Friday, May 29, 2009

Baby Poll

Click on the box below ( or to the right) and enter your guess on Baby Cady's gender, weight, length, and birthday.
So it is fair to everyone:
  • No one knows the baby's sex
  • I'm supposedly measuring "right on track"
  • My due date is June 26th
  • Supposedly, first time moms tend to go past their due date

36 weeks

Everything is still good in Baby Cady world. Currently baby's feet are lodged under my right ribs, arms seem to flail around in my lower abdomen (baby is quite the boxer) and the head is down. Baby has recently mastered the skill of head-butting my bladder when it is full, a very pleasant experience.
I still have yet to have any contractions, braxton hicks or real.....which makes me think baby is content where he/she is so it may be a while before she decides to come see us.
The good thing is that although I feel and look like a giant hippo, (I had to do something smaller than a whale since I could be preggo for 4 more weeks...then I'll be a whale.) I am not very uncomfortable.


How baby's growing:
Baby is still packing on the pounds (so is mom apparently : ) — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

AW: 3 years!

Today is our 3 year anniversary. It both seems a really long time ago that I spent all waking hours planning the wedding, and not so long ago that we moved to C-ville and settled in. So let's take a walk down memory lane. Here is what I can remember has happened since we've been married...
  • Hubby learned to run a pharmacy...actually two pharmacies at once, one hospital, one retail
  • I finished rotations, actually got to live with hubby, graduated...and learned to run another pharmacy.
  • took a vacation to Orlando, where we had a fantastic time duking it out on the mini-golf courses
  • we had 1 year of wonderful tomato growning (and one year of not-so-wonderful tomatoes)
  • vacation to Vegas, great sights, lots of walking, and unfortunately, left with less money than we went with
  • Learned that I was perfectly fine with hubby watching golf of tv...the soft voice of commentator puts me right to sleep! (sorry hubby's family, but it's true)
  • Lots of flooding caused hubby to take a 40 minute detour to work many days throughout summer.
  • Got another pharmacist and moved hubby to work at my pharmacy (working together is much better than it was at the beginning, but still a work in progress)
  • Found out we were preggo!
  • vacation to Mexico when we were 6 wks pregnant. Found out how hard it is to not actually drink the water, eat uncooked food, and not have a single margarita ..thank goodness for chips and salsa!
  • ate deer and rabbit for the first time. deer....not too bad when disguised, but I don't recommend cooking it when in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, that = nauseousness. rabbit, gag.
  • Hubby became a "hunter". He has now killed 2 deer, a few rabbit, at least one opossum...but no turkey.
  • Discovered that I'm a pretty good fisherwoman...but still refuse to take the fish off the hook.

hmm, i'll work on more later, now, off to work!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

35 weeks

Sorry I haven't taken a picture for a while...I've arrived at the point where I don't particularly feel photogenic, I just feel enormous.
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I had the day off (since I work this weekend), so I headed to "the city" to get all the last minute stuff (which also included getting a headlight changed in my car, and meeting with a friend for lunch). I purchased our infant carseat (thanks moms for the other car seat, it will be used once baby is too large to lug around in the infant carrier), changing pad/cover, nursing stool, and other little things. Good news: we have a carseat that fits into my little car! Yes, I probably need a bigger car, but it probably isn't going to happen in the next 5 weeks.
Why is the picture taken in front of a large hole in the ground you may ask...Because the dirt is our future basement! We have broken ground!

Baby and Momma update:

Stretch marks? same as before...none on belly.

Sleep: Pretty good considering the large melon on my belly. Turning over is getting more difficult, but as long as I can sleep in, I feel pretty rested throughout the day.

Movement: Hubby can attest to the fact that we have a nighttime baby! Once I lay down, baby goes crazy. Baby is getting more active as the pregnancy progresses.

Food cravings: None right now....however I have unfortunately discovered the wonderfulness that is Archer Farms (Target Brand) flavored potato chips....mmmmm Hot & Spicy! **I will not eat these once I have this baby....I keep telling myself**

Labor Signs: Mild crampiness and back ache every once in a while. I don't think that I've had true Braxton-Hicks (fake) contractions because I haven't had tightening of my belly.

Belly Button in or out? In. although I did have a dream that it popped out at the last minute..but I don't actually think it will happen.

What I miss: shopping at regular stores for clothes (vain, I know). I returned a dress at a "regular store" for my mom yesterday and the lady kept asking me if I wanted to exchange it for something else. I gave her a crazy look like "Really, you think any of these clothes would fit over my huge bump...I don't think so!" but clearly she was either trying to really flatter me, or she had a slight vision problem.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing my baby!

How baby's growing:

Baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon).Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

34 weeks.... and counting

Well, baby Cady and I made it this far, surely the last 6ish weeks can't be too bad!
Our ultrasound 2 weeks ago showed that the baby was perfect for his/her gestational age and my non-stress tests have been going just fine. Baby is still growing, and really learning how to kick hard. Hubby found that out last night! He had his hand on my belly when I was laying down and the baby kicked so hard it made the both of us jump a little! Now if I could only get baby to save those rib kicks for daytime : ) (yeah right)

I've been feeling good despite having a large lump on my belly. My legs are hurting a bit more than usual, and I've started to get tired earlier in the evening, but I think that is pretty par for the course. By belly has a little tender spot right above my belly button, which I really notice b/c I run it into the counter at work about 100 times/day, and often into the kitchen chairs, and my car door. Yes, I'm clumsier than usual.....and I drop everything. But I still haven't had any heartburn, major swelling, or any of the unpleasant pregnancy things you hear about.

We talked to our doc yesterday about how long he would let me go past my due date. He is a big fan of not inducing, so as long as the baby is going great, he will let me go 1 week past the due date (41 weeks). At that point, he will induce if I want it, but he would let me go a whole week more as long as baby is doing well. I'm not one that prefers an induction, but I'm not sure I could last that long! So, if all goes well, we should get to see baby in 3-7 weeks.

I have been getting a lot of questions on whether or not we are ready/prepared for baby to come. The real answer: I don't think I could do enough to ever actually be ready. Yes, we have the crib, bassinett, onesies, baby bathtub, etc. But none of those things actually help us take care of the little creature that we are going to be blessed with. But I don't get too worked up about it, I figured there have been millions of clueless parents throughout the ages, and look at how many of us survive!

How your baby's growing:

Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like an 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.
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.

Monday, May 11, 2009

How to Scare a Husband...

Quietly let him know that in 4 weeks, I'm considered "full term".

The due date calculation is based off of a 40 week gestational period. In the US, delivering after 37 weeks is considered full term...which is less than a month away!

With that being said, my OB is well known for not inducing women until they are 1-2 weeks over their due date, so I guess it could be another 9 weeks as well. (Please pray that doesn't happen!)

Friday, May 8, 2009

T minus 7 weeks

What's new with us?
I started working reduced hours...and it's wonderful! 2-3 days a week, I only work 12-6pm (full-time the other days). I find the reduced hours helpful just so I can get all my appts in and not feel guilty for not being at work! However, it is hard to "manage" the store and not be there all the time.
Hubby went to the "city" and picked up our mattress yesterday, on his day off. Amazingly it fit into my little car perfectly. It looks great in the crib...now I just have to wash some sheets.


How far along? 33 weeks
Stretch marks? Still none on belly, but I can't imagine it can stretch much further without at least a few popping up!
Sleep: Once I find a position that is comfortable, and baby calms down, I sleep pretty well.
Movement: Baby still loves his orange juice! It makes him crazy. He also kicks a lot when I sit or lay down to rest.
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In. Still at least a 1/2-1/4 inch to go until it would be flat, I think I'm safe
What I miss: Sleeping on my back. Supposedly if I do this, the baby will squish the large arteries and veins that supply my lower half with blood...and that can be bad. (Hence why my BP plummeted to 70/40 when they made me lay on my back at 1st non-stress test).
What I am looking forward to: 7 more weeks of sleep....I'm starting to dread how sleep deprived I'm going to be for the next few years.

How your baby's growing:

This week baby weighs a little over 4 pounds 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.