34 Weeks

What a great week this week! We got to see our baby girl and she appears to be doing great! She is also NOT small, estimated to weight 5lbs 5oz already with 6 weeks to go. I don't know where she is hiding but she is growing in there like she should be and we couldn't be happier. She is SQUISHED though and I can tell she keeps trying to stretch out and make more room for herself in there but there just isn't any. She is in the proper position with her head down, butt on my left side and legs on the right so hopefully she stays that way. She was awake during the ultrasound moving a little, opening and closing her mouth, and sucking her lips. So cute!

Saturday was my baby shower and I had an amazing time! My mom did so much to make it beautiful and Kylie got so many great gifts. Thank you so much to everyone who came for making the day so special!! I will post some pictures as soon as I get them.

I'm feeling exhausted. 8 months of not sleeping very well is finally catching up to me. I also get out of breath easily if I walk around too fast or climb stairs. I wish I had enough paid time off to start my maternity leave early because it is really getting hard for me to function lately and I really have a lot of stuff to do before Kylie arrives. But I only have enough for 3 months off and I want to be able to spend as much time with my new baby as I can so I'm going to have to tough it out for a few more weeks.

I'm also getting very uncomfortable. Kylie has her feet permanently lodged in my ribs and every time she moves it HURTS. Like I jump and lose my breath for a minute and my ribs feel like they are so sore. I'm really hoping she drops soon so that I can have some relief. I'm also having some very mild period like cramps, and a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions so I'm hoping this is my body's way of getting really to evict Kylie. She needs to cook for 3 more weeks though until she is considered full term and then I'm ready whenever she is. Wait, I really need to get stated on my long to do before baby list.

And I'll finish with a story that I know Michelle will especially appreciate. I was at Babies R Us last week gift wrapping for Carli's shower and the lady next to me asks me when I'm due. When I tell her she's like, "Wow! You look like you're due now!" Umm, thanks lady. Most people tell me I'm small so I guess I can handle someone telling me I'm big for once, but geeze talk about rude!

Weekly Update: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. 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. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

I think I look a lot bigger this week.



Sorry for the late update again Grandma!

33 Weeks

I had an appointment this week. I gained the amount of weight I was supposed to gain, BUT now the doctor says my belly is measuring 3 weeks too small. She didn't seem very concerned. She said it can depend on a lot of different things, but just to check and see how the baby is growing they have moved up my growth ultrasound from 36 weeks to next week. They are going to take all of her measurements and will be able to estimate how much she weighs. I am excited to see how much she has grown since my last real ultrasound was at 18 weeks! I'm pretty sure she is growing fine in there so I am not worried.

She is seriously running out of room more and more every day. My belly has been moving and shaking for a long time, but now there are random body parts that literally push my skin out and move back and forth across my belly. Jason thinks it feels like a massage chair, and I actually have to agree except for the kicks to the ribs. Those hurt. Although I can't tell which parts are which, I can definitely feel her in there when I press down on my belly with my hand. She is getting so big and strong. My hips are starting to hurt a little bit and so is my pelvis. Sometimes I feel out of breath and I'm pretty much always exhausted. I'm getting anxious to meet this little girl.

I had a great time at Carli's baby shower this week and can't believe mine is next week already. We are almost there!!

Weekly Update: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's 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. (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 her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32 Weeks

I'm still feeling really great. I like to complain, but I really can't. I'm not very big or uncomfortable, no real big aches or pains yet, and I'm sleeping ok. I think I have been slacking on my water intake lately as I am waking up very thirsty in the morning and feeling generally dehydrated. I was doing so good for a while making sure I got enough water, I guess I'm starting to get a little bit lazy so I'll have too be sure to make more of an effort. I think that is also the reason I'm getting those damn leg cramps in the middle of the night much more often lately. Kylie is still a very active baby. She does a great job of letting me know she's ok in there.

Speaking of Kylie, I'm starting to second guess her name a little bit. I like it but I guess now that she's getting closer and closer to arriving, I just can't help but wonder if that is the name she is supposed to have for the rest of her life. I don't know, maybe I'm just indecisive. Maybe I will have to pull out the old name lists one more time and just look them over again just in case.

So, I've finally decided that I want to paint her nursery. I'm thinking of doing it pink on the top and green on the bottom, with a chair rail or border separating the two colors. I think it will be much prettier for her than the plain beige it is now. The room is slowly coming together. I just need to get a few more accessories in there to complete it.

And finally, I want to congratulate my cousin Michelle and her husband Juan on the birth of their second baby boy, Jonathan Michael. He was born yesterday afternoon and mom and baby are doing wonderful. Uh oh, the babies are actually starting to arrive now. You mean I have to give birth to this child growing inside me soon?!?

Weekly Update: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 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 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.

To My Husband, on Our Anniversary

As I sit here today and reflect on the past 8 years, I can't help but to be reminded of all the wonderful memories we have shared together. We were just kids when we met at only 20 years old and here we are today about to have a kid of our own. We have had a whirlwind of a relationship from the first kiss, to falling in love, breaking up and making up again, to realizing that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, and now we have created the most beautiful gift that we could ever give each other. I think back to why I fell in love with you in the first place. You take care of me like no one else has. You cook for me and always make me try new and different foods. You almost always keep fresh roses in the house because you know they make me smile. For holidays I always get more than one card, because you can never choose one that fits perfectly. We balance each other out as you are the dreamer and I am the realist and always encourage me to try new things that I normally wouldn't do. You dropped everything to spend 2 1/2 months with me in Oklahoma City and it turned out to be one of the most memorable times of my life. We have created a life together, and it's far from perfect but its ours. We moved together at least 8 times before we found a house we could make our home. We have laughed together and cried together and made new friends while leaving others behind on our journey together. We have made mistakes, lots of them, but somehow our love always keeps us together. So today, on our second anniversary I just want you to know how much all this has meant to me. I know I probably don't tell you enough but I love you, I appreciate everything you do for me, and I am grateful for you and all the memories you have given me. Looking back, I wouldn't change anything about our story together. The tough times have made us stronger and the great times have really been fantastic and no matter what the future holds for us, I will always cherish every moment and memory. Exactly two years ago today, you made me the happiest woman in the world by making me your wife. In two short months I hope to give you that same feeling by making you a father. Happy Anniversary Baby.

31 weeks

And it seems like Kylie is seriously running out of room in there. Her movements have changed lately. Instead of big kicks and punches all the time, now it feels like she is squirming around in there and trying to stretch out. It is a very strange feeling. I'm starting to think that she has turned the wrong way though. I don't know, I could be wrong but I feel like she is laying horizontally across my belly because I feel the hiccupps on the right side of my body. I guess technically she could be head down with her body on the right and what I'm feeling is her body moving up and down when she hiccupps. I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid, but I really hope she is facing the right way before she really runs out of room and is unable to turn at all. I'm feeling fine otherwise. Just trying to get the room all set up and decorated and get everything ready to bring our baby home.

Weekly Update: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Dr's Orders: Eat More Ice Cream!

I had an appointment today, and while everything seems to be going well, I didn't gain any weight since my last appointment 3 weeks ago. I weigh myself weekly so I was aware of this and was wondering what the doc would say. She says she sees no problems with it, and that she is not a believer in gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy anyways, but she would like to see me gain at least 1-2 pounds by my next appointment in two weeks so she has ordered me to eat more ice cream! DOCTOR'S ORDERS!! LOL

Kylie's heartbeat was strong, as usual, and starting now I will be going back to the doctor every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then once a week until I go into labor. I will have an ultrasound at some point in the near future to measure Kylie's growth and position, and hopefully will get a 3D ultrasound soon too. That's all for now. Gotta run and make a milkshake. :)

30 Weeks

And its finally starting to sink in. Holy crap, I'm having a baby soon! LOL. I hate to say it in fear of jinxing myself, but this week I feel great. I'm sleeping much better so I finally have some energy and I'm not to the point where I am so big that I am uncomfortable all the time yet. Yes, sometimes I still get cramps in my legs, or my lower back will hurt, but more often than not my biggest pains lately come from a swift kick straight to the ribs. It's amazing how something that weighs less than 3 pounds can seriously kick so hard. I started working on my registry this week and there are just so many things I might need that it is a little bit overwhelming. I also attended my friend Jackie's baby shower and it was beautiful! She could be having her twin boys as early as next month! My cousin Michelle is due to have her baby boy any day now, Carli's shower is in 3 weeks, then my own shower, and before we know it all of us will be mommies. WOW!

Weekly Update: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). 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.