39 Weeks

We're less than a week away from Sister's due date! The only things she should be working on are gaining chub to get ready for life on the outside and perhaps making her way outside. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday which went fine except my blood pressure was a bit high, so the doctor had me come back this morning and everything was normal.

The doctor felt Sister in my belly and determined that she's still head down and then asked me if I wanted to feel Sister's head! She guided my hands around my belly and there it was - it was so weird! I'm very familiar with her feet, knees, and elbows - but her head? That was nuts!

Anywho, the doctor also mentioned that the practice has changed their policy on post-term inductions and won't let me go past 41 weeks - which would be May 5 (hope that doesn't mess anyone's baby pool entry up!). So that kind of puts an expiration date on Sister's stay and helps me work out my last week (or two) at work.

And here's my week 39 belly shot!!

Whew.

School's done! We made it through the semester! What a cooperative boy we have! Not a bad job by the parents-to-be, especially by Thom John as he aced his class while working towards getting promoted to a Senior Member of the Engineering Staff!!!

Now it's just time to wait for when this boy decides he'd like to arrive. I'm not in a particular hurry, though. I'd like to sleep in tomorrow and not set my alarm for the first time in months. And I'd like to get the house super-duper clean. And the hospital bag needs to be finalized. Besides, I like carrying this little bugger around with me everywhere and feeling his little (ha!) nudges and rolls. However, I'm sure my tune will change very quickly this weekend - the temperatures are expected to hit 85-90. :-)

Be sure to check out our on-line baby pool!! (Click on this link or the link on the right-hand side of the blog and click on the orange box that says "Enter a Guess" to participate). The winner will get an awesome prize - perhaps an autographed photo of the Sooy Baby?

Still here!

We're still here - we're just busy bees getting ready for baby and the end of the semester. The Sooy baby seems content to kick, roll, and hiccup his days away in my belly and that is fine with me! Only two more weeks of school left for me and Thom John!

Here are some updates and odds n' ends:

-Last Friday my sneaky co-workers surprised me with a shower!

-On Saturday, a bunch of friends came over for a shower at our house put on by the Sooy baby's Aunties Megan and Erin.

-We're so grateful that this kid is so lucky to have so many people around him already who love him so much and can't wait for his arrival!!

-Last week at our doctor's appointment, we were told that if the Sooy baby decides it's time to come, the doctors won't stop him! That was kind of a reality check and caused us to get our tushes in gear to go get a car seat, since the hospital won't let us leave without it. I guess we can't go home a la Britney Spears? We're also working on a getting a bag together for our stay at the hospital.

-I've graduated to visiting the doctor every week now. Thom John and I went again this morning and everything seems fine and baby's heartrate was strong and loud.

-We were given a sheet of paper with a heading that reads "When to Call the Doctor," outlining the symptoms of real labor. I'll probably call whenever I feel something's weird, though.

-Friday, Thom John and I are going to see a pediatriac urologist about the Sooy baby's pesky left kidney.

-Dinner is a joke these days - I'm just too tired to care. For example, last night I had chips and salsa, followed by a bowl of Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats. And then a peanut butter and banana sandwich sometime around midnight. No worries, mom - I'm getting my fruits and veggies in during the day.

-It seems that everyone at my office keeps talking about Passover, and that just makes me want macaroons.

Check!

What a big week this was for us! Not only is the Sooy Baby continuing to grow and gain weight (he should be the size of a pineapple now), but Thom John and I checked off some big items on our to-do list!

First, we picked a pediatrician. Well, actually we picked a group of pediatricians. It's a group practice that is close to our house and has flexible hours for well-visits. And of course, someone is available 24-hours a day to answer any questions a nervous new parent may have - not that we'll know anyone like that, right?

Second, we picked a daycare. We put down a deposit at a daycare that is literally two minutes from our house. I think we picked a good place - it's run more like a school than a daycare and even the infant room has a curriculum. The infant room's curricula includes eating, napping, hugging, and playing, of course. But the programs that follow as the Sooy Baby grows seem thorough, enriching, and most importantly, fun. It was hard deciding where our baby is going to spend his days while Thom John and I are at work, so I hope we're happy with this place. Speaking of work, I'm currently developing a strategy to approach my bosses and let them know my final plans as to when I'm leaving, coming back, and the schedule I'd like to work when I do get back.

Meanwhile our Sooy Baby is a busy bee. I haven't even needed to take kick counts the past 4 days because he is constantly rolling and moving and kicking and punching. Normally I feel his 10 movements within 20 minutes, but this week, it's been within 2! Thom John can feel the baby move pretty much anytime he wants to these days and we can see when the babe decides to move his feet, limbs, or tush from my left side to my right. The poor kid has been hiccuping a lot lately, as well, so I guess he really has been practicing for breathing.

And here is how we're looking these days. This was taken this morning at 33 weeks 1 day:

32 Weeks = 8 Months

My, my. Here we are at 8 months already. It seems like only yesterday I couldn't believe I was already 7 months pregnant. :-)

This week, Thom John and I got some time off from baby-related appointments/classes and were able to just focus on work, school, going to the gym, and the PepperDog. While we enjoyed our "break," here's what our boy was up to:

-Basically, the only job the Sooy Baby has now is to gain weight. His skin is becoming opaque as he fills out with baby fat. He should be weighing in at around 4 lbs, but since he was almost there last week, I bet he weighs more. He should also be about 17 inches long, making him the size of a large jicama.

-The Sooy Baby is sensitive to cold and heat now, which is why he goes beserk when I rest a bowl of cold, delicious cereal on my belly to enjoy at snack time.

And here we are at 32 weeks, 1 day:

Note to Baby:

When I get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, it does not mean I'm getting up for the day! 3 AM is not exactly the time to start practicing karate moves or dancing the Macarena or whatever the heck it is you're doing in there. I know it's got to be getting a bit boring in there for you, but how exactly does keeping me up provide entertainment for you? I love you kid, but lay off the ribs, mmmkay?

Fourth Meal

Apparently nighttime feedings start during pregnancy? Several times in the last few weeks, I've woken up sometime between 2 and 4 a.m. with a growling tummy and a kicking baby. I'm trying to prevent these snack-attacks by eating high protein/high fiber snacks before bed - whole wheat toast with peanut butter or cottage cheese and fruit - but sometimes it just doesn't work. I wake up with a growling tummy and a kicking baby and the only thing that helps is cereal... and late-night movies on TNT.

Get in my belly!

My belly is getting out of control – it has a mind of its own! Besides feeling like there’s a litter of puppies scrambling around in there most of the day and night, this belly is starting to have a major influence over my everyday life. I guess I need to get used to my new "dimensions."

Some examples:

-Last week, I hit a man sitting on the train in the head with my belly when I was trying to squeeze down the aisle to get off at my stop.

-It’s getting harder to maneuver myself between people in the streets and it’s also getting harder to get through crowds, which I learned at the Sixers game last Saturday. I often hit someone either with my belly or my purse.

-I’ve knocked over numerous glasses and bowls off of the kitchen counters – much to the PepperDog’s delight. He’s always underfoot to help clean up.

And the most recent:

-This morning I knocked a bunch of knick knacks off the desk of one of my bosses with my belly. Thank goodness he wasn’t in his office at the time. I think I put everything back where it belongs. Yikes.

Tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock

I'm trying to be a good girl and work hard while I'm at work, but who can think about work when there's so much going on in the next couple of weeks? I'm trying to wait patiently for tomorrow night (the big ultrasound!), various upcoming holiday happenings and VACATION!!

Here are some thoughts rolling around in my head:

-The fall semester is done! Yay! It was so nice last weekend to NOT have any homework, reading, or papers to do!


-Round ligament pain is a killer. It feels like there are Doozers hard at work in my belly building up a nice little infrastructure for the baby. I guess the baby, much like a fraggle, finds the Doozers' product tasty and keeps eating the structures, because there is a lot of building going on. Fortunately, I've been able to combat the RLP with yoga and pilates, in which I'm instructed to "hug the baby" with my abs.

-Thom John felt the baby move on Sunday night. Or was it last night? Saturday night? Anywho, he felt a swift punch (delivered with love, I'm sure) from the little bugger!

-Thom John and I are starting to get serious about setting up the nursery! First thing we need to do is clear out the junky guest room with the hideous blue carpeting and then think of ways to distract from said carpeting.

-I'm soooooooo glad that I'm done with nausea. It's so nice to eat fruits and vegetables again. I'm working hard at keeping my eating under control, but sometimes when I eat, I end up hungrier than I was before I started. Basically, I've been sticking to my training diet with a couple of extra quality snacks added in, but I gotta be honest - fun-size Twix bars and I are getting to be pretty good friends.

-I'm really fighting the urge to make another egg, turkey bacon and english muffin sammich for dinner tonight... that would make 4 sandwiches in 3 days which is a bit much, eh? (I had two on Sunday.)

-Running is making a comeback, no thanks to my bladder which only lets me go about 1.5 miles from the house at one time. But, I no longer feel too jiggly or worry that the baby is going to fall out, so that's a plus.

-The PepperDog has become a good little running buddy to me. I used to get a bit impatient with him - he takes potty breaks wherever, whenever and he's is very easily distracted, but now I'm glad for the walk breaks and meandering, especially because I get short of breath pretty easily.

-I'm making my way into my maternity clothes. I started wearing the pants last week (week 19), but so far most of my tops still fit. The maternity tops I do have still look a bit ridiculous 'cause they're so huge.

-Thom John and I saw "Frost/Nixon" on Saturday. Did you know the actor who plays President Nixon in the film was born in Bayonne, NJ? It's true, according to IMDB!

-Maternity pants are great, I love the elastic waists, but I'd really just like to wear my running clothes to work. I wonder if City Sports is hiring?

-Thom John and I have some appointments set up to tour daycares when we get back from vacation. I need to do some research on what types of questions to ask these places and to find out what I should look for.

-I bruise as easily as an overripe peach these days!

I think...

...I can feel the wee SooyBaby moving around? On and off over the last week or so, it kind of feels like popcorn being popped or bubbles bursting right below my belly button.

Mmmmmmmm. Warm, buttery, salty popcorn sounds like a super snack on this snowy(!!) Friday.