36 Weeks

In my nice comfy dress. I bought this when I was pregnant with Isabel to wear to a formal Christmas party and I think it was the only time I got to wear it until now. I am glad I got a chance. It is so comfy.

I got dressed up to take Isabel to a play today.

Friday is my 36 week appt. Nothing really new to report as of now.

Baby Dream

This was the first dream I had about the baby. In the dream he had lots of brown curls on the back of his head. It was the day he was born and it was the 14th (my pick) or the 12th (date of significance), I couldn't be sure (I just knew I was having the baby on one of those days in the dream). He weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces (pretty big for 2 weeks early and I even commented in the dream saying I was glad he didn't go the full 40 otherwise I would have a 10 pound baby) and he was 20 3/4 inches (which I commented was shorter than Isabel was and I had expected him to be over 21 inches but maybe because he was 2 weeks early this is why he didn't hit 21 inches.) So, we'll see if any parts of this baby dream are true.

35 Week OB Appt

It was a quick routine appt. Took my stats and everything is right where it is normally for me. Listened to the heartbeat and it was very strong at 140bpm. She was even able to catch hearing all 4 chambers working together today, which was a bonus since they don't normally try to catch that. She measureed my uterus and at 35 1/7 I am measuring 36cm. With Isabel I was measuring 35cm at 35 6/7 weeks. Again, she said is he is born at his due date he will be slightly bigger than Isabel was but won't be a big baby.

She confirmed that he has dropped down (which this is earlier than Isabel did by a week). It's not like I need confirmation because everytime I go from sitting to standing and have the urgent need to pee I am reminded that he has dropped down.

After palpitating my uterus, she also said that he is taking up every bit of that length he has in there and not curled up as much as some babies are in shorter moms. I guess that makes me lucky to have a longer torso because otherwise I would have more trouble breathing . He still gets his foot up to kick my lungs periodically, but it doesn't need to rest there yet. She also said by feeling him he doesn't feel like he is going to be too big at this point, just above average (7lbs.) baby weight. Maybe I will be having another long skinny baby.

Isabel was average for weight at 7lbs. 2 oz. , but she was long at 21.25 inches (average is 20 inches).

That's it. I am on weekly visits now. My next appt is next week Friday afternoon and I get the Group B Strep test that day and then I start vaginal exams (oh joy!).

35 Weeks

Well, I think he has moved down. Last night I had trouble sleeping because of low back pain. So, he seems to have found that same serve area his sister did. And sleeping on my back is just plain uncomfortable these days. It has started to get difficult to get out of chairs with much grace and after I got for a walk it feels like my crotch is just going to fall out (daddy thinks it's funny when I say that because he has no idea what that even means.) But there is certainly a lot of pressure and it is almost guaranteed that if I go from sitting to standing I will have to make my way to the bathroom. I see the doctor on Thursday for a routine appt. and now I can for sure have my baby at a hospital down here (I wasn't sure if it was 34 or 35 weeks, so now at 35 weeks we are all set.) I did finally buy a new camera and it is on it's way here. Yeah! We figured we better get a new one before the baby comes. We can't be taking all his first pictures with a camera phone.

34 Weeks

He is still kicking alot and today he got his foot right up in there under my rub cage & under my breastbone, not sure how he did that. I seriously don't know how our skin can stretch as much as it does. Some times it is stretching so much that it feels like I might just split open.

I am a lot more tired these days and bending over at all is getting hard. I am re-learning how to pick up the house with my toes.

Yesterday, after yoga class, I had to tell my instructor that I wasn't sure I would be coming anymore since it is just a regular class and not a prenatal one. I was really hoping to make it to the end, but there are too many poses I just can't do or that feel uncomfortable. So, I think I will have to just do my prenatal yoga videos at home and go to the gym to go on the cardio machines.

For the past week or more, Isabel likes to give the baby a hug & kiss through my belly at bedtime. I sometimes feel like a broken record with her when I tell her I can't do something because my belly is too big.

Quite often my stomach feels like I am carrying around a couple of bricks. According to this website, he should be about 5.25 pounds right now and 18 inches, with about 2 more pounds to go and 2 more inches (if he is an average size baby) in the next 6 weeks. FYI - the next full moon is October 4th. I will be 36.5 weeks then. With Isabel I had my night in the hospital that did NOT result in a delivery the night before the full moon.

I realized the other day that I probably need to figure out alternate transportation for myself to the hospital if daddy is working (which I really hope is is during the day.) I have all sorts of back up plans in place for people to pick up or watch Isabel, so she is all taken care of. And today I started to realize that if things go quickly again and it happens during the day, that I could possibly be alone in the delivery room (with the exception of the hospital staff, of which I don't know any nurses and there is always the possibility it won't even be my doctor there). It kinda stresses me out to think I could be alone delivering this baby, but I don't know that I would want anyone else in there with me at the end except daddy. So, I never thought I would say this, but I'm hoping this baby comes in the middle of the night or at least before daddy has to go to work or after he comes home or on a weekend, a weekend would be nice again.

Finished Fleece Tie-Blanket

I finished making, well I guess started & finished, making the tie blanket. Isabel & daddy helped pick out the fleece (although, Isabel was more concerned about picking out the fleece that we made her tie pillow out of & tie pillow for her dolls.) So, now it's done.

So, my to-do list before the baby comes has shrunk a lot in the past few days:

Installed car seats (adjusted straps) in all vehicles CHECK

Assembled changing table CHECK

Made tie blanket CHECK

Buy a new camera (the cell phone camera just isn't going to cut it)

Figure out insurance stuff (boy, this could be a headache with possibly changing insurances and pregnancy possibly being considered a pre-existing condition and eligilibity of Cobra based on assets)

33 Weeks (plus 2 days)

Man! Without a digital camera and just using my camera phone it is harder to arrange to get the picture taken. With the digital camera I can put it on the tripod and do this on my own time. When I use my phone I need someone else to take the picture. So, 2 days late and here it is.

Anyways, yesterday was a routine OB appt. Everything is measuring & tracking right where it should be. I told the doctor that he seems to feel like he is bigger and she told me that statistically boys are born bigger & second borns are born bigger (statistically). She also said that second borns are (statistically) born earlier (by date) and quicker (labor time). Hmmmmm......I was pretty quick with Isabel, so this baby might be born in the car. Might have to have an "Emergency Delivery" bag in the cars. Hope daddy is ready to add * Delivered Child on his resume under his hobbies & interests. It certainly will give him an intersting topic discussion.

So, if you've been waiting to vote, now you know what the doctor thinks. She did say that by feeling him right now that he would probably be close to average size, maybe a little bigger. So, even though he feels like he is going to be a 10 pound baby, the reality is that he won't be. I just wonder how long he will be. Isabel was longer than average, actually she was a pretty long baby considering the average baby is 20 inches with most babies being between 19-21 inches. She was just above that at 21 1/4 inches. Genetics say he will probably be on the long side, but I guess we'll see.

And after this week, I will be able to deliver at our area hospital (I think it was 34 weeks) and not have to go to Children's Hospital. So, that's good. My neighbor is on-call to pick up Isabel from school or watch her until grandma can get here is needed, but we'll try to give you a little heads up. We've got the preschool programmed into our phones to call if needed and both sets of grandparents & my neighbor are authorized to pick her up from preschool if needed. So, I think we have that taken care of.

Other than that, let's see. Isabel has started to refer to him as Henry often. So, I think that name will stick.

Yoga is getting much harder, but I am sticking with it as long as possible.

He still kicks me A LOT. I don't think he knows he isn't supposed to have as much room anymore and shouldn't kick so much.

My plan for this weekend is to get the other changing table put together & up and either this weekend or next week to get the infant carseats (ours & one we are borrowing from a friend) installed. With our 2 compact cars I am not sure how they will fit and we may need to re-arrange seating in the cars. The truck won't be a problem, but the cars will be interesting as the infant seats won't fit in behind the driver and daddy just has too long of legs. So, we'll have to see what kind of configuration we can come up with.

Win a Temporal Thermometer

Another online giveaway that I would love to win is for this Temporal Thermometer from STL Mom. Check out her blog and enter too for a chance to win.

Guessing Game!

Come try to guess the date & time of birth, weight, & length. Even sex, if you want to go against the ultrasound (there is always one in every bunch that does.)

32 Weeks

It's hard to stand up straight with a child on your back, but I do think my belly looks like it sticks out more if I was standing a little straighter. Not much else to report on. We have an OB appt next week. Bought some diapers this week by using stackable coupons at Target and some other baby consummables last week doing the same thing, but other than that. Not much to report.