Eversmashing

Another week, another appointment for Baby and me!

Baby and I both did very well at our appointmnet today.  It seems that the cold I was fighting has nearly gone away (yay!), and my glucose hasn't given me any more issues.  Huzzah!  My uterus is measuring right on, and Baby even cooperated while the midwife listened to his or her heartbeat.  Baby's heartbeat has been in the 120-130 range for the past few weeks, which according to the Old Wives' Tale means that Baby is a boy... I wouldn't count on it yet, though... I could definitely see us having a mischeivious little girl who just wanted to throw us a red herring!  Baby also has wiggled around in the womb so that s/he is now positioned head-down, facing my back, with his/her back on the left side of my belly -- the optimal positioning for birthing!  S/He also has dropped since last week, though his/her head is not completely engaged yet, so s/he still is able to wiggle around quite a bit.

Baby has been VERY active this past week, and has been enjoying playing video games with us (s/he almost always wakes up as soon as s/he hears the theme music of our most recent game!), and has gone back to doing the wave on my belly while I'm sitting still for a long time.  Baby has gotten hiccups a couple of times this week, and thinks it's fun to kick and nudge Jon at bedtime.

As for me... I'm still feeling great!  We had some wonderful visitors this weekend (thanks, Kurt & Christi!), and enjoyed having something to take my mind off of the waiting!  Not too much longer now!

Christi 27wks / Wendy 37wks

Baby and I had our "37wk" appointment yesterday.  Baby was very well-behaved and let my midwife find his/her heartbeat and didn't kick around the doppler like s/he has been doing the past few weeks.  Maybe we just caught Baby at a quiet time this week!

37 weeks is officially "full term," so Baby is almost ready to be born!  Baby's found a snuggly place in the womb, which is good news for me since I no longer have feet being jabbed in my ribs as often.  Baby is now just working on gaining weight and getting ready to be born.  Baby's had a pretty quiet week, probably due to me being busier and running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  When I finally do have a chance to lay down or relax a bit, Baby tends to kick it up a notch, particularly if s/he hears that Jon is home, too.  This weekend we had fun watching the Nationwide NASCAR race together, and Baby picked the winner for the week (I asked him/her pick which driver to cheer for by reading off the names of the drivers and seeing when s/he would kick )

I've been feeling quite great, though emotionally I'm feeling more and more ready for Baby to be born.  I've had some minor discomfort when I've sat for too long in one position, and have had some random nausea throughout the past few days, but nothing major to report.  I've been sleeping a lot better over the past week or so (probably just due to being so tired!)

Otherwise, I've just been trying to keep myself busy in case this turns out to be a long wait... though I may go a bit crazy if Baby decides to wait another 4 or 5 weeks!

Baby and I had a great adventure today -- a baby shower!

We were very excited that both grandmas and Aunt Carla were able to come with us to the shower.  In addition to our little group were about 60-some members of our church!  Tha ladies that organized it did a fabulous job -- the decorations, food, and games were all just perfect!

A diaper & wash cloth cake we received --

The gift table (what OVERWHELMING generosity!) --

Baby and I had the first of our once-a-week appointments today!  Now marks the point where Baby's lungs are developed enough that s/he could be born and be perfectly fine and healthy without any stay in a newborn intensive care unit!  Yay!  With that mile marker out of the way, I feel like the "counting down the days" has finished, and the "sitting around and waiting" has begun!

Baby has had a busy week of growing and putting on weight.  By the end of this week, Baby will be almost six pounds, and around 18.5 inches long.  S/He has also been spending a lot of time exercising and trying out his/her limbs... on his/her own terms, of course.  There are times when I can tickle him/her awake, and bring on those cute little wiggles and movements, and other times when Baby seems to just kind of say, "Go away, Mom... I'm still sleeping!"  On the other hand, when s/he is awake, Baby has been spending time playing his/her new favorite game... doing "the wave" across the top of my belly with his/her feet!  It's weird seeing my whole belly move while I'm sitting perfectly still!  Kicks, nudges, and wiggles are still lots of fun, too, and seem particularly common when I've been sitting for a long time in one position (like in church, or Bible study).

As for me, I've been feeling really well, and am very grateful for that!  I feel quite off-balance (particularly when getting up from couches, out of my car, or out of bed),  I think that Baby must have dropped down at least some, since I haven't had a foot in my rib nearly as often this week and have not been getting heartburn as often, either.

So... we'll keep you updated on our waiting... don't hold your breaths, though -- it could very well be another 5 or 6 weeks before Baby's arrival!

Baby & I at 35.5 weeks

Baby had another appointment today with our midwife, the last of the every-other-week ones, so from this point on we'll be meeting with her every week until Baby arrives.  It seems crazy that Baby will be born in the next 2.5 - 7.5 weeks.  The time is going by so quickly!

This week Baby's been working on growing and exercising.  By the end of the week, s/he will be over 18 inches long and weigh over 5 lbs.  The kidney and liver were also developing this week so that when Baby gets here, s/he can work on filling up diapers right away.

Baby has been enjoying music a lot lately, and seems to have similar tastes in music as Jon does.  Baby also seems to be responsive to other voices besides mine and Jon's, and likes to wiggle around during youth center and other places where there are a lot of people talking and things going on.

As for me, I think I'm finally feeling some of those third-trimester symptoms that people warn about... the other day I had a very tender and sore rib (thanks to someone putting pressure against it all day with their foot); I also have had a night or two with less-than-ideal sleep, waking up every few hours for no particular reason at all.  Other than those minor issues I've been feeling fine, though still making time each afternoon for a nap.

Well, it's hard to believe that Baby will be here sometime within the next 4-9 weeks, but we're finally to that point now!

According to my weekly email updates, Baby is now up to 4.5 lbs... and I can definitely tell!  Baby definitely feels heavier was I'm carrying him/her around in my belly, and s/he has definitely been throwing off my balance when it comes to things like bending down, getting out of bed, and getting up off the couch.  I often can feel kicks and nudges both under my ribs and against my hipbone at the same time, so it's no surprise to me that Baby's now almost 17.5 inches long. 

Baby has been most active in these past weeks the hours after I've been active.  The day that we volunteered at our church's 5K run/walk, it felt like Baby was doing his/her own run/walk afterwards!  And on the drive back from our youth group's highway cleanup (which involved Jon & I also walking over a mile, stopping to bend down and pick up garbage along the way), Baby was kicking and wiggling up a storm... perhaps protesting that s/he missed out on all the action?  Baby also likes to kick and wiggle as soon as Jon gets up in the morning (which is usually quite a bit earlier than I feel like getting up!), and as soon as my stomach starts to growl with hunger.  I'm not sure if the noise startles Baby, or if s/he is just giving his/her two cents about my eating schedule.  Baby also likes the band Motion City Soundtrack, and seems to protest when I try to lay on whatever side s/he is facing.

As for me, I've been feeling quite excellent... definitely better thanI had expected.  I had a bout with back pain one afternoon this week,and a dull, throbbing headache that I might attribute to a sugar dump(yes, I'm still watching my sugar intake, so those chocolate chipcookies definitely hit hard!), and have been much more tired than usual(thanks to my newfound inability to sleep through the night), butoverall have been feeling really great.

In other exciting news, Baby's lungs are developing this week, s/he may be growing hair this week, and Baby is now gaining about a half pound a week!  Grow, Baby, grow!

We picked up a crib last night (from craigslist -- yay!), so after putting that up and making some small changes this morning, Baby's nursery is officially "done enough" -- as in, I've done everything I've "planned" to with it, and am probably not going to change it up much at all unless something changes.

So, without further ado... here it is!

The view from the hallway... I was really excited to find this crib/changer combo... it includes three drawers in front, three shelves behind, and a rolling drawer underneath.  It can also be converted into a toddler bed when Baby gets bigger.  I also hung up a pinwheel mobile that I made over the crib.

Taking a look at this end of the room, where you'll notice some of our penguins

Ta-da!  It's the reading / feeding / rocking corner! Some of Baby's books are tucked away in the night stand to the right, and my books (for late-night feedings) are on the left.  On the wall to the left are family pictures so that Baby can become familiar with people's faces even if we might only be able to see them in person a few times a year.

A close-up of the wall art I made for Baby.

And finally, a look at the other side of fhe room.  Right now all Baby's clothes are in the closet, along with his/her bouncy seat and diaper bag (hanging on the door).  The wire shelf near the door will be used for toys and stuffed animals -- easily accessible for tummy time on the floor.

This past Sunday at our kick-off picnic at church, we were presented with the annual gift from the congregation, given to a designated member for their hard work at the church... or something.  We were very appreciative of this honor, but had to step back and ask ourselves...

What exactly does one do with a pig's head?

Well, apparently, if you're the new youth and outreach pastor.... you mount it on a stick in front of the Youth Center.

Unfortunately, it didn't last very long -- not even long enough for all the kids to see it.  Because it had been cooked with the rest of the pig, it immediately started crumbling and falling apart.  Ew.

Last Saturday, Jon & I woke up bright and early to help volunteer at our church's eighth annual 5K Race for the Prize for charity.  I had signed up early for the best job ever -- event photographer -- and when we got there, Jon got talked into being the MC.  He did a swell job coming up with a zilion different ways to say "someone's coming toward the finish line" and "good job; nice run!"  There were about 100 runners, as well as a small group of little kids participating in the kids' race afterwards.  There were also snacks, including frozen yogurt (yum!)  We both had a good time, but ended up feeling quite exhausted when we were done!  And we didn't even run!

They say that during the third trimester, women tend to go into a "nesting" phase in which they end up spending a lot of time organizing, cleaning, and making overall preparations for their baby's arrival.  I think I may be entering that phase... either that or I'm just really zealous about finishing up our decorating so that our house looks like a "home" when we have visitors next month (YAY!)

So, this past week I've been working on some projects.  The first of which was trying to figure out what to do with my hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of books from my classroom library last year.  Here's what I came up with so far:

The little "reading corner" took care of the picture books, nonfiction books, and about four different series (Magic Tree House, Boxcar Children, Horrible Harry, etc.), but still left a huge pile of other series/chapter books in a pile in the middle of the room.  I'm thinking of getting some plain shelving to go on the wall above these shelves, since Baby probably won't be reading many chapter books for a few years... at least three or four

My next projects were for Baby's room itself.  I had found in a magazine a really neat lamp called an atrium glass lamp, which you could fill with different objects to fit the decor of the room.  Unfortunately these were $140 apiece... yikes!

So, instead, I set out to make my own.  First, I found a lamp for $1 at a thrift store that had a long, skinny stem which could easily be hidden.  Then, I found a $5 fishbowl and about $4 worth of shiny ribbon to use inside the bowl.  Add a $5 lamp shade and voila -- a $140 lamp for only $15!

You may notice the little nightstand this lamp is sitting on is new.  Indeed, it is, and it came in a set of two.  Beneath the top shelf is a larger shelf on which were stored some bright red, beat-up looking cube drawers.  The nightstands themselves came to a total of $8, and I found that to replace the cloth cube drawers would cost $20.... hmmmm... So, instead, I grabbed some material I had downstairs in my "sewing room" and re-covered them, using up the rest of the ribbon from my lamp project to decorate them.

All of this came together to make the cutest little feeding-and-reading corner for Baby's room.  Yay!