The Miracle: 36 Weeks

One more week down, one week closer to baby "E's" arrival! We went to see the doctor today and she said that I am progressing beautifully. I am measuring right where I should be with good weight gain and good blood pressure. The doctor said that the baby's head is "engaged", which means that he is in the proper "head down" position and he has dropped lower into my pelvis. So for those of you who have commented that my belly looks a little lower lately, looks like you were right! :o) He has been sitting pretty low this whole time, so I didn't really notice the change. Guess you other moms and grandmas out there are just much more observant!

For the nitty gritty details from the visit, the doctor also said that my cervix is dilated to 1cm and is 70% effaced, and the baby is at a -3 station. For those of you who have no idea what that means (and why should you? I had no idea what any of that meant until I got far enough along in my pregnancy!), maybe I can help put it in perspective. Basically, when my cervix is dilated (opened) to 10cm and is 100% effaced (softened), it means that the baby can start moving through the birth canal. The +/- number before the station means where the top of the baby's head is in relation to approximately the middle of my pelvis, so a negative number means he is higher than that point in the pelvis, a zero means he is right there, and a positive number means he is on his way out. I could get more technical, but I think you get the gist! If you want more info, look it up! :o)

I have been feeling pretty good lately. Some days I am a little achier than others, but really nothing too bad. I haven't started to notice any pre-labor contractions yet, but that is somewhat normal for a first pregnancy. I have been waking up early in the morning lately and having a hard time falling back asleep...I'm not uncomfortable, I simply feel wide awake! It hasn't left me feeling too tired yet, though. Maybe this is just my body's way of preparing me for all those late night/early morning feedings yet to come! Overall, though, I feel really great! This truly has been a very blessed pregnancy!

Enough about me...here is what is going on with "E's" development this week:

How your baby's growing: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, which will form the contents of his first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your 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.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

The Miracle: 35 Weeks

Wow...time is flying fast! We are almost through the 35th week, which puts us at about 4-5 more weeks to go! The baby is getting bigger all the time (as am I!), and he is still very active. I enjoy his movements, though...there have only been a couple times where they have been truly uncomfortable (quit poking me in the ribs, kid!). I always take his squirms and wriggles as positive signs, though...better to have an active baby than to not feel much movement and worry that something is wrong!

We are still working to furnish the nursery and get all the last little things in place, but it finally feels like things are coming together. I am starting to feel the need to get my bag packed so that we can be ready to go at a moment's notice...I've been so busy taking care of things for baby, I haven't really taken time to get my own stuff together! At my last appointment, the doctor said that the baby was head down in the proper position and that it looked like he would probably stay that way, so that is a big praise. Now to just make it through the next few weeks...

Here is a little bit about how "E" is developing this week:

How your baby's growing:Your 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 (pick up 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.

Breastfeeding Class

I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be attending a Breastfeeding Class in my lifetime. I'm still not sure why, but Sara insisted that I go with her to the class last night. I was sure that I would be the only guy there, but to my surprise there were lots of guys in attendance. We are either really supportive husbands or we're all whipped and easily dragged around by our pregnant wives. I guess there is a third option, guys who couldn't turn down the opportunity to see breasts on a big screen. But I have to say that it was not appealing in the least. I hope that I'm in the supportive husband camp - all I know is that my dad wouldn't have been caught dead going to a breastfeeding class. How times have changed.

If this all seems rather crude, forgive me. When you are getting ready to have your first child things change and some level of modesty is simply thrown out the window. I just wanted to share with everyone that I earned some brownie points last night, and they were hard earned points, too. I guess that it is the least I can do since Sara has to really do all the work.

It is easy for us guys to get sidelined during this whole pregnancy thing. Moms get to bond even while the baby is still in the womb, they are "mom" from the very beginning. Dads are a little left out and limited in our bonding until the baby is actually here, which is coming up very quickly for us. May the Lord help me continue to be the kind of supporting husband that goes to breastfeeding classes and a loving father, just like Him.

The Miracle: 34 Weeks

Only 4 - 6 weeks to go! I can't believe that it is getting so close! Stuff is starting to multiply. Sara has been diligently searching on craigslist.com and other places for slightly used items. We were able to get a glider for $20 and a nice swing for about half of what we would pay to buy it new. She also went to a ginormous 55 family garage sale this weekend and pick up quite a few clothes and other small items.

God has blessed us so much! We should be able to get everything we initially need through friends, gift cards, hand-me-downs, garage sales, etc. We are preparing every day because we know the little guy will be here before we know it.

Everyone has been telling me to get all the sleep that I can now before he arrives. That has been somewhat difficult - I think I've been sleeping less now than I have for a long time. I have a number of things on my mind with the baby coming and some upcoming major transitions. Also, don't tell Sara that I said anything, but she started snoring about three weeks ago. Whenever she happens to roll onto her back then the trees in the forest start to fall out of fear from all the sawing that's going on. After a while I'll finally roll her back onto her side, but that doesn't help with the sleep issue either.

We still have a little bit over a month to go. Pray that this last month goes well, that we are able to be as prepared as possible for all the coming changes, that the delivery goes smoothly and for the health of both mom and baby.

Here's a little more about his current development:

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. See what your baby looks like this week.

The Miracle: 33 Weeks

Thirty-three weeks down, seven weeks to go! Technically, once I hit 37 weeks that means the baby could come any time after that, so that takes us down to possibly only four weeks to go! YIKES!!! Baby "E" better wait a while longer than that to come if he knows what's good for him...I need more time to get ready!! My belly button hasn't turned into an "outie" yet...I hear that until it has "popped" that means the baby isn't "done" yet, so I guess I still have a little more time! ;o) And Richard can just hush about me getting big...his waistline hasn't been shrinking any lately either!

The baby shower was so much fun (thanks to all who came!), and we got a lot of really nice things for "E"! I don't know where our cord went to download the pictures from our camera, but once we find it I will have to upload those onto Flickr...the cake alone was amazing...3-d and shaped like a baby block, complete with letters and numbers on the sides! My friends Melissa and Sarah threw such a great shower, and I feel truly blessed to have such great friends looking after me. :o) We are still looking for a few "big ticket" items (dresser/changing table, glider, pack-n-play, swing...), but the nursery finally feels like it is coming together, so that is a relief.

Richard mentioned my obsession with diapers...and yes, it has become an obsession! I'm not talking about your average disposable diaper, either, lest you wonder what all the fuss is about. I have wanted for some time to use cloth diapers when we started our family, and so I have been busy building a "stash" for our coming little one. Now before you go getting all grossed out about cleaning up poo from cloth diapers and worrying about sticking the baby with diaper pins and making them wear plastic pants, let me just say that cloth diapers have come a LONG WAY from what they were when my mom and Richard's mom used them on us (which I'm proud to say they did!), and that some cloth diapers are as easy to use as disposables! There are tons of websites out there extolling the virtues of cloth over 'sposies (just type "cloth diapers" into any search engine and prepare to be amazed!), and there are whole communities of people besides myself who think it is anything but crazy, but here are the main reasons I am excited about it:

• Cloth diapering (CD'ing) saves quite a bit of money over just using and tossing disposables (especially when you can save and reuse them on a 2nd child);
• CD'ing is an environmentally friendlier option than dumping a ton of diapers in our landfills;
• CD'ing is healthier for the baby on a variety of levels, and using natural fibers (rather than paper/plastic) allows their skin to breathe, resulting in almost no diaper rash;
• and last but not least, babies in cloth dipes just look so cute with their fluffy little butts!!! :o)

So just watch and see if I don't convert some of you naysayers out there...you just might find yourself a wee bit jealous when baby "E" has the cutest, fluffiest butt in the nursery! ;o)

So, now that I'm stepping down off of my soapbox, let me share a little of what's going on with "E's" development this week:

How your baby's growing: 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. (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 his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

The Miracle: Week 32

Sara is getting BIG! Don't tell her that I said anything ;-) I guess that is normal when you're 32 Weeks along. She's also become obsessed with diapers - an obsession that I hope holds up after the little guy is here. Maybe she'll enjoy changing them and I can get out of most of that.

The baby shower is this Sunday afternoon. We've been waiting to see what other people get us before we go out and purchase a bunch of baby stuff - so the nursery is still quite bare. But, I have a feeling things are going to start happening pretty rapidly. What a great time to begin thinking about new life - I can't think of a greater blessing in this world. Here is a little more info on how the little guys is developing:

How your baby's growing:

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, 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.

I don't even know what a "jicama" is - the people who write this stuff are weird.

The Miracle: Weeks 27-30!

Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I updated this thing! February was a busy month, and I am a bit of a procrastinator (I know...what a shocker!), and the two things combined meant that many things went undone around here, not the least of which was this blog! So here's a run-down of what's been going on since the last time I posted...

Richard and I went to Eureka Springs to stay at our favorite B&B over Valentine's Day. It was SO GOOD to get away! The weather was beautiful while we were there, so it made it nice to get out and walk around and check out all the quaint little shops in their downtown area. I went and had a VERY NICE massage to help out with the pregnancy aches and pains...I have a feeling I may need a few more of those in the days and weeks to come!! We ate at some really great restaurants while we were there (and at one cafe I even got to indulge my hankering for cinnamon rolls...homemade, no less!), and those of you who know me also know that food is almost more important to me than where we stay!! :o) We also got to do a little shopping for "E" and the nursery, and I am probably most excited about the print we purchased from a local folk arist. It is pictured at the top of this entry, and I love that it combines our farm animal nursery theme with my love of nursery rhymes! It's so much cuter in person.

I've been feeling really well overall this month. I can tell that I'm getting a little achier and I get a bit more tired after a long day, but I'm none too worse for wear I suppose! I've only had a couple nights where I've laid awake in bed for a while without being able to sleep, and one night it was bad enough to make me get up and go into the living room to read for a while until I became sleepy again. Usually though I can sleep through the night with only getting up once in the wee hours of the morning to, well, wee. ;o) That may change in the days to come! I am definitely feeling a bit more cumbersome...not used to carrying this extra weight around, but I'm getting used to it. The weather was so nice here on Saturday that Richard talked me into getting out and taking a walk around our neighborhood. I SWEAR there were not that many hills the last time I walked that route! Or at least I didn't feel them as much. But it felt so good to be outdoors enjoying the sunshine that I really didn't care. Can't wait for more days like that!

Well, here is a rundown on what has change in "E's" development over the past several weeks...it's so fun to know how he is growing and changing!

Week 27

This week your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. (Side note: "E" has the hiccups while I'm typing this entry!! He has them several times a day at least...my mother in law says if he has lots of hiccups he'll have lots of hair...can't wait to find out if this old wives' tale is true!) With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

Week 28

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Week 29

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Week 30

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.)

The picture below is what "E" might look like at about 30 weeks. Look how much bigger he is than the picture posted at 26 weeks!! My little boy is getting so big...