30 Weeks

Oh, my goodness! I cannot believe that I am 7 and a half months pregnant! It's unbelieveable! Time is moving too quickly!

I had another two week appointment on the 31st. I only gained a half pound since my visit two weeks ago. Blood pressure, belly measure, and heartbeat are all great. My doctor said that my total weight gain is 19 pounds and she's extremely impressed with how well I'm moving along! Yea! I should gain about a pound a week from this point on. I'm continuing to watch what I eat as well as exercise. I'm aiming for at least 30 minutes of some sort of continual movement (I used to call it walking--now it's more like waddling!) at least every day. Even if it's walking up and down the stairs, it's movement.

Lauren has been so good this past week. I caught a bug on Saturday that kept me sluggish and very lethargic until Wednesday night. Then, I felt much better! Apparently it's been going around here. Lauren wasn't getting a lot of nutrition or room to move and she was okay with it. She's been making up for her lack of movement Thursday and today. She actually woke me up Wednesday night around 1:30 am because Jinx curled up to us and purred loudly. She hates Jinxy's purr (I think it has too much bass) so she kicked him. After a trip to the potty, she settled right back down to sleep. (Jinx was no where around.)

As for development and pregnancy changes this week, Lauren is still around the three pound mark. She has grown to about 17 inches long! (I was 19 inches when I was born!) She's been moving around more frequently (especially after I've eaten or used the restroom) and she still thrashes if I lay on my left side. She seems to respond to me rubbing my belly, which I do a lot, so I believe I'm soothing her. (It's actually a soothing thing for me to rub my belly or to put my hand on top of it!) One lady at work has been continually rubbing my belly, hoping Lauren will perform for her. Thursday was her last day and Lauren FINALLY kicked her hand! The lady was so excited! She's only the 5th person to have felt Lauren move!



In case you haven't believed my rantings that this child will not go naked, this is a picture of HALF of her stocked closet! Remember that Paul bought two large dressers and that we only have ONE drawer (out of 12) that is still empty, too!!

29 Weeks

Lauren continues to grow and develop her lungs and brain connections. She has been moving around a lot more. So much so, in fact, that on Tuesday night, she decided to start pummeling my insides at 3:18 am and didn't stop until 4:08 am. I ended up sleeping in the recliner with Jinx because it was the only way Lauren would slow down and sleep again. (Needless to say, Wednesday was very frustrating and tiring.) I had a good, sound talk with her on Wednesday and made her feel guilty enough that she let me sleep the night through Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Lauren is pushing 3 pounds (give or take a few ounces) and over 16 inches long. Her kidneys are producing urine now and this function will continue.

I had a pedicure on Thursday because I cannot manage to trim my own toe nails and it makes Paul nervous to trim my toes. Along with this little frivolous (and relaxing and enjoyable!) trip, Paul has been in the mood to give gifts. He purchased a diamond necklace and loose topaz stones to make into a necklace for me. And, this is the best gift of all, he sold the Mustang so it will shortly be leaving, maybe today! Yea!! I only hope he is as generous when Lauren leaves a gift behind for us to attend to...

Baby Shower!

My colleagues at work hosted a baby shower for me on Tuesday, May 22. Talk about completely spoiled! Everyone was so incredibly generous and thoughtful in the gifts that they gave to Lauren, Paul, and me. We received so many adorable clothes. I only pray that my child will not be the one who hates clothing and would rather run around naked! (That will be my luck with all of the cute things that I received.) We also received pacifiers, bath wash, lotion, socks, diapers, crib sheets, a changing pad cover, a Diaper Genie II (with refills), hats, bibs, a sheep night light, an enormous box of baby wipes, a homemade changing pad, a wonderfully soft yellow afghan, receiving blankets, a nail care set, hangers, medication dispensers, two books, a butterfly toy, Baby Einstein blocks, onsies, a rubber ducky for the bath, a baby bath tub, a pair of shoes (that we'll use for Lauren's baptism), and quite a few other things. We have a ton of pajamas, onsies, sleeping gowns, and socks. This child (and her mother) are so well loved by the people I work with. They are an awesome group of teachers, teacher assistants, and support staff that really make the school as wonderful as it is. It's such a fabulous place to work.

I had a slight brush with my neurotic side as I was writing thank you notes for all of the wonderful gifts we received. I signed the notes, "Love, Lisa, Paul, and Lauren." As I continued this, I realized that both Paul and I have 4 letters each in our first and last names. I felt horrible that Lauren had 6 letters in her first name. I guess I didn't realize this until I continued to write her name. I know that she won't have a difficult time learning to spell or write her name with two more letters, but it broke the four-letter circle of names. As I said, it was a neurotic moment that passed. (I thought you'd all get a laugh out of it!)



Suzy and me, showing off our bellies! (And remember, Suzy is 6 weeks behind me!) Suzy also got a silver pacifier clip for Lauren and had her name engraved upon it. Talk about special!



Here is one of the 7 hooded towels we received. We also received 29 wash cloths!



Adorable kitty cat paw print pajamas with a matching bib!



A little garden dress with a matching hat, bib, and socks!



Here are all of the gifts I received at the shower, loaded on my couch. It took me 15 minutes to unload my Durango!

28 Weeks

Today, May 18, is mine and Paul's 5 year anniversary! It's so hard to believe that we've been married this long! And what wonderful things to celebrate this year, too.

I've now entered my third trimester! As Lauren's birth looms ever closer, I'm actually started to get a little weepy thinking about not having her so close to me once she's here in the flesh. I know that the heat of summer will make me curse myself for being pregnant, but I have truly enjoyed this pregnancy and am panicking a little when I think of the end.

Lauren continues to develop her lung functioning. Her main goal now is to gain weight and fatten up. She's between 14 and 16 inches long. I've gained 18 and a half pounds total (and I should be between 17 and 24 pounds). Lauren's brain tissue is increasing and she has already started thinking!

According to my ultrasound pictures, my placenta is in the correct place (above the baby), Lauren's head is pointing downward (which is good). Her feet are on my right side (where I feel her kick the most) and her head is toward my left. She continues to move around. She's usually pretty quiet unless my bladder is full, I'm hungry, or I'm scrunching her. If I'm not in bed by 10:30 pm, she starts to move around and kick until I am settled in bed. She only kicks during the night when I need to empty my bladder. It's funny that the things that bother me seem to bother her. (I'm sure it all has to do with filling up her space.)

27 Weeks Appointment

I had my monthly doctor's appointment today. I gained 5.5 pounds, so I got my first red pen in my folder. (That means I gained more weight than I was supposed to.) However, I only gained a half pound more than I was supposed to, so it isn't a big deal. I also had my iron checked. I'm supposed to start eating more meat and taking an iron supplement because my levels were 10.6 and they like to see levels at 12. I had to drink the glucose drink and they took two tubes of blood in order to see if I have gestational diabetes. I don't think that is a concern. I also had my first pelvic exam and I have not started to dilate or become effaced (both of which are good right now).

We had another ultrasound scheduled for today. Lauren's heart has four chambers and is beating strongly. She moved around today in our views of her, drank amniotic fluid, and sucked her hand and thumb. I was so moved that I started to cry. I just cannot move past the fact that this little life growing inside of me will be a combination of both Paul and me. She looks like such a human, but she's still bony and needs to gain more fat. According to her measurements, she weighs 2 pounds and 13 ounces.

Here are some of the ultrasound pictures.



Lauren's now famous pose: Her right hand pressed up on her forehead, telling us she's had enough with posing for pictures!



If you look closely, she's still in her pose, but this time her right eye is open and you can see her pupil.



The white fuzzy lines that the arrows point to are Lauren's hair! The ultrasound technician said that she will probably have a lot because ultrasound usually doesn't pick up on hair until around week 35! When I showed this picture to people at school, they said, "Well, you've had a lot of heartburn!" I told them, "I've had none!!"



Paul was suddenly worried that Lauren may have grown "boy parts," so the technician checked...nope, Lauren is still a girl!!



This image really settled into my heart. Lauren moved her head in order to suck on her thumb!

27 Weeks

Lauren has now grown to over two pounds and is about 15 1/4 inches long from head to toe. She's been moving around a lot more, especially if my schedule seems off (like if I'm up past 10:30 pm, I've eaten too much, or I've had too much/little exercise for the day). We were at Suzy's house until late Friday night and I ate a little too much (we did fondu), so Lauren was moving all around when I settled down to sleep around 11:45. She woke me up at 3:30 this morning because she was crowded and not happy about it. (However, I think her tumbling class has now started because she is really flip flopping around!)

Her eyelids have now opened and she can sense shadows and lights although she cannot focus on objects. (And really, what is there for her to see?) Her brain and lungs are continuing to develop.

We've decided upon a crib that looks like it will match the dressers and nightstands we bought last week. I will attach a picture of it later, after we make the purchase so that I have time to compare the color of the crib and dressers since each will have been purchased from different furniture companies. Paul is excited to get the nursery finished. Our plans for Saturday include cutting and installing the window trim around the new windows so that it can be painted and completely done in the respect of home improvements. We still need to rearrange the office to move the guest bed, but we'll have time until the crib arrives.

By the way, the outfit that I'm wearing for my pictures this week may only last another one or two wears. It isn't that snug, but it will not be comfortable later this summer! I can't believe that I'm growing out of some of my maternity clothes!

Baby Furniture

Paul and I have been looking for baby furniture and haven't had the success we thought we might have. We had originally purchased nightstands for the guest bedroom from Broyhill and liked the style, so we looked at purchasing a dresser and chest of drawers. Paul surprised me today! When I got home, he had already pulled the cardboard off and had the dressers in tentative locations! Yea! Now all we need is a crib, which Broyhill doesn't make in the same style, so we will eventually have to find something to match closely (when Lauren is older).

The furniture is from Broyhill, part of the Bayside collection.

Here is the mirror:


The Drawer Dresser, which I'll use as a changing table:


Here is the Drawer Chest:


And if you have not stayed with us recently, here are the nightstands that we purchased back in February:


We're really getting excited as our due date approaches. The child birth classes are making more nervous than not, I think partly due to other people's worries. My principal will not return next year (and I LOVE her--she's the most understanding and caring, supportive person!) and I'm worried who will take her place. Not too worried about child birth or labor or actually taking care of an infant, but I'm worried about my job. How sad. But anyway, what can you do? Lauren has really been moving around lately, but if I look at my belly or try to get a feel for her so that someone else can feel her move, she stops.

26 Weeks

My sciatic nerve is KILLING me! I woke up Wednesday night at 12:38 am with DOUBLE leg cramps! It hurt so badly that Paul heard me crying, woke up, and ended up massaging my calves until the pain subsided and I could kick the pillow that had been supporting my legs out of the bed. I could not move or function. I have no idea what I would have done had Paul not been there to help out!

Other than that, Lauren hasn't been moving around any more than normal. I figure that I'm not cramping her space so she doesn't have a reason to kick me! (She'll probably be the type of child to take full advantage of all of the space around her!) Lauren now weighs 2 pounds (she gained a half pound in a week!). She's about 12-13 inches long from head to feet. At this point in her development, she's going to start gaining weight and fat in order to look like the miniature human she will be when I deliver her. She has distinctive sleeping and active cycles according to my book, which I can agree with. Lauren has started moving around somewhere between 8:30-10:00 am, sometimes around noon when I eat, and usually around 8:30-10:30 pm. (Actually, she's moving now!) Her five senses are fully developed, too.

Paul and I started birthing classes last Tuesday. We'll go each Tuesday for 6 weeks. We had to watch a video of a baby being born during the first class. The graphic representation didn't bother me--what upset me the most was how calm everyone was--the mom, the dad, the doctors. There wasn't any screaming, yelling, or anything of the like. That was so disturbing because I know it's a hectic time. It seemed surreal. All I can say is bring on the epidural!!