately took it upstairs and wa-la! Jace has a bed! Well, he still needs a mattress and all the trimmings, but it's a start...

And dear lord does this child get the hiccups. Must take after me (and my mother).

Picture and update to come tomorrow.