The Texas Weather

is really annoying me today. It was 86 today. 86! The average temperature this time of year is 68. We actually started trying to get pregnant when we did so I wouldn't have to be big and dealing with the heat. I realize that for here, 86 isn't hot, it's actually quite nice. However this makes me feel like I've been pregnant for over a year now as it was extremely hot for my entire first trimester and part of the second. I've been sitting around in my underwear and taking lots of baths to try and stay cool without turning the AC on, but I broke down today and turned the damn thing on, I just couldn't take it anymore. There is supposed to be a cold front coming through tonight to get temperatures back to normal and if it doesn't get here, I'll be pissed.

I think I need a cup cake.

the future...

I was at lunch with some friends yesterday and they asked about the lay-off and what was happening with the job search. One of them said something about if you want to make God laugh, make plans. I commented that he must be rolling on the floor about now, probably with tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. And by the way, it's become very clear to me during this pregnancy that God is male, because no female would put another female through this.

Anyways, I started think about the last time I really could have freaked out about something. It was at the beginning of the pregnancy when I had a lot of bleeding and we were told that we might lose the baby. By the time we left the doctors office I told Jonathan that we were keeping this one, and I was absolutely sure about it. There was no doubt in my mind at all. Sure I was a little nervous about the whole thing and being on bed rest and restricted activity wasn't easy, but I was willing to do everything I could to give this little guy the best chance. I just kept saying that we were keeping this one. And look, now I'm all fat and uncomfortable, thank God.

So what I've been saying about the job situation for the last week or so is that this is going to turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Jonathan's career. He's going to find something here in Austin and start mid May. He's going to like it even more than he likes his current job, it's going to be more lucrative and have lot of room for moving up and expanding.

Now in reality do I know this is going to happen? Of course not, God could have other plans. I have put in a request that if we have to move out of TX that it be someplace I can snow ski, but we'll see. My point is that it's much better for us to look at it from this point of view than to freak out about what could happen with no income.

35 weeks (-5) and some random things

Have you noticed the widget on the side with the baby floating in it? It now says 33 days! 33. I look at it every day and though that floating baby is inaccurate as mine is squished with very little room left, the days are numbered. Technically as of March 8th he will be full term and could come any time, that's less than 2 weeks away. And we are no where near ready. The bathroom is still a disaster zone and I haven't even begun to deal with his room. Not to mention the painting I haven't finished or the curtains I need to alter. I've been slowly working on things but I move so slow that it takes forever to finish anything.

I keep reminding myself that he's easier to take care of where he's at. And I take advantage of sleeping in if my body and baby let me because those days are numbered too. It's also really weird to think that a fully formed person will be coming out of me soon. And it's going to live here, in my house. The whole thing is weird.

Saturday evening we had a baby shower. I hesitate to use the word "shower" because it was more of a party with good food, alcohol, friends, and some presents. It was great fun and a wonderful evening. One of the thing we got was a book about dogs. It's basically a lot of dog sounds and Jonathan read it to the baby when we got home. Baxter went nuts with Jonathan making all of these noises. Baxter is our silent dog, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've heard him bark in his life and I think that number has now doubled from that book. Very funny.

This Week:

• The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
• Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
• Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
• Her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
• It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
• Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).
• The testes have completed their descent in males.

Pre-baby photo session

We know that I'll take a ton of pictures of this little guy after he's here, but it's difficult to take pictures of ourselves so yesterday afternoon one of the people from my nanny network, who is also into photography, took some pictures of us. Here is her site www.ambersnowphotography.com

We had a really good time and they turned out really well.

Baby Shower

We had a baby shower last Sunday and it was great. It was really good to see everyone and we got some things we need for the little one. Thanks to everyone who helped and who came, it was greatly appreciated.

From left to right: Michelle, Jennifer, Me, Aunt Laura, Kelly

I was caught dipping some fruit into chocolate sauce.

Presents

The blue punch with a rubber ducky. It was quite good.

My adorable nieces.

The very cute cake that was SO tasty. Italian cream!

Lots of food... yum!

Some of the guests

And more guests

The grandmas and great-grandma.


And everything loaded in the back of the Jeep. It was quite the haul.

Now there's just finding a place to put it all...

34 Weeks (-6)

It's hard to imagine that the baby would need very little assistance if he were born now. The twins I used to take care of were born at 32 weeks. It seems very weird to me. I'm uncomfortable, it's just the way it's going to be. I waddle, you do what ya gotta do. And I always have to pee.

Right now the next thing I'm looking forward to is him dropping. I know this will require even more trips to the bathroom, which is hard to imagine, but it's so hard to breath that I keep having dreams that I'm suffocating. My ribs ache from all the pressure.

We had a great time in San Antonio over the weekend and as of today I'm not allowed to travel more than an hour from home. Which actually works out, sitting in the car for much more than that is next to impossible plus we have to stop every 30 min for me to pee so it's more of a pain than anything.

I have another nurses visit this week but it's nothing exciting, but at 36 weeks we'll get a final sonogram to estimate his weight and check his position. I do know that he's head down, I feel the hiccups really low and I get jabbed in the ribs by little feet, which is good.

And I can't believe how much bigger my belly looks. I know that he's about 4 1/2 lbs now, it's just amazing how quickly I'm growing. The main thing he's doing now is packing on the fat. How in the world and I going to grow for 6 more weeks?


This week:

• Your baby acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
• She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized!
• Antibodies from your blood are being transferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breast milk will add even more protection against disease.
• Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
• Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. She may scratch her face even before she is born!
• Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).

Speechless

I'm not really sure what to say about what's going on. Yesterday Jonathan got laid off. His job is ending May 1st and he has 14 weeks of severance pay after that which will take us to mid August.

Jonathan is dealing with it really well. He's sad because he loves his job, but he knows it's not personal.

I'm all over the map. One moment I'm fine, the next I'm freaked out.

We don't expect the economy to turn around any time soon. At the same time, Austin is a good place to be right now. Jonathan is doing everything he can, talking to people and getting his resume together. And all we can really do past that is wait, pray, and hope for the best. This could be a great opportunity.

A sad state of affairs

yeah, his room is a total disaster zone. It's a combination of not having a bathroom (behind me is the mirror and base boards that belong in there) and not knowing where to put the stuff. And his room is starting to look like IKEA threw up in there.

Here is the newest shelf for him to climb on and fall off of. That's not why we got it but lets face it, he'll fall off it a few times.

33 weeks (-7)

Pregnancy symptoms are about the same. It's gotten more difficult to sleep. This is the thing that will get me in the end. I've only been sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night. Thank God I can nap a little, but more sleep at night would be better. Most people start sleeping in a recliner at this point but we don't have one and aren't buying one for 7 weeks.

This kid is also so high that he feels like he's attached to my right lung. The back and hip pain isn't too bad. It's there, but I'm managing.

I've been told that I'm not allowed to exercise. I tried last week and would have ended up at the hospital had I called them. I didn't want to go so I didn't call. I had lots of braxton hicks contractions for several hours after. They said that after I get to 36 weeks I can exercise a little so only 3 more weeks to go. Until then I'll simply enjoy swimming.

This Week:

• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
• While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
• You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
• Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

tiny bebe socks

Socks always fall off of newborns because they are too big so I knitted an itty bitty pair for the baby.

32 Weeks (-8)

I had a nurses visit on Thursday that went really well. There's not a lot to report, just that everything is on track. They said that if baby is head down by 32 weeks they usually stay that way, so yay. I was very very slightly anemic, by 2 points. As long as I take my iron supplements it should be fine. All of my other tests looked great.

My next appointment is at 34 weeks (almost 35) then at 36 weeks they start checking for progress and do the last sonogram to approximate baby's weight and check his position.

It would be nice if this baby would drop soon so that I could breath. Often times I find that I have to lay down and stretch out just to catch my breath. It's annoying. And my ribs hurt.

This week:

• Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
• You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
• All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
• Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure.
• Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. Will he have dad's black hair or your red hair?
• Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your son is dreaming about?