35 Weeks

I am not even going to bother pasting in a picture of what the books say the baby looks like now, because OBVIOUSLY my baby is not a normal 35-week baby.  The books says she should be anywhere from 5 1/4 pounds to 5 1/2 pounds ... but at the ultrasound earlier this week she was in the mid-to-upper 6-pound range.  So, from now on I think I'll just say length: long, weight: very heavy.


As for other baby-making developments, her kidneys should be fully developed this week and her liver can process some waste products. Her brain is also developing at an amazing rate and her body fat, which used to be about 2%, is 15% (or higher) at this point.


This week has been slightly rough for me, but mostly just the discomfort of being so big and not being able to move.  I have been sleeping a lot.  Just not at night.  Also, my gentle little lamb has her foot shoved up so far under my ribs that sometimes I just sit for hours trying to push it out and trying even harder not to cry.  And when I try to push her gently so she will move?  Yeah, she kicks and kicks until I give up and leave her alone.  

The official caption of the photo:  "The glow is gone, people!"

As you can see by the picture, yes, I have outgrown almost ALL of my maternity clothes.  They have all become belly shirts.  Classy, let me tell you.  I actually wore this outfit around town today while we ran some errands.  We went and picked out stain and whatnot for the dresser (which Jeremy worked on today, and it is looking GREAT!), then I went into Barnes & Noble.  I was looking for a baby book ... and I ended up running out of the store crying.  Classic.  At first I was crying in the aisle while reading all the pages -- first smile, first bath, etc. -- and then after I had gone through all of the books they had, I was suddenly overwhelmed and couldn't remember which had which pages, and WHICH was the best??  I was too busy crying to remember.  I needed a piece of paper so I could make a list of pros and cons!!!  Then I ran out.  Good times.


Jeremy said it was okay because we had plenty of time, and I wailed, "What if she is EARLY?  We need the baby book at the hospital to get the FOOT PRINTS!"  He reasonably suggested we get the prints on a piece of paper and put them in the book later.  I cried.  He is in for so much more than he ever imagined.  But he hasn't run away yet! :)

30 Weeks

Today the baby is probably about 16 inches long and weighs a little over over three pounds (and she’ll be packing on the weight at a rate of half a pound per week for the next seven weeks!).  Also growing daily is her brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with the characteristic grooves and wrinkles.  And now that she can regulate her own body temperature, she'll begin shedding her lanugo (the downy body hair that's been keeping her warm up until now).  Her eyes are also continuing to develop, even though she keeps them closed most of the day.  When she does open her eyes, her vision is 20/400, meaning she can only see a few inches in front of her face, but she will respond to changes in light.


I have been feeling okay -- just the normal "uncomfortableness" of being huge and waddle-y.  I have had some nausea return and am also having a little bit of heartburn off and on, but nothing too drastic.  The swelling in my ankles and feet have been MUCH better over the last few weeks, and I even found a new pillow arrangement that allows me three hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time before I have to wake up and roll over to my other side to give the current hip a break.  Before, I was waking up EVERY twenty minutes to flip over.  Not ideal.  I did have to steal one of Jeremy's pillows to create this new arrangement, but he seemed more than happy to have the constant flip-flopping stop!


And I just got home from my shower and got a belly picture, but I am much too exhausted to say anything about it.  That will have to be a post for tomorrow.  

21 Weeks

Today is 21 weeks!  

The baby is probably about three-quarters of a pound and 10 1/2 inches long.  She is all done getting her proportions figured out, and she looks like a miniature newborn.  She even has her eyebrows now!! 

I am past the halfway point and moving right along.  Of course, we just had the ultrasound and discovered we are having a BABY GIRL (!!!), and I was sure they would either say I was so dang big because I had two babies in there or because I was off on my due date and the baby was weeks ahead of schedule.  Sadly, neither was true.  The baby is EXACTLY on for 21 weeks, there is only one, and I am just bigger than most women because ... well, because.  


I still have not gained much at all, and I am excited about that since I was already on the "dark side" of the scale and was sure I would gain like 50 pounds in the first few months.  However, I sure feel like I have gained weight!  The baby is so high that she is already pressing on my diaphram, and just walking across campus can be a feat!  I bet I look pretty classy huffing and puffing my way to teach every morning! 


Overall, I still feel great.  My big problem with sleeping now is that since I have gotten big enough, my doctor and I had the talk about how I go to sleep on my left side (like I was instructed!) but wake up flat on my back.  I just feel much more comfortable on my back, so apparently I move to that position to get restful sleep, but the weight of the baby now puts too much pressure on my inferior vena cava if I lay flat on my back, which can cut off blood flow (and then oxygen) to the baby.  He said to barricade my back with pillows so I can't roll over, but he didn't realize he was dealing with the girl who would take her retainer out in her sleep and then sleepwalk around the room and hide it.  So, I barricade myself, and then wake up on my back anyway.  Sigh.  


I was hoping it wasn't THAT big of a deal to sleep on my back (even though everything I read said the opposite), but the doctor said I should at least TRY not to cut off blood flow to my baby.  So I am working on it.  Last night I only woke up on my back once, so I guess that is an improvement.


Anyway, we get more excited by the day!  Can't wait to meet her!

18 Weeks/5 Months!

Today I am 18 weeks, which marks the beginning of the fifth month!  It feels big.

This week the baby is probably about 5 1/2 inches from head to rump.  He or she is also busy flexing his/her arms and legs ... which I have yet to feel.  Today I thought I felt something that resembled the flutter people have described, but it's hard to be sure.  We were at the emergency vet's office with our beloved dog, Cleo, and I was very agitated, when all of a sudden I felt a little something.  I can't be sure if I was imagining it or not, but Jeremy said the baby could tell I was mad and was kicking me to tell me to snap out of it.  This baby is definitely taking after, bossy baby!


If the baby is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place.  If it is a boy, his genitals will finally be noticeable by ultrasound, even though we will not have our big ultrasound for another two weeks.  


HOWEVER, there is BIG news on the gender front.  Brace yourselves.  Last night, Jeremy said he had decided that it was most important that *I* be happy, and if that meant finding out the gender, he was on board.  I am still a bit confused.  He claims he is sincere, but I think there might be a chance he is using some sort of Jedi mind trick on me and is just trying to get me to change MY mind and want to wait.  Oh well, because it is only SLIGHTLY working.  I feel bad, but have not a SINGLE doubt in my mind that I want, nay NEED, to know the sex of the baby and that knowing will put my mind at ease and allow me to plan the way I would like.  More updates on that as they happen.


As far as me, I am doing well.  I am struggling with insomnia and being unable to breathe or get into a comfortable position in bed, but I knew that was coming and know it will just get worse.  It's no fun, but I know it could be worse.  During the day, I generally feel great.  Unless I go too long without eating.  Jeremy discovered that yesterday on a short road trip we took.  Not pretty.  I will just have to get better about packing food.  


Overall, all is well, I am really excited to be 5 months pregnant, and I can't wait for the ultrasound!!