34 weeks

I'm starting to get into that "OMG how are we going to get everything done?" mode. We have somewhere between 3-7 weeks to get this all together. I have faith that everything will get done, but it's starting to become super real that in the next month or so, there's going to be another person living in my house :)

I'm still doing pretty well, even though I feel utterly huge at this point. I keep wondering how much bigger my stomach can get! I'm happy with my weight gain, but I just can't imagine that my stomach is ever going to look normal again :/

This is one of my favorite updates so far: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which he'll need to regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his 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.

Not that I've really been worried about pre-term labor, but it sounds like he'd be totally fine, which makes me happy. I was born on my due date, so I'll assume I'm having an October baby, which is fine with me!

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain: 24.5lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Butt - yes, stomach - no.
Sleep: Some nights are better than others, but I'm actually not too tired for the most part.
Best moment this week: Setting my end date for work. 2 weeks! Wow.
Movement: Even though he's a little cramped in there, he seems to be moving just fine.
Food cravings: None
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? it's *technically* out but it hasn't "popped" yet.
What I miss: not getting out of breath after walking around the block with the dogs

What I am looking forward to: Nesting
Milestone: It seems like 34 weeks is a viable/acceptable age for a baby to be born without problems.




















34w

33 weeks

82.5% there! Holy crap :)

I am feeling so unprepared and I am dying for this nesting instinct to kick in. I have done NOTHING baby-wise this weekend. B and I did a whole bunch of things this weekend together, which has been quite nice. We went out and had Indian food on Friday night, and then yesterday we went to the movies and saw The Time Traveler's Wife, which was excellent. Not as good as the book (when is that the case!?) but very good. Then we went to Cosi and shared a mini-pizza and hot chocolate as it was pouring outside, came home and watched another movie and went to bed. It was a wonderful day. Today I've just been relaxing around the house, and we're having 3 friends over for dinner later so I'm simmering my infamous bolognese.

I've really got to get cracking on the baby stuff! I'm going to organize some things this week for sure, and get the nursery more in order. I have a month left of work, and then I am really going to get a lot done. I can't believe I'll just not be working in 4 short weeks. Not that I've been doing my job forever, but 5 years is a while, and I adore what I do, so it's hard to imagine that I won't be doing it every day. But, it's all worth it!! :)

Wanted to give a shoutout to my friend Tara who wasn't able to make it to my shower, but gave me some unbelievably wonderful gifts - diapers, clothes, socks, lotions/shampoos, toys, stuffed animals, bibs, etc.














This is what Liam is up to this week: 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. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

What a big boy! I have a feeling he might even be a little bigger than that... I have an ultrasound in 2 weeks, so I guess I will find out then though I know that can be off by a pound or so. If he's born full term, my guess is that he'll be close to 8lbs. Maybe 7lbs13oz. That's my official guess :) B continues to say all the time that he's coming early... maybe he'll be a September baby afterall. Just as long as he's not an August baby!!!

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain: 23lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Too many on the left side of my butt to count, but still none on my tummy.
Sleep: Not too bad this week. I still haven't gotten up in the middle of the night to pee!
Best moment this week: Spending some quality time with the husband, as there won't be too much of that left as a family of two :/
Movement: All the time. The rib kicks are hard to handle.
Food cravings: I enjoyed a full day of junk food yesterday, but nothing was really a craving...
Gender: little guy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? it's a millimeter out
What I miss: Being able to bend over and pick things up

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery organized
Milestone: I'm still grateful for each week which passes successfully. I'm in no rush for Liam to arrive at this point!




















33w

Maternity photos preview ;)

Taken by the talented Jesse Cohen
www.jessecohen.com
artdc.com

32 weeks

Woohoo! It's been a pretty good week. Today I had maternity photos shot at a national park (Great Falls) by my dear friend, an amazing photographer. Can't wait until he sends me the shots! For now you'll have to settle for my iPhone 32 week belly, but I guess there are worse things in life...

I'm happy to have made it to 32 weeks. I'm anxious to get to 37 but 32 is a great milestone. Little Liam would likely do very well if he were born now, though I am convinced he is perfectly content where he is. My bump is still pretty high so I'm not too concerned with him being a preemie.

Here's what's going on with my little chicken:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) 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, 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.

This is where I will stop comparing my baby to fruits and vegetables. I think everyone gets the sense of his size at this point :)

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain: 22lbs
Maternity clothes? 9 times out of 10
Stretch marks? Still using my cocoa/shea butter lotion and hoping for the best
Sleep: Past few days have been crappy. I think my size is starting to get to me!
Best moment this week: Getting the whistle blown at me today for taking maternity photos at Great Falls national park, on some rocks overlooking the falls. As my friend the photographer pointed out, why did the security guy think it was a good idea to blow a whistle at a pregnant lady who could have gotten scared and went tumbling to her death? He was about 5 feet from me. He could have whispered to me and I would have heard him...
Movement: Sometimes even painful ones (foot in the ribs? not sure)
Food cravings: I think I am going to miss out on this experience this pregnancy
Gender: He still has a penis
Labor Signs: Nothing, and grateful for it.
Belly Button in or out? It's teetering
What I miss: Being able to go out with my friends to a bar/restaurant without having to worry about if there's smoke or not.

What I am looking forward to: The nesting phase. Hasn't kicked in yet.
Milestone: 32 weeks was my last big achievement. Next is full term (37 weeks).




















32w

One year

One year ago today is the day I found out I was pregnant the first time. It was not exactly something I was expecting. I had quit my position with the group practice I belonged to only about 5 or 6 hours prior, and was planning to start my own practice a few weeks later. I was very focused on my career, having just gotten my counseling license 5 days before I found out I was pregnant. The timing was really bad. Nonetheless, I wrapped my mind around the idea of being a mommy and jumped into the planning and preparation. Just 6 short weeks to the day I found out I was pregnant, that pregnancy would be over. I still think about that from time to time - what if I had a 4 month old? Would the baby be a boy or a girl? What would he/she look like?

Miscarriage is so common, but it's still profoundly sad when it happens to you. I consider myself a survivor and a success story, and I cannot wait until my little Liam becomes an outside baby in just a couple months. I know that he wouldn't be here if I hadn't had the miscarriage, and I feel beyond blessed to have this growing baby inside of me.

On another note, I had my first bi-weekly doctor's appointment today. All is well. BP is good, heartrate is good, and I'm measuring 31cm which is right on time for where I should be. I gained 2lbs since my last appointment so I am up 22lbs total (all the dessert I had last night probably helped!) and still hoping to keep my total gain around 30. I think I can do this, provided I don't go too overdue.

31w4d

31 weeks (+1 day)

Sorry for the late update. This is my first opportunity to sit down and type. It's been a whirlwind of a weekend. On Friday, my oldest and dearest friend arrived from Philadelphia and we went on a dinner cruise on the Potomac that night with B and my mother-in-law and 2 dear friends. It was a wonderful time.















Yesterday was my wonderful baby shower. I cannot say enough good things about it. We have super generous friends and family. We still have quite a bit to purchase off our registry but we certainly received many things to get us started.





















Here's what my little guy is up to this week:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He'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.

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain: 20.5lbs
Maternity clothes? Mostly
Stretch marks? Nothing on my belly
Sleep: Very good this past week. Sleeping on my sides more.
Best moment this week: Seeing all of my wonderful friends at the baby shower
Movement: All day long
Food cravings: Nope
Gender: BOY
Labor Signs: Just a lot of Braxton Hicks but nothing major
Belly Button in or out? It's threatening to pop but not yet
What I miss: My skinny jeans

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and organizing all of the gifts/clothes we received.
Milestone: I feel like I'm in the home stretch at this point even though I could easily have another 2.5 months.




















31w1d

3D photos

Well, after 3 sessions, we managed to get some decent shots of our little Liam chicken :) It was fun having these 3 ultrasounds! I know we're really not going to get a good look at him like that until he's born. We have a 2d ultrasound around 35 weeks to check his positioning but it's not quite the same as being able to distinguish his little features :) Soon enough he'll be here, and all of this won't matter, but it really felt special to bond with him in this capacity! I really felt like I was with him, watching him in his natural habitat!




















30w5d

30 weeks!!!

Wow, I'm 75% finished with pregnancy. And, in all candor, it has not been difficult. I am certain that the difficult weeks lie ahead, but for the most part, it has really been a breeze, and mostly enjoyable. The little chicken moves around ALL the time, sometimes I can't get him to stop! It's such a neat feeling, one that I can imagine I will miss greatly when not pregnant. I am starting to see why Michelle Duggar has done this 18 times (19?). Ok not really.

I've had a few frustrating moments this week, namely when I got called "huge" by a girl who was 13 weeks behind me (and just as big as I am now, but that's ok). Also, I went to my cousin's Bris for her new son, and while everyone there commented on how tiny I was, or how good I looked, or how well I was carrying, my uncle told me that I couldn't possibly get any bigger and that I looked like I was going to pop any day now. In all fairness, he told his own daughter how fat she was throughout her pregnancy, so I guess I should be grateful that he wasn't that harsh to me, but some people just have no tact.

At the airport parking lot today, the cashier looked into our car and said "You're having a boy, right?" It's amazing to me how many people have guessed correctly that it's a boy. Not one person has ever asked me if I was having a girl. I hope to find out what I look like carrying a girl, because clearly, this isn't it!

I had my last monthly OB appointment this week. Everything was normal. Measuring on time, BP was good (120/70), heartrate normal, etc. I start going every 2 weeks beginning with a week from Thursday. I can't believe it. Soon enough it'll be every week. Am I ready for this!?

We're going for the 3rd attempt at a 3d/4d ultrasound on Thursday. The little stinker was totally stubborn at our 2nd attempt, and for most of the time, he had both hands, feet, and umbilical cord strategically placed right in front of his face. If it doesn't work this week, we're just going to have to wait until his birthday to find out what he looks like! I'm starting to get a little jealous of all the ladies who have really clear pictures of their kids, and can easily compare their newborn photos to the ultrasound photos. Oh well.

Here's what's going on with the little man this week:
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.)

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain: 20lbs
Maternity clothes? Mostly
Stretch marks? Nothing on my belly yet. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: Still haven't woken up to pee. Very tired some days even when I seem to sleep pretty well.
Best moment this week: Realizing how lucky I am to have gotten this far in pregnancy without a single complication. I know anything is possible at this point, but I am very grateful.
Movement: All.the.time.
Food cravings: Nope
Gender: BOY
Labor Signs: None. He's still head down (I can always tell, because of the hiccups!)
Belly Button in or out? It's ever so slightly raised up at the top part, but not "popped" yet.
What I miss: Not being thoroughly exhausted on a regular basis.

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower in 1 week!!
Milestone: Making it to the "30's" weeks.




















30w