32 week ultrasound

I had what I think was my final ultrasound yesterday at my 32 week appointment. Unfortunately, the lil guy was sleeping the whole time, so we didn't get to see him moving around very much. Boo! We did see his mouth move a little bit. He was probably talking in his sleep, just like his daddy. ;)

At any rate, everything looked good. He is approximately 4lbs, 5oz right now and his heart rate was 113 (fairly low due to him being asleep). The u/s tech measured my amniotic fluid and said it was a good level. Since I've had such an easy pregnancy, I don't think I'll have any more ultrasounds after this. If i was rich, I'd buy one of those machines and check in on this baby every day. I can't even tell you how reassuring it is to see him moving around and knowing that he's safe and sound in there.

At my next appointment, they will do a Strep B test. From what I understand, this is just a test to see if you have a certain kind of bacteria in your birth canal. It's fairly common for people to have it, and if you do it's no big deal - they just give you some antibiotics during birth so you don't pass the bacteria on to your baby. Let's hope I don't have it tho!

Here is a pic of our little alien from yesterday's appointment. If you don't know what you're looking at, it's just a head shot. The dark spot in the middle is his mouth, to the right of that (the white-ish area) is his lil nose, and then of course his eyes. Not a great pic, but like I said, we didn't really get any good ones this time. I still think he's handsome :)

Baby Shower

Janine threw me an awesome baby shower this weekend. I had so much fun! Lenny and I are so grateful we have such wonderful family and friends in our lives. We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity! You guys are amazing. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Not sure why these two pics uploaded sideways. W'evs. Just tilt your head when you look at them. :)



The quilt Linda is making for baby boy



Love this monkey blankie!

Got belly?

The hostess with the mostest! Janine did an amazing job w/everything. THANK YOU for making my day so special J9!!! LOVE YOU!!!

32 weeks

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, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor. Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

31 weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying 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 probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Leonardo's Pizzaria

We tried our hand at homemade pizzas a couple weekends ago and I am just now getting around to posting the pics. We didn't have real high hopes for the pizzas, but they actually turned out decent! It was kinda fun making them, too. Well, it LOOKED like fun I should say. Poor Lenny ended up making this entire meal by himself, cuz I was sitting on the couch with my feet up all afternoon. I had some major cankle action goin on that day and he was a sweetheart and told me to go rest while he took care of dinner. Yay for husbands taking care of their prego wives!

30 week Dr's Appointment

I had my 30 week appointment yesterday and everything looked good. In fact, Dr Cartwright said that if it wasn't for the ultrasound I have scheduled on the 28th, I could skip my next appointment since everything is going so well. Don't want to skip an u/s tho, those are my fave appointments! It's so cool to see lil man squirming and moving all around on the screen! <3 So that will be in 2 weeks. Hopefully I'll get some good pics to post.

She also said, and I quote, "You ROCKED your glucose test a few weeks ago!" And then when she went to measure my belly and I lifted up my shirt, she told me that I was all baby. Whoo hoo! Here I am, stuffing my face with donuts and chocolate covered cherries and Valentine's chocolates, and she tells me I'm all baby. I think she's trying to get on my good side. It's working.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy V Day everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday. Lenny surprised me with a box of chocolate covered cherries (my 5th box since December, but nevermind that) a heart shaped box of chocolates, AND a new Willow Tree figurine that I have started collecting from Hallmark. Yay, go Len! That totes makes up for the year he didn't even give me a card. ;) XoXo

I wanted to post a couple pics of the little Valentines I made for my parents, Lenny, and Carson. Aren't these so cute? Thanks to my new fave website, PINTEREST, for the idea!

For Carson's, I wrapped up SweetTarts, for my parents I did those Necco wafer candy things, and for Lenny, I did Rolos! So fun!

BINGO!

There was a girl who had some friends and Bingo's what they did OH! B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, and that is what they did OH!

Friday night J to the 9er, Marci, Angela, Ellen, and I all went to the local VFW hall and tried our hand at Bingo for the first time. It was so much fun! I thought it would be really hard to keep up cuz I've heard they go really fast and you have multiple cards you are trying to keep track of, but it wasn't bad at all. We had a really good time. And wouldn't ya know it, Janine was one of the big winners! She won $400 on the "ten pin" game. Way to go J9!!!

This girl is on fiire this year. She also won close to $200 in a football pool at work about a month ago, and another $50 during the Superbowl. I told her she needs to buy a lottery ticket!

29 weeks

How your baby's growing:

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, vitamin 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.

How your life's changing:


Your baby's very active now. < TRUTH! This lil dude is moving around constantly. Although the kicks and punches get to be a bit much sometimes, it's kind of comforting knowing he's in there safe and sound. Will be a weird feeling to go back to "normal" after he's born. >Your healthcare provider may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let your provider know if you ever notice that your baby is becoming less active. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.
 Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion. Sluggish digestion can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation.


Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy. Fortunately, they usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth.  
If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your provider before using any over-the-counter remedies during pregnancy, and let your provider know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.< Nice! Luckily I have not experienced this. >

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy. This happens when lying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might notice that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins," lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Third Tri's a charm!

I'm in the third trimester now! What the heck? How did that go by so fast?

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


You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester. < Greeeeeeat, just what I need >

 At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.

Seven oh-seven two

We celebrated my mom and dad's bdays over the weekend by doing a family dinner at Texas Roadhouse followed by cake and ice cream at our house afterwards. (Mom turned 70 on Jan 13th, and Dad turned 72 on Jan 21st). Karen and Jerry joined us too! I know I've said this before, but they really are the best neighbors anyone could ask for. Love those guys!

Singing Happy Birthday and blowin out the candles

Bellz reading a story to everyone. She is getting really good at reading. So cool how fast they learn! :)

Hi, my name is Big Jer, and I heart Biscuit stories.

 Ha, Cars looks like he's in jail!