Thirty Five Weeks

How far along: 35 weeks as of Tuesday, May 29, 2012.  Man, that belly looks big! 
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 5 pounds, 4 ounces (the weight of a honeydew melon) and is over 18 inches long.  I had a doctor's appointment today, and he is measuring right at 35 weeks, so I am hoping he won't be too huge at birth!  His kidneys are fully developed, and his liver can process some waste.  He's now basically fully developed, he's just working on gaining weight these last few weeks.
Movement: Still moving around nicely.  I can feel and see rolls across my abdomen as he moves!  The doctor even got a glimpse of his movements today as she was feeling for his position.  He still appears to be head down, so it looks like, knock on wood, no breech baby for us!
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: I haven't been getting enough of it lately.  I am waking up earlier than I'd like in the morning and having trouble falling back asleep.  Hopefully I will be tired enough soon that that will stop happening.
Cravings: Chocolate, chips, generally things that aren't good for me, so I am trying to avoid them!
Symptoms: Ankle swelling, some pain in the center of my lower uterus that the doctor says is Beansprout moving down and putting pressure on my cervix.
What I'm looking forward to: Decorating Beansprout's room!  My aunt and grandmother graciously came over yesterday to paint it.  I chose a Williamsburg blue color, which looks great on the walls, and I think will complement the navy, light blue and red bedding and accessories nicely.  I am so excited to get everything set up.  The crib will be delivered on June 13, and then we just have to wait for the glider to arrive.  It's getting close to go time!

Extras: As you can see, this photo is taken from a new vantage point: our new house!  The background is pretty boring, but you can see the belly in all of its glory.  We moved into the house this past weekend, and we are settling in nicely.  The dogs, especially Rowan, LOVE their new backyard.  Finn likes to wag his tail at the terrier who lives next door; Rowan likes to bark at him.  Everything is pretty much unpacked, with the exception of the baby's room, because we're waiting for the paint to dry before we move furniture in.

Thirty Four Weeks

How far along: 34 weeks as of May 22, 2012.
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 4 pounds, 12 ounces (the weight of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.  He is adding fat layers to his body, making him rounder and smoother.  His central nervous system is maturing, and his lungs are continuing to mature. 
Movement: Beansprout is still moving around, and I'm making sure to pay attention to his movements.  I don't feel many kicks any more, since he is running out of room, but I can feel him move positions and roll around.
Sex of baby: Boy!
Sleep: Still ok, with some soreness in my hips after sleeping on my side for too long.
Cravings: Mexican food, ice cream, cereal.
Symptoms: Some ankle swelling, sore feet after standing even for short periods of time.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting this baby soon!!

Thirty Three Weeks

How far along: 33 weeks as of Tuesday, May 15, 2012.  Moving right along!
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs a little over four pounds, the weight of a pineapple, and is about 17 inches long.  Now that sounds substantial!  At my doctor's appointment this week, he is measuring just about five days ahead.  His skin is becoming smoother, and his skeleton is hardening.  The bones in his skull still aren't fused, though, and they won't fuse entirely until early adulthood.
Movement: After last week's scare, I paid attention to Beansprout's movements each night.  I did feel him the requisite five times in an hour (and always more than that), so I felt much better.  In fact, although I was supposed to have another non-stress test this week, I didn't have to do it, because Beansprout did so well after the apple juice kick he got at last week's test. 
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: Doing fine, although it is hard to turn over and hoist myself out of bed at night.  I know what people mean when they say they feel like a beached whale.
Cravings: Nothing specific this week.
Symptoms: Some ankle swelling, backaches, weird pains low in my abdomen that I feel only when standing.  I think it's the baby pressing on my bladder.
What I'm looking forward to: Moving soon!  It is a ton of work to get ready to move, especially because Mark has been so busy with work and unable to help much.  A huge shoutout to my aunt, grandmother, mother, and friend, Adeline, who have helped me pack.  We definitely couldn't have done all we need to do without the extra sets of hands.  I can't wait to be in the house, though, and to have the peace and quiet of an actual neighborhood!

Thirty Two Weeks

How far along: 32 weeks as of May 8, 2012.
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 3 pounds 12 ounces (the size of a large jicama?) and is about 16.7 inches long.  However, I had a doctor appointment today, and he is measuring a week ahead.  So, again, it looks like he's going to be a big guy.  And, apparently, he will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of his birth weight in the next seven weeks, so the growing is going to keep on going!  He now has toenails, fingernails, and hair, and his skin is becoming soft and smooth.
Movement: Oh, boy.  This category is detailed today.  I'll describe at the end of the summary.
Sex of baby: Boy!
Sleep: Still fine.
Cravings: Sweets, salads from a local create-your-own salad place, Mexican food (shocker!)
Symptoms: Some swelling in my ankles.  Also, I can't believe I forgot to mention this for last week's post, but my right big toe has been numb for about two weeks!  It's apparently normal and nothing to worry about, just a nuisance.  It's the strangest thing, and it's only the one toe.
What I'm looking forward to: Our baby preparation class tomorrow.  We get a tour of the hospital where we'll deliver, and we learn some baby care techniques.  Also, we watch a birth video.  Here's hoping Mark doesn't pass out!


Here's the long story for Beansprout's movement: I had my 32 week appointment today.  The doctor was asking about how things are going, and I mentioned that I feel the baby move much more often during the day than at night.  I said it seems to be the opposite for most people.  I expected her to say, "Oh, that's normal, different babies have different movement patterns."  Instead, she asked whether I feel him move at least 5 times an hour at night.  I wasn't sure, and I haven't really been paying attention, because he's so active during the day.  So, then she orders a non-stress test, to make sure Beansprout is doing fine.  The real name of this test should be called the "stress test," because it is extremely stress-inducing for the mama!  They strap two monitors around your belly to measure the baby's heartrate and determine whether you're having contractions.  Every time the baby moves, you click a button.  The heartrate and contraction numbers are charted on a piece of paper that continually runs throughout the process. 
So, for 30 minutes, I lie there, anxious and worried, and Beansprout moves 12 times.  His heartrate was stable in the 140s.  I thought everything was fine, since he moved more than 5 times and his heartrate was stable.  But, once the nurse sees the pattern, she brings me apple juice and has me test for another 30 minutes.  The apple juice woke Beansprout up, and he went crazy moving, which made his heart rate fluctuate from the 130s to the 160s.  Apparently, that's what you want to see: that the baby responds to movement by experiencing changes in the heartrate.  If his heart rate hadn't fluctuated with the apple juice, they would have been concerned.  But, since it did, he received a clean bill of health, which was a huge relief!  I do have to go in next week to repeat the test.  This time I will be drinking juice ahead of time!
We also learned that I am having no contractions, and that Beansprout hasn't dropped at all.  So, it looks like he's camping out for the long haul, and my fears of premature delivery were unfounded!

Maternity Photo Shoot Sneak Peek!



These are just a sampling from this past weekend's maternity shoot.  None of the "name reveal" photos are included.  You'll just have to wait until July to see those!

Thirty One Weeks

How far along: 31 weeks as of May 1, 2012.  Exactly two months to go!
Size of baby: Beansprout is over 16 inches long, and he weighs nearly 3.5 pounds (the combined weight of three naval oranges).  Apparently, he's heading into a growth spurt.  Oh, boy.  Mama will look even more large and in charge soon!  He can turn his head from side to side, and he is beginning to add fat beneath his skin, so he looks plumper and more baby-like. 
Movement: It's like a dance party in my belly every day!  I love it.  He really is pretty calm during the night when I'm sleeping, or at least he doesn't wake me up, but he loves moving all around during the day.  Now you can see waves moving across my body, and yesterday I felt either an arm or a leg. 
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: Just fine. 
Cravings: Mexican food.  Maybe this kid will come out wearing a mini sombrero, given the frequency at which I've eaten or craved Mexican food throughout this pregnancy.  I can't wait until he's born, so I can have queso and margaritas again!
Symptoms: Some swelling of my left ankle, but nothing too bad this week.
What I'm looking forward to: The weather getting warmer.  I love being able to wear dresses, since they're so much more comfortable, and I should be able to wear them, for the most part, going forward.

Extras: We had our maternity shoot today.  My uncle is an amazing photographer, so we headed out to my aunt and uncle's house for the pictures.  They live on 5 acres, and they have a gorgeous yard, so we got some great shots.  I'll be sure to share some once I see them.  Some will remain under wraps until Beansprout is born, because they reveal his name (I bought blocks to spell his first name, as well as a mini chalkboard, where we wrote the full name).  I love seeing the name in print; it seems so much more real!  We love him so much already.

Thirty Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks as of April 24, 2012.  I am happy to be in the 3-0s!  I can't believe how quickly time is passing.
Size of baby: Beansprout is about 15.7 inches long, and he weighs approximately 3 pounds, the weight of a head of cabbage (give or take half a pound, I'm guessing).  His eyesight is developing, but it will not be very sharp, even at birth.  He will have 20/400 vision at birth, which means he'll be able to see just a couple of inches from his face.
Movement: He's still kicking in there.  I had a doctor's appointment this week, and he's still head down.  I have noticed more kicks up high near my ribs, so I guess he's learning to use his legs!
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: Ok.  I am more tired than I have been, and I can feel myself slowing down.  It is hard to work a job with long hours and feel like I can't keep up.  I'm hoping once I set my maternity leave schedule the workload will slow down some.
What I miss: Having energy!  White wine, turkey sandwiches.
Cravings: Frozen yogurt, cheese dip.
Symptoms: Fatigue has hit again.  I'm also having some swelling of my left ankle and my fingers.  I was told that the baby's position can cause one-sided swelling, because he's pressing on nerves.  I've started to have some nausea after eating, which I think is caused by the compression of the stomach by the uterus. 
What I'm looking forward to: Getting everything in order for Beansprout's room.  I am ordering a bookshelf soon, and I need to research crib mattresses, but other than that, everything has either arrived or is on its way.

Extras: As I mentioned, we had a doctor's appointment this week.  We've now reached the point where we go every two weeks, until 36 weeks, when we go once a week.  Beansprout was measuring right at 30 weeks (so maybe he is past the earlier growth spurt?) and has a steady heart beat of 140-150 beats per minute.  The midwife was able to feel his head, which I thought was cool!