Enceinte de 7 mois (7 Months Pregnant)!

I'm 7 months today, and Friday 2/27 marks 31 wks, but I had my appt. tonight, so I thought I'd combine posts. This week, Gabe measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (like four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's moving a lot, too. His testicles are moving from their location near the kidneys through the groin on their way into the scrotum. His lungs are more developed, but they're not fully mature. If he were born this week, he would probably need a ventilator to assist breathing. Complications such as bleeding in the brain are less likely than they were even a few weeks ago. His skin, which has been wrinkled, now becomes pink and smooth as fat cells fill out his body. His fingernails have grown and he may even need a manicure after he's born. He also now knows my voice.

I gained 1 lb since my last visit, which is good. I always am good about making sure I get the things I need in my diet, but not always good about portions and not adding in stuff I don't need. At this pt, I'm only motivated to try to get some really good stuff and not go crazy. I measured 31.5 cm, which is almost 1 cm ahead. My doc said that's "no big deal." Gabe's heartbeat was 149 bmp after he did some loud movement. We got our preregistration form for the hospital, which again confirms the nearness of it all. We briefly discussed preterm labor, actual labor, how I want to deal with my pain, and her feelings on labor, epidurals and c-sections. Here are some cool things I learned - 1. If my water breaks again at home, as long as Gabe isn't too high up, I can stay at home for awhile and labor there. Otherwise, there's risk of the cord being constricted as he ventures downward. 2. When labor starts, she encourages patients to eat something, b/c it'll potentially be a long battle, and she's cranky when she's hungry:) 3. She is pro-epidural unless I'm 9 cm dialated and asking for it, or it's like a 2 hr labor - she, like me, doesn't see the pt in trying to prove you can deal with the pain. We'll see her again 3/11.

I've been feeling tired this week. I don't know if it's the weather or pregnancy. The middle of my spine has also been hurting, which I remember happening with Stella. Things seem more and more real by the week. I have this fear that Gabe'll take us by surprise and come early, and things won't be ready, like having the car seat installed (now we'll have 2). I know I likely have 6 more weeks at least before I need to have EVERYTHING ready (pack 'n play, car seat, hospital bag packed, etc...) I've been asking my immediate family for guesses about Gabe's arrival and weight, so I included polls for you to do that will be up until he comes. Do it; I'm curious, but people were REALLY wrong last time on both counts. Most seemed to think we'd have a 8-8.5 lb baby born at 39-40 wks. We had a 6 lb. 14 oz. and 18 in. long baby born at 38 wks, which surprised me!

I know I'm a broken record, but PLEASE throw up some prayers for us for encouragement, peace, faith, optimism, hope, and joy!

Stella is 2 yrs old Saturday, February 28! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABYKINS!

Enceinte de 30 semaines (30 Weeks Pregnant)

Gabe measures about 17 inches from head to toe and weighs about 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage), which I eat a LOT of steamed:). He'll gain about 1/2 pound a week until week 37. He's growing plumper and beginning to control his own body temperature. 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 my uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, but 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. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. His head and body are now proportioned like a newborn's. His hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing. He may practice breathing by moving his diaphragm in a repeating rhythm. If he gets the hiccups, I may feel slight twitches or spasms in my uterus, which is about four inches above my navel. I may feel more discomfort in my pelvis and abdomen now and can expect to gain about a pound a week from now until delivery.

I'm hoping to not quite gain that much, as I'm hoping to stay within the recommended range. Gabe's still moving a ton, and you can see most of it through my stomach, which is pretty cool. Sleeping isn't as comfortable as it was, even with our amazing luxury bed. I am flipping a lot, Hurley's always all over my business, making me sweat, and my non-empty bladder is sometimes painful. My mom and I sorted through all of Stella's smaller clothes and pulled out the gender neutral stuff, along with nursing gear. Luckily I still have a million nursing pads left and some lanolin. I have all of Gabe's newborn through 6 months clothes washed, but we have nowhere to put them yet. We have to go shopping at a furniture store for Stella's new bed and dresser and then transfer stuff. We'll be doing an OB tour in the next few weeks. Now that I only have a couple months left, I'm really getting excited to meet Gabe. This time will be so different - better and worse. Better because I have completely different feelings toward Gabe since I've experienced 2 yrs of motherhood, which changes you completely. Joel and I are much more of a team being parents. I just don't think I'll have the drama and be as overwhelmed this time. Worse because there will be 2 of them, and Stella is not a laid-back girl. Sleeping and resting will be rare, but it will be neat to expand the family and see Stella and Gabe interact. Stella is so loving and nuturing; I think she'll do great overall.

Joel and I started our Marriage Course at our church Monday. It is 8 weeks altogether. We have a candlelit dinner every week, then watch a video lesson with activities interspersed. It's just fun to have our time. We love examining and improving our relationship. It brings us back to a book and wkbk we did for 3 years while dating called Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts. The past few weeks have really brought us closer together, and I believe this small group will as well. Fun:)

Stella's 2nd bday is next weekend, 2/28. Dean and Elena are coming up for it. Saturday, we're going to the Children's Museum in Appleton, then out to eat. Sunday, my fam will join us for lunch, cake, and presents at our house. She has no idea what a bday is, but she knows what cake and presents are! It's amazing what Stella picks up and says. She's saying a lot of 5-6 word sentences, and as a linguist, having studied first and second language acquisition a lot, I'm amazed when she using past participles correctly and tries to apply English language rules to new words. For example, we were reading a new book at the library, and she pointed several times to the people and said, "Look, Mama, those are peoples."

Things are progressing with the move back to BN, but I'll withhold details for now since nothing substantial is known yet. Please keep praying for us in all areas! We REALLY appreciate it.

Nouvelles choquantes (Shocking News)!

As of Friday, I was 29 wks. Gabe 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, I need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. Gabe's bones are fully developed, but they're still soft and pliable. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I'm sure to get my 4 dairy servings a day. We buy milk like it's going out of style. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in his hardening skeleton each day. His movements will become more frequent and vigorous. Some of his jabs and punches may even take my breath away, which happened the other day.

I had a dream last night (Thurs) that I had Gabe now, which was good because he was 8 lbs, 1 oz. and 19 in. long. I didn't remember delivering him because I was passed out. He basically looked just like Stella, which Joel thinks will be the case. And, since he was bigger, he really wanted to eat, so we didn't have any nursing issues like with Stella.

Joel and I went out to eat Fri. night and then with Stella's sitter, Jessica, and her husband to their church to watch Fireproof. I LOVED the movie after seeing it with my mom and sis, but Joel hadn't seen it yet. Stella spent the night chez Nama and Nampa. Stella and I have been doing well together this week at home. I think we're both adjusting to it. She is much more content and growing more and more attached to me, which always seems to happen when I am home with her. We try to go 1 place every day: the Y, library, store, etc...It has been nice.

Shocking news temporarily removed.

We love you all!

Rendez-vous (Appointment)

I had my 28 wks, 3 days appt this afternoon. We never seem to hit the exact day somehow. I did much better this past month with weight gain, which I was happy about. I'm one of those gain early kind of people. Some people gain little up front and tons at the end. I'm the opposite. Gabe's heartrate was 140bmp, he's head down, and I'm measuring at exactly 28 cm. My glucose test results were "awesome," and my hemoglobin count was "exceptional, especially for a pregnant person." Yah, I'm clearly not an anemic kind of person. Now I go every 2 weeks. Guess what my doc told me today that could have changed the past couple months? That when I exercise, it's totally fine for me to get my heartrate up to 160! Hello - I've been sticking at 145 per her nurse. So, I can now "step it up a notch," which is super good for me.

We had a nice weekend with Joel's parents, Indy, and Maddy. Stella was in love with Maddy, particularly because she is 6 lbs and Stella can just pick her up and carry her. Elena and I went to Manitowoc's fabric shop, which is awesome, and bought 4 accent batik fabrics to go with the map fabric. We planned out the quilt, bumper pads, bed skirt, and sheets, and have an idea about the window treatment. I know it's going to look awesome. Elena is amazing for her willingness to spend so much time, energy, and money to make Gabe's and Stella's rooms beautiful.

My mom, Stella, and I went shopping today in Appleton, which was really nice. Joel had his business plan presentation/interview this morning. He said it was "okay," because nobody gave him any social cues or feedback, which is just awkward. He should get a yes or no call by tomorrow. My mom asked if I was on pins and needles, and I said no. I totally believe in Joel, his competence, and his plan 100%. I literally think that God's up to something if they say no. I am very confident it will be a yes and Joel will move on to the next stage. We'll see. Most recently, Joel has been talking about going to Champaign, IL. He hasn't done extensive research, but there aren't a lot of agents there, and many are close to retirement. Being so close to BN, State Farm has its reputation there, it's an academic community, we know some people there, we like it there, we'd still be close to family, etc...I think Joel's going to call the AFE there to try to get some info. I'm letting Joel take the lead on this one.

Le troisième semestre (THIRD Trimester)!

28 weeks officially begins the third trimester, and yes, I can believe we're here. Gabe is ~15 inches long (like a Chinese cabbage) and weighs about 2 to 3 pounds. He is able to dream when sleeping and blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb. The eye color has been established, but may change within the first six months after birth. We know they'll be blue, but what shade? He's now sleeping for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Fetal movement will be most obvious when I'm sitting or lying down. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. His lungs are almost fully developed, so there's a good chance that he would survive if born prematurely (of course not anticipating this).

My uterus extends well above my navel. As baby gets bigger and stronger this month, I may experience leg cramps and mild swelling of ankles and feet, difficulty sleeping, shortness of breath, lower abdominal aches, clumsiness or scattered Braxton Hicks contractions (hardening and relaxing of the uterus). I am the cramp queen. So far this pregnancy, I've had calf, tibialis anterior, knee, ankle, foot, hip, and hand cramps. Last pregnancy, I even had elbow cramps. I eat foods with high potassium, too: meat, milk, yogurt, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, etc...I just take a potassium pill if it's particularly bad one evening. This past week, I've felt like I couldn't breathe deeply if I was leaning back or not sitting up straight. The weight of the uterus/baby must be putting pressure on the vena cava or something? I didn't have any Braxton Hicks contractions until 36 wks last time. I have my glucose test and thyroid testing this morning and my next appt Monday, 2/9. Joel also presents his business plan Monday morning. Pray for him!

This week went pretty well. I went out to coffee with a new friend, which was fun and needed. I subbed for Special Ed. Thursday at Washington, where I did the maternity leave. I was not looking forward to it. I just don't want to sub anymore, but I guess I'll just keep looking and take the jobs I find. There are never any! Stella and I are getting used to being at home. She is receiving her share of time-outs for not obeying. Dean, Elena, Indy, and their new Boston, Maddy(sp?) are coming Fri. for the weekend. That will be fun, especially to have a new puppy to play with. Hurley and Stella will really enjoy that! I'm planning to go to a women's Bible study next Tuesday at church, and they provide childcare, so that should be nice.

One of the downsides of renting is that we're not willing to invest in painting our house. We haven't really done much decorating as it is either. SO, we won't be painting Gabe's room. It would be weird to just have 1 room painted a color anyway. Elena is, however, using Stella's same fabrics to make a twin-sized quilt/sheets. We are moving Stella to our other upstairs bedroom that has built-in desks/shelves and more light. We have to buy her a bed and dresser. That way, we can leave the crib, dresser, and bookshelf in her room for Gabe to use. Here's a pic of the fabric that will be the theme of Gabe's room:My plan when I first got pregnant with Stella was to have an old-world travel theme if she was a boy. Elena remembered that and looked around and found this. Joel and I both really liked it as well as the accent colors we'll pull from it, so she ordered enough to use for the bumper pads, bed skirt, sheets, and window treatment. We need to go pick ~ 4 accent fabrics - probably batik-style - but that will likely have to wait til I go to BN. Manitowoc has 1 fabric store, and I have never been there. I also want Elena's opinion about the fabric quality. I feel like now that we're in the 3rd trimester, we really need to get some things going, which will be easier with my being home: big girl bed for Stella, switching bedrooms, potty training, getting out and setting up baby stuff, buying newborn supplies, etc...I'd also like a tour of the obstetrics unit at our hospital. It is WAY less stressful this time around. We already have so much of what we need minus clothes and diapers/wipes. No registering, no prenatal classes (which I loved), and we know what to expect. I'm aware that 2 kids will bring even more chaos and less relaxation and sleep. That will be the new experience as well as having a boy. Still weird for me to think about. I wonder what he'll look like? I'd like for him to look like Stella b/c she was and is so beautiful. I don't want him to look like me this time and have that go all wrong:) I just don't want to have an ugly kid. Then people have to lie about his being cute, and that just makes life harder. I guess we'll see...