Great Landings

Welcome back everybody! This is Baby Watch for week #36 and this week I am starting to hear the tic tock of the clock on this turkey! Erin is slightly less miserable then last week. Thanks in part to the wonders of modern medicine, and also in part to her new working conditions. After attending opening day for the Reds last week with her boss, and after him witnessing the crazy that is perggers Erin first hand, he told her it was OK to work more from home. So she has been taking advantage and spending the day working here, with her super awesome husband. It took a few days to settle in, but this morning I came down to find her all set up in her “lounge chair office”. She had all her files, phones, computer, pens, and papers all laid out with her feet kicked up in the living room lounge chair, working like it was just another day at the office. The upside is I can already see a difference in how she is looking and feeling. Or maybe it is all just from hanging around me all day!

This week we had another ultrasound and the first of our now weekly office visits. The ultrasound was cool as always, but it is also very different then the ones before. The first couple we had you could clearly see the baby on the screen. Now with the baby getting bigger and bigger, we can only see big parts at a time. So the pictures are not as cool as they used to be. As you can see in the one I posted here, it is just a big giant head. Compared to when we could see the whole head and body just a few months ago. But still pretty amazing to see your baby on a TV just moving and wiggling around in there. I have added the pictures to the Ultrasound album on the photo site if you want to see them all.

The doctor visit also stepped it up a notch this week. Rather then our normal boring visit where they listen to the heartbeat and ask how you are feeling, this time they starting checking things “under the hood” if you know what I mean. I am not sure what exactly they are checking, but I am glad to see them doing something that looks doctor-y at these visits. We also discussed the babies size again. Today’s ultrasound showed the baby weighing in at 7lbs 5ozs, or in the 90%. They said given it can gain up to a 1/2 lb per week, and we have around four weeks left, it means the possibility of a 9lb 5oz baby come May 10th!! They also measured the fluid in there with the baby and said while it fell into what they would call a “normal” range, it was on the lower end of that “normal” range. So beginning next week we will now have weekly ultrasounds to measure the fluid, and twice weekly office visits to do Stress Tests on the baby. All in addition to our now normal weekly office visit to the baby doctor.  I thought Stress Test sounded kind of scary, but basically they are just going to put a band around Erin’s belly and measure the baby moving and stuff to make sure everything is progressing well. In fact that was the running theme at the doctors this week, monitoring to make sure everything is progressing well.

Other then that we continue to play with are the cool shower gifts we got. I have put just about everything together now, although since nothing (and I mean NOTHING) takes the same size batteries we are still short a couple size C’s. One of the things Erin got using her work bonus points was this baby carrier called a Baby Bjorn. It straps around you and holds the baby on your chest. Or at least that is the idea. I tried it on and unless they sell one at the Big and Tall store I don’t know how much I will be wearing it. But it did fit Erin real nice, and as you can see from the picture it works great for holding all kinds of babies!

Here is what the baby site has to say for week #36~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 36 Weeks Pregnant

At the end of 36 weeks of pregnancy, your baby will be considered full-term! Although he has more growing to do after that time, it’s exciting to know his arrival is approaching quickly.

• Your baby has grown almost completely into his skin that was once so oversized.
• He now has a fully rounded face, in part because his powerful sucking muscles are now developed and ready to get to work.
• Although your baby’s bones are hardening, his skull remains soft and flexible for his birth.
• At 36 weeks of pregnancy, your baby probably weighs about 6 pounds or slightly more.

Well we know that it is more then the 6 pounds they say, and if you ask me the idea of a babies skull being “soft and flexible” is just plain crazy! It is their skull people! Anyway, I’m excited to see the cool new Stress Test for next week. If we are lucky Erin will let me take a picture or something. See ya~

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Hello everyone and welcome to Baby Watch for week #35, or as I may start calling it, “This Week in Water Retention“. I know I have mentioned that Erin has got some serious swelling going on, but you can forget anything I have ever said before because I didn’t know what swelling was till this week. Some of you may be familiar with the term “Kankles“, it is a combination of the words Calf and Ankle for people who just seem to go from foot to calf. Well if going from your foot straight to you calf is a Kankle, then Erin has “Thankles” because she is to the point it just goes from her foot to her thigh! I feel so bad for her, it looks like the most uncomfortable thing ever. But the doctors say it is all part of the deal, and it will go away when the baby comes.

Other then that Erin and Baby are doing good. The baby is so big now that you can see it moving around inside Erin’s belly, and I haven’t had much trouble feeling it just about anytime I want. The other morning Erin woke me up because the baby had the hiccups and I got to feel them. It was pretty sweet and cute as all get out knowing our baby is right there and it has the hiccups.

The other major development has been the baby showers. Erin had her Friend shower a couple weeks ago, and had her Family shower this past weekend. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the awesome stuff we got. Two weekends in a row Erin brought home massive piles of awesome baby stuff. Some was cute, some needed battery’s, and some lots needed to be put together. But all of it was needed and greatly appreciated, so thank you to everyone who helped us with such awesome gifts. One additional bonus was that my Mom and Grandma flew down for the shower. It has been over five years, and was only the second time that my Grandma came here to visit. They had a great time hanging out with us, and getting to go visit with all the girls during the shower. Although next time I may have to send her over with some ear plugs!

As part of us putting all the cool stuff we got together and away I also installed the car seat base into both cars. It may be a little early for them since we should have about five weeks left. But I was too excited and wanted to make sure we were ready at a moments notice. In fact my new thing is to tell Erin everyday that “Today is the day the baby comes!“, just because I know that at some point soon I will be right. Then I will say “I told you so!“.

You may have noticed that this weeks update is a little later then usual. Normally I have it set to post at 7:00AM sharp just in case anyone wants to be the first to read it. But this week we had our doctors appointment this afternoon so I thought I would hold off a little while so I could include some breaking news for y’all. So what is this breaking news you ask? Nothing.. Same old same old doctors appointment. But they did schedule another ultrasound for next week based on how big Erin is measuring. So look for some new pictures on next weeks update.

Here is what the baby site has to say for week  #35~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 35 Weeks Pregnant

During this 35th week of pregnancy, your baby’s growth has been progressing at a remarkable pace as your due date draws near. But the next three weeks could bring your baby’s most rapid weight gains.

• Your baby probably continues to gain at least a half a pound a week.
• During the 35th week of pregnancy, she already might be close to her birth length, near 18 inches from head to toe, and she continues to build up necessary fat, especially in her shoulders.
• Within your now-crowded uterus, your baby might shift her movements from kicks and punches to more rolls and wiggles.
• Her brain development continues to advance quickly.
• Your baby already might have settled into a head-down position in your pelvis, if this is your first pregnancy. This is the ideal position for delivery because your baby’s head is the biggest part of her body.
• Position refers to your baby’s placement in your uterus — whether he is facing right or left or is headfirst or feet first. Your baby floats in your uterus and changes positions often throughout early and mid-pregnancy. When you’re between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant, your baby usually rotates to a head-down position for labor and delivery.
  • Headfirst position is called the vertex position.
  • Feetfirst position is called a breech position.
  • If your baby is breech but is not too far down into your pelvis, your doctor might try to turn your baby into the proper position a few weeks before your due date.
  • Lying-sideways position is called a transverse position.

This is the first week that the baby site has not included a food item as a size reference for the baby. So I will help out and tell you that based on my expert opinion it is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. I can also say that based on the last several ultrasounds and from what Erin has said she is feeling the baby is already it its head down position. Almost like it is ready to come out, like I told Erin this morning, maybe today is the day the baby comes!

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Hello and welcome to another edition of Baby Watch. We are currently at week #34 and that works out to be around six short weeks left! Amazing isn’t it, Mothers Day camping is just six short weeks away! Oh, and the baby is due about then as well. But seriously you do have your camping plans in order right?

Anyway, things around here are about the same as they have been. Erin is huge and getting bigger everyday. We are at the stage now where she doesn’t even realize how big her belly is getting. Several times the past week at dinner she has managed to bump her belly into the table while sitting down hard enough to spill our glasses of milk. I have also seen her hit her belly with the car door not realizing just how big it is. Otherwise I know it has also been said but we might as well keep saying it, she is also extremely uncomfortable. Swelling, stuffed up, aches and pains, and the lack of a good nights sleep have taken their toll. We are beyond the stage where she was “glowing” and would look at her belly with a cute little grin all while whispering sweet nothings to herself. Instead we are now at the “get this thing out of me” stage where sweet nothings are moans of pain as she tries to roll off the couch, and that “glow” she had has been replaced by a film of sweat from walking the 15 feet from the living room to the bathroom and back. But like I said the light is at the end of the tunnel and she knows it, so there isn’t a lot of complaining.

Nothing new to report from last weeks doctor appointment. They did the usual exam and said that it was likely we would have one more ultrasound down the road but they haven’t scheduled anything yet. We go back next week and from there on out they will change to once a week appointments. They also mentioned they will be poking around a little more and checking out some new stuff. So that ought to be interesting.

The bigger news this week is the Baby Showers. Last weekend Erin had her first shower with her friends. From what she told me it was a really fun time. She brought home a whole pile of cool baby stuff. Some of which I had no idea what to do with. Her family shower is this coming weekend and I am sure that will be great as well. It will also be the first time since Christmas that my Mom and Grandma will get to see Erin, so that should be cool too.

Here is what the baby site has to say for week #34 ~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 34 Weeks Pregnant

Between the 34th week of pregnancy and the 37th week of pregnancy, your baby continues to refine his systems and put on significant weight.

• He probably weighs about 5 1/2 pounds and is about 12 1/2 inches, about as long as a loaf of bread, from head to rump (plus an additional 5 inches or more in legs!).
• The white, waxy coating protecting your baby’s skin (vernix) thickens this week.
• The soft downy hair (lanugo) that insulated your baby’s skin so effectively for months is now almost gone.
• Your baby’s fingernails have reached the tip of his fingers.
• Your baby might gain about a half a pound this week as his weight continues to build quickly.

Erin attest to the fact that the baby is getting very long. It is to the point now that you can easily feel it at the top of her belly as a hard spot. Erin says the other end is sitting “way down low” and I am just going to take her word on that. Either way, that baby is getting big!!

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Welcome to Baby Watch for week #33! We are getting closer and closer each and every week and I for one am so excited! Erin and baby are doing great. Although I think any hope of Erin being comfortable these next several weeks is all but gone. I have never seen swelling like the swelling in her calf’s, ankles, and feet. It truly looks like her leg could break open at any second and the whole house would flood! Combine that with the constant stuffed up nose, the inability to even pass near a bathroom with out feeling the need to go in, or the fact that she only sleeps a few hours a night, and I am amazed she hasn’t freaked out yet. Instead she continues to head off to work each and every day, she does all the dumb stuff I want to do during our free time, and she does it without hardly a single peep. I say hardly because just tonight I had to head up to McDonald’s and get her a McFlurry ice cream treat to have during American Idol. It’s a small price to pay for all she has had to do, and all that is about to happen to her!

Our doctors appointment isn’t till later this week so there is no real news to report there. But by next week we should know if we are going to get to have another ultrasound. My guess is yes, but we have to wait and see what the doctor has to say first.

One exciting thing coming up though are the baby showers. The first is the friend shower this weekend, followed by her family shower the following Saturday. It will be cool to see what kind of neat baby stuff Erin gets. We have both been trying to hold off on buying anything till after the showers so it will be good to finally see where we are and what we are still going to need to get. Plus we haven’t been able to do anything else in the babies room so hopefully after this weekend that will change.

Here is what the baby site has to say for week #33~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 33 Weeks Pregnant

The 33rd week of pregnancy and the four weeks that follow mark a time of astounding growth as your baby reaches her ultimate birth weight.

• She weighs about 4 1/2 pounds and might grow a full inch in length this week alone! She’s grown to about 12 1/2 inches from crown to rump, or about the length of an average pumpkin.
• Your baby continues to gain weight rapidly — about a half pound a week.
• The pupils of her eyes can now adjust to bright or dim light, just like yours.
• Her lungs continue to develop.
• Your amniotic fluid has reached its maximum level now — there’s simply no more room! With less fluid to cushion them, your baby’s kicks might feel a bit uncomfortable.

Crazy to think that the baby is going to gain a half pound a week from here on out. Seeing as we have seven weeks left that means another 3 1/2 to 4 pounds before this is all done. That is crazy! As you can see by the picture I am not sure where Erin is going to put it! I guess we are about to find out… See ya next week!

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Welcome to week #32 of Baby Watch! We currently have two months (eight weeks) left before its baby time, at least that is the theory anyway. Erin is doing about the same as last week, sore and uncomfortable. She has turned to the massage place to try and make her feel better. Probably for the best since my idea of a message doesn’t seem to help. But to be honest why would it, I really just complain for 15 min and she gets up and leaves. So this really is better for everyone all around. Baby is also doing good, as far as I can tell anyway. Since all I can really do is just look at Erin’s belly my diagnosis is more based on a feeling and my magic powers then anything scientific.

This past Saturday we completed the second of our two Prenatal classes. The first was a two hour class on breastfeeding that was fairly educational. Although it does seem a bit limited since you are just looking at pictures and videos to try and figure it all out. But hopefully it will give us a head start when the real deal comes along. The second class was an all day education class. We had a general idea of what to expect and while I won’t say it was a complete waste of time, I don’t think either of us thought it was all that beneficial. The main problem was they were extremely basic with most of the information. As an example at one point the instructor nurse passed around several pacifiers for us to take a look at. My guess is they have to teach to the lowest common denominator and being in Kentucky passing around pacifiers fits about right. They did however show us one of the most disturbing video I have ever seen. I don’t think things have really changed all that much, but this video was wildly different then what they showed me in 9th grade health class! WOW!

They did have some good information however so I am glad we went. The highlight was being able to tour the area and room where Erin will have the baby. That part was very impressive and they have a really nice facility. We learned that we will stay in the same room with the baby all the way from when we first get there, throughout the delivery, and for the day or two we are there afterward. We also learned they will attach at computer chip to the baby as soon as it is born that will set off an alarm if someone tries to leave with the baby. Neat!

Here is what the baby site has to say for week #32~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 32 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is spending quite a bit of his time practicing the skills he’ll need after birth, such as sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Other changes during your 32nd week of pregnancy include:

• Your baby weighs about 4 pounds and is almost 11 1/2 inches long from crown to rump, or the length of a small watermelon.
• Lanugo, the soft, downy hair that insulates your baby, continues to fall off this week.
• You might notice a change in your baby’s movements this week, as he becomes more crowded in your uterus.
• Kicks and movements might seem less powerful.
• Be sure you monitor your baby’s movements from time to time, especially if you think you’ve noticed a decrease in activity. The 10-Kick Count can help.
• Your baby’s skin is no longer see-through. It looks more like yours.

We know the weight is more, but I like the idea of watermelon since that is one of my favorite foods. Next week we have another baby doctor appointment so we might get some good info there. See ya~

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Hello everyone and welcome to week #31 of Baby Watch! We have about nine weeks left in this wild ride and I for one am 100% ready to move on to the next phase. Well, maybe 100% ready is a bit of a stretch maybe more like 90%… or 82%… OK, maybe I am not as ready as I thought. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to hurry up and get here! Erin and baby are doing fine. As I said last week Erin is getting more and more uncomfortable every day and just when I think she has reached the limit, she somehow gets more uncomfortable. Aside from the crazy amount of swelling, and aches and pains that come with carrying a giant baby-saurus around she now is awake more at night then asleep. Between the 200 trips to the bathroom there is the constant heartburn, stuffed up nose, and tons of tossing and turning going on. The good thing is she is not completely alone, she likes to wake me up to tell me she is awake. Nothing is better then a nice 2AM heart to heart talk.

Speaking of being ready, we have come to realize that we should have about nine weeks left. But as it has been proven many times these things sometime happen sooner then expected. Little Jackson was 6+ weeks early, and a friend of a friend just had their little girl 10 weeks early. Not that this is something we are expecting, but in the interest of being prepared Erin and I have started getting things together just in case. This has included buying cute little outfits to bring the baby home in, cute little pajamas for Erin to wear at the hospital, and cute little diapers for when we get home. All of this is going in “the bag” that Erin is getting ready for when the time comes. I asked if I could put some stuff in “the bag” but was told no once I started getting my PSP, laptop, Lego men, etc together.

The last bit of news is our most recent ultrasound and doctors appointment was today. It is getting harder and harder for them to get the whole baby into the ultrasound picture. Plus it keeps moving around almost like it doesn’t want to have it’s picture taken. Apparently it has no idea what is in store for it once it comes out! We did get to see in one of the pictures the babies hair. Anyway, nothing ground breaking at the appointment. The baby is bigger then “normal“, measuring in the 80% and currently it is at about 4 lbs 9 oz. But they said we don’t have anything to worry about right now, but we should expect to have one more ultrasound to check on things down the road. I have added the pictures to the Ultrasound album if you want to see the rest of them.

Here is what the baby site has to say for Week #31~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 31 Weeks Pregnant

During your 31st week of pregnancy, your baby’s body and brain continue to make the connections that enable her systems to work as a whole. Also when you’re 31 weeks pregnant:

• When you’re 31 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs more than 3 pounds and is 11 inches long from crown to rump, about the length of a bunch of bok choy.
• Your baby’s reproductive system continues to develop. In boys, testicles are moving from the kidneys through the groin to the scrotum. In girls, her clitoris is visible, but her labia are still growing to cover it.
• Your baby’s lungs are now more developed but are not completely mature.
• As trillions of brain connections develop, your baby is already using all five senses.
• You might notice that your baby has more defined periods of being awake (and active) or asleep.

Well if you are anything like me then this will be the first time you are happy to have a picture of the food they are referencing because I personally have no idea what a “bok choy” is. All I do know is that it must be pretty big! Roll on week 32…

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Welcome to Baby Watch for week #30! This week we have some interesting developments, but first just to say Erin and baby are doing well. Erin is getting increasingly more uncomfortable every day and has more aches and pains then a 80 year old stunt man. But she is dealing with it and knows it will all be worth it in the end, although she may walk with a limp the rest of her life. I also want to thank all the people who answered our call last week and posted comments with name ideas. Both Kathy’s suggestion of “Kathy” and Carol’s suggestion of “Carol” have been noted.

On to the interesting developments. I said last week that we had one of our now regular every two week doctors appointments. At these appointments they generally don’t do a whole lot. They ask how things are going, answer any questions we might have, and listen to the heartbeat. Usually that has been it, but the last two or so appointments they have added measuring Erin’s belly with a tape measure to the list. This measuring of the belly is what prompted the last ultrasound where we learned the baby was on the bigger side. Well last week they did their little belly measuring thing and once again have scheduled an ultrasound. The doctor said the reason was so they could keep an eye on the babies size. When we started asking a lot of questions he said they don’t like to talk about “what ifs” and that the size of the baby was just something they wanted to watch. After a couple more questions from Erin the doctor did say that in their office babies over 11 lbs were done via C-Section, and that given the size of the baby right now and how much time is left an 11 lbs baby-saurus (my word not his) was not out of the realm of possibility. But basically for right now the baby is on the bigger side and they are going to keep an eye on that. In the mean time we get some more sweet ultrasound pictures so I am not going to complain!

On to what the baby site has to say for week #30 ~

Baby’s Growth and Development When You’re 30 Weeks Pregnant

During this 30th week of pregnancy, your baby continues to steadily add weight and important, insulating layers of fat to his body.

• At 30 weeks of pregnancy, your baby weighs about 3 pounds and is about 10 1/2 inches long from crown to rump, or about the length of a bunch of celery. (His legs and feet increase this measurement by many more inches.)
• From this week until week 37 of pregnancy, your baby gains an impressive half a pound a week!
• Your baby might be practicing breathing movements as he rhythmically moves his diaphragm. You even might notice a slight twitching in your abdomen when this happens.
• Your baby’s brain continues to expand and develop, creating additional grooves and folds in the brain’s surface. These wrinkles give your baby’s brain tissue the needed room to expand as he develops and learns throughout his lifetime.
• Your baby’s brain can now regulate his temperature, so he begins to lose the lanugo — fine hair that has been covering his body for warmth.

Well we know that gaining a half pound a week means it takes after its daddy, so that is cool. Crazy to think that not counting the legs and feet the baby is the length of a bunch of celery! I don’t understand how it all fits in there! Only 10 weeks left people, Woo Hoo!

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