Bump Watch: 40 Weeks

Forty weeks!! And we're still here, still just waiting... But Eggi could really be here any day now -- we're so excited to be meeting him soon!

And wow, do I look ready to give birth... Here's me from last night, on our due date:


All that's left for us now is just waiting until Eggi decides to make his appearance... and counting all the beginning signs of labor!

This morning, we had a bit of excitement -- I had a little bleeding and cramping, so I called my doctor just to let her know, in an overabundance of caution. She wanted me to come in to be checked, which was a little surprising to me -- this is the first time this pregnancy that one of my overcautious phone calls resulted in an unscheduled trip to the OB! So we decided to make this a test run of sorts -- we finished packing our hospital bags, threw them in the trunk, and headed over to the doctor's. Turns out I'm now 2-3 cm dilated, and in my doctor's words, "teetering on the brink of labor." Exciting!

And I think I might be experiencing the beginnings of contractions now as well -- on top of the new pains and weird feelings I've had for the past several days, I'm also getting small waves of cramps that hurt enough to take my breath away. They're still very short and infrequent, so nothing official yet, but definitely some progress!

So we think we're about as ready as we'll ever be. Bags are packed, baby gear is all washed and set up, and we've loaded a contraction timing application on David's iPod Touch (yeah, there's an app for that)...

Even BabyCenter.com is a bit more subdued this week -- I guess there just isn't as much by way of fetal development in these last stages. So they threw in some newborn tidbits to spice things up:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. The biggest part of your baby's body is his head, but his still-pliable skull will give it the flexibility necessary to squeeze through the birth canal. Many parents are surprised by how long and sharp their newborn's nails are from the get-go. Clipping them right away (ask a nurse for help) can prevent your baby from scratching his face.

We'll be sure to keep you all posted -- hopefully, we'll have good news to share sometime soon!

Bump Watch: 39 Weeks

Thirty-nine weeks! Who knows, maybe this will be the last bump watch for Eggi... Or we could have one or two more of these to go. (At least we know that my OB's policy is to induce labor at 10 days overdue -- so I'm sorry, John, but despite what you wished on us in our baby pool, there's no way this baby's staying inside until February 25!)

So here's me at 39 weeks, 1 day --


People are starting to worry that I'm going to "pop" right in front of them... My office is right next door to the corner office of one of the firm's biggest litigators, and every time she sees me, she's surprised I'm still around. She's jokingly instituted a new policy for if my water breaks in the office, most of the steps of which consist of her hiding in her office while other people take care of the crisis... She's a fierce one in the courtroom, but apparently, my pregnant belly can reduce her to a quivering mass of fear! :)

For most of the pregnancy, we've been assuming that I'll go late. Statistically speaking, most first babies are born after their due date. Plus, there were two other pregnant women in our Tuesday night small group, both due before me, and both went several days late. So we'd been setting that as our default expectation, and up until a week or so ago, I was totally cool with that.

But now? The discomforts of late pregnancy are really starting to get to me, unfortunately. It hurts to walk, and every time I get up from a sitting position, it takes several long, painful seconds for the tendons and muscles in my abdomen to equilibrate to the shifting weight of the baby. And Eggi has started doing what feels like practice assaults on his planned escape route -- it's wonderful that he's head down and ready to go, but the head-butting really hurts!

I actually think all of this is another measure of God's grace to pregnant women. I've been so thankful that pregnancy is nine months long, because it's really taken me that long to start to get used to the idea of becoming a mother. And now, I'm thankful for the ways all of these discomforts are making me even more eager to just have the baby and move on to the next stage. :)

Still no contractions or other signs of labor, though. And at my 39-week appointment, I was still at just 1-2 cm. But apparently, my mother didn't have any contractions with any of us until after her water broke -- so maybe that's the pattern that I'll be following? (And she was 2-3 days early with all three of us, too...)

At any rate, here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

We've made it to the watermelon stage! And Eggi is certainly well-developed enough to make it on his own out here in the real world! How exciting, and terrifying, and wonderful all at once!

Bump Watch: 38 Weeks

With less than two weeks left before the due date, we're officially in the "any day now" window!! Statistically speaking, the vast majority of women give birth within two weeks of the due date, on either side; here are a couple graphical representations of the stats, for those who are interested:

We're basically taking this all to mean that Eggi really could decide to come at any moment -- or we could find ourselves still waiting three weeks from now... But we're doing what we can to get ready in case he makes his grand appearance early!

For now, though, here's the weekly bump watch photo:


I'm definitely getting bigger -- and with it, unfortunately, more uncomfortable... While Eggi's movements are still causes of excitement, they're really starting to be painful now, too. And I've been having all manner of new pains this week -- sharp gas-like pains every time I change position, crampy pains if I'm on my feet for too long, and other fun things like that. I'm pretty sure, though, that none of these are contractions yet, though to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to be on the lookout for... But they say that you'll know once you start going into labor. So I'm guessing that since I'm not sure about these aches and pains, then they're not the real thing yet... But we'll definitely keep you all posted!

For all that I've been suffering a bit more this week, it's also been a week of joyful anticipation -- even though we have no idea when Eggi will be born, it's still really exciting to see the growth and know that things are continuing to develop on track.

So here's the weekly development blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old.

We so can't wait to meet this little guy!

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Bump Watch: 37 Weeks

Sorry about the delay in posting this week's bump watch! It's felt like such a busy week (things at work have actually been picking up for me a little -- I think everyone's trying to get in just one last project for me before I go out on leave)... Even though I only took the one week off, it's still jarring having to get back into the rhythm of working every day!

We did, however, remember to take this week's photo on Monday -- so here's me at exactly 37 weeks!

Thirty-seven weeks is actually kind of a big deal -- Eggi is full-term as of this week! So if I were to go into labor now, my doctors wouldn't go to any extraordinary effort to stop my contractions... And if Eggi were to be born today, he wouldn't be classified as "premature." We definitely still want him to stay inside until closer to my due date (it's generally good for the baby to have the full 40 weeks in utero to develop enough protective fat and continue to grow stronger before birth), but it's one of the biggest pregnancy milestones we've passed so far!

It doesn't really look like Eggi will be coming just yet, though. At my checkup this week, I was still 1-2cm dilated and 50% effaced -- the same numbers as last week. And while I've been having a fair number of new aches and pains this week, most of them are just caused by baby movement -- I'm not exactly sure what to be looking for, having no frame of reference for real labor, but I'm pretty sure I haven't felt anything contraction-like yet.

Oh, and here's this week's blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Congratulations! Your baby is full-term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

So thankful to have reached the full-term milestone -- and so excited to meet our little boy, hopefully sometime soon!

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Bump Watch: 36 Weeks

Thirty-six weeks -- where on earth has the time gone? This third trimester has really been flying by so far... I hear, though, that the last few weeks of pregnancy tend to drag along, especially if you end up being overdue, so I suppose I have that to look forward to... Right now, though, we're both marveling at the fact that we're less than a month away from our due date!

I'm certainly looking forward to the end of this pregnancy -- primarily because I can't wait to meet our little boy, of course! But also because, um, my maternity clothes are really starting to be too tight... The amazing maternity pants I raved about in the early weeks of my second trimester? Yeah, the elastic panels on pretty much all of them are now cutting into my poor belly. The only pants that really work for me these days are my baggy sweatpants and a pair of black maternity yoga pants. I think the yoga pants will just barely fly in my office, but probably not so much the sweatpants... Good thing I'm on vacation this week!

So here's the 36-week bump watch photo!


And here's what BabyCenter.com has to say about Eggi's development this week --

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy hair that covered his body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely he's in a head-down position, but if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

Judging from our 36-week appointment yesterday, Eggi is indeed head down -- woohoo! I had my first progress check at this appointment, where the OB does a quick internal pelvic exam to determine various pre-labor criteria. As of yesterday, I'm 1-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced, and the baby's head is at -2 station! You can click on this link for a more technical explanation (if you're cool with reading about cervixes and such), but basically, I need to be 10 cm and 100% effaced in order to start pushing, and the stations indicate the relative position of the baby's head along the birth canal, going from -5 to +5 (which is when the baby's head will start crowning).

The numbers from my progress check yesterday don't really mean anything in terms of when I'll go into labor -- I can walk around for weeks like this, or things could very suddenly start to progress at a much faster rate. But it's still exciting to see that my body is doing what it's supposed to be doing in preparation for labor. The more I learn about pregnancy and childbirth, the more in awe I am of how truly fearfully and wonderfully we are made!

So excited to be nearing the finish line!!

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Bump Watch: 35 Weeks

Welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of the Bump Watch! Because I'm getting to be pretty far along (and pretty uncomfortable in cars, never mind plane seats), we'd decided not to travel to see family for Christmas this year. Both sets of family will likely come up for visits after the baby's born, though, so we'll be seeing everyone pretty soon!

And it's really nice to have a Christmas alone together -- the first one we've ever had! And, let's face it, likely the last one we'll ever have... So we've been savoring this quiet time together!

Here's how the bump is looking this week:


I'm not sure how much of a visible difference there is between this week and last, but I can definitely feel a difference -- Eggi has started to really settle down into my pelvis, making it physically difficult for me to go from standing to sitting and vice versa.

I've also officially started waddling this week. I knew walking felt a little uncomfortable lately, but apparently, that discomfort has translated into the pregnant lady's crazy hip-swaying, bow-legged waddle action... David has taken to waddling in sympathy with me, which is actually really hilarious. I love how he knows exactly how to make me laugh, right when I need it!

Oh, and the other big milestone reached this week: the nesting impulse has definitely kicked in, with a vengeance. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the quilt is no longer just folded over the back of the crib in the picture above (and thereby presenting a suffocation risk to a baby sleeping in it) -- it's now hanging on the wall behind the crib. And I've washed all our baby clothes and blankets, and put away the gifts from the shower, and started organizing the nursery closet, and come up with an organizing principle for the bookcase and dresser... And I've taken over doing the laundry and running the dishwasher, which David has faithfully done for the last three and a half years.... And I'm having a blast with it all! (Nursery progress photos to come, hopefully sometime next week!)

Finally, here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

I think that's holding true for us -- Eggi hasn't been doing too many sweeping rolls lately. But he's certainly still asserting himself and kicking merrily away in there! It's also really exciting that most of his basic development is complete. We're still not quite full term yet (we reach that milestone at 37 weeks -- just a week and a half away!!), and we really want him to stay inside and keep developing in utero for the full 40 weeks, but it's so encouraging to know we've gotten this far!

Coming up next week: the beginning of once-weekly OB appointments and exams to see whether dilation and effacement have begun!

Bump Watch: 34 Weeks

This week, Eggi has continued his regimen of asserting his strength and independence in the womb -- no matter how nicely or how sternly I ask, he continues to wallop me in the bladder and the ribs just as he pleases... We're going to have to work on obedience once he's outside in the real world. :)

So here's me at 34 weeks, 3 days!


My "huge" maternity shirts and pants are now starting to fit me just right... And I hear that the last month of pregnancy is when the baby really puts on weight... Here's hoping my clothes stay comfy throughout the home stretch!

And here's what BabyCenter.com has to say about this week:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which he'll need to regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Oh man -- now the weekly updates are starting to include reassurances about how the baby will be just fine if born right now... I suppose that's comforting, but we really hope Eggi will stay inside and keep developing for the full five and a half weeks left until his due date!

Speaking of delivery, though -- we've got our all-day childbirth boot camp tomorrow (assuming the major snow storms that are forecast for this weekend don't result in cancellations). I guess this is where we'll learn all about labor and delivery, which is both an exciting and a really really scary prospect... We're really chugging along on all the pre-delivery checklists now!

Bump Watch: 33 Weeks

Last night at small group, one of the guys noted that our baby will be born "next month." I'm not sure how I hadn't realized that before, but it's true -- Eggi is due at the end of January, which is in fact next month. It was one of those moments of clarity that hit me every once in a while during this pregnancy -- the baby's going to be born soon! And he's going to be a real baby! With his own mind and volition and wants and needs and fears and hopes and...

Wow. It's incredibly exciting to look forward to having a baby, but it can also be overwhelming to think about what it means to become a parent... Please keep praying for us in these last few weeks as we try to prepare as much as we can!

And on to the real reason why you clicked through to this blog post -- our 33-week bump watch photo!


Slowly getting bigger and bigger... :) And Eggi is definitely getting a lot stronger. I mentioned this last week, but it's even more pronounced this week -- his kicks and punches are getting so much stronger now. In fact, a lot of the time, they really hurt! But even when I get a breath-stealing jab to my side, it's still an exciting affirmation of our little son's continued growth. It's a good thing that he's continuing to get stronger, right?

And here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

This actually reminds me of a story a friend, Kathleen, told me a few weeks ago... Apparently, when her mom was pregnant with her, her doctors told her that she needed to make sure to get enough calcium, along with all the other normal vitamins needed for healthy growth and development. Well, Kathleen's mom took her doctors very seriously. Throughout the entire pregnancy, she drank milk at every meal, and pretty much only drank milk whenever she was thirsty. No osteoporosis or weak baby bones for this pregnant mama! Her labor was really long and difficult -- they all thought it was just because this was her first baby. But when Kathleen was finally born, they realized that she didn't have a soft spot on her skull. The bones that aren't supposed to be entirely fused? Yeah, Kathleen's skull was more fused than most, making it very difficult for her to fit through the birth canal.

When she told me this story, I was flabbergasted. And very impressed with her mother for still being able to deliver naturally! Kathleen paused for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, my mom didn't have any other kids after me."

So I've been trying to get a good amount of calcium -- definitely don't want this outlier of a story to cause me to have a nutrient deficit -- but I'm glad I don't love drinking milk as much as Kathleen's mom apparently did!

We've got a lot of baby-related fun on deck for this weekend, so stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Bump Watch: 32 Weeks

It's official -- I've arrived in the not-so-comfortable stage of pregnancy. I'm pretty sure Eggi has a foot or a fist firmly lodged in my ribs, and I noticed a definite waddle to my walk this morning... And wow, you should see my belly move when he kicks or rolls over now! For all that this has been a week of change in the way that I feel, I'm not sure how much the baby bump has grown since the last bump watch; let's compare and see!


And let's see what BabyCenter.com has to say about being 32 weeks pregnant:

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.

Oof, 3.75 pounds, give or take -- I believe it! Eggi's becoming more and more assertive as he moves around in there... He's developed a routine of sorts, where he seems to stick his head way out to my left side, and then sweeeeeps across my belly to the other side. So from the outside, you see a distinct large lump appear on my left, and then roll over to my right. Some of the students we had over for Thanksgiving saw him do this particular acrobatic move -- what a fun and exciting moment to share with friends!

So I'll take the soreness in the ribs, the aching back, the misaligned hips, the difficulty getting up from a sitting position... Every time we see my belly move, or feel the little guy thumping away, it's a little reminder that it's all so totally worth it. :)

In other baby-related news, we've picked up the rest of our nursery furniture! So hopefully this weekend, we'll build the new bookcase and dresser (and by "we," of course, I mean my handy and strong and handsome husband) and put the room in its final furniture arrangement... And then we can start thinking about wall decor (and this time, by "we," I mean more me) and put the finishing touches on Eggi's room!

Seven and a half weeks left to go...

Bump Watch: 31 Weeks

Thirty-one weeks! Only nine weeks left until the estimated due date -- we're down to single digits!

This week's bump watch is going to be on the shorter side, as we've got lots of Thanksgiving prep going on here (more posts to come on that, I'm sure)... So let's dive into the bump watch photo!

And here's this week's blurb from BabyCenter.com --

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.

And it's true -- Eggi's really been kicking up a storm these last few days! And his movements have developed beyond the occasional kick or punch. Lately, it's felt like he's stretching, deliberately pushing out with his arms in an attempt to expand his living space... It's a lot of fun attributing intentionality to his movements. :)

And one last bit of housekeeping -- we've updated our blog header! In honor of reaching our one-year blogiversary, and to get even further use out of our beautiful maternity photos, we decided to update our look a little. Fun times with photoshop and some of our favorite pictures!

Watch out -- once Eggi's born, I'll probably get all ambitious with the regular photo-taking and blog header updating... Um, in all the free time I'll have as the mother of a newborn...

But for now, enjoy the new header! And let us know what you think!

Bump Watch: 30 Weeks

Thirty weeks! Three quarters of the way through this pregnancy! (Assuming, of course, that Eggi decides to come on time...)

This week's milestone is a kind of sad one, and one that you might be able to spot upon close examination of the bump watch photo above.

Did you notice it? Can you tell what's different about me this week? (Besides, of course, the obvious ever-growing baby bump...)

Here's a hint:


That's right, my hands and feet have started swelling a little this week -- and it's gotten to the point where I can no longer comfortably wear my wedding rings. :( Last Wednesday, at my 29-week appointment, the doctor asked if I had experienced any swelling yet. I blithely told him no. He then proceeded to warn us that if I started having any swelling in my hands, I should take off any rings immediately (and put them in a safe place -- he told us a story about a patient who called him asking if she had by chance told him where she put her wedding ring after she took it off on his advice!).

I'm pretty sure he jinxed me. [Ed. note: David wants me to make it clear that we don't actually believe in jinxing.] On Thursday night, when I took my socks off, there was a distinct line where my socks had ended, above which my legs were puffy. Then on Saturday night, it was a little painful to take off my rings at night. Sunday morning at church, I realized that my watch was tighter than I usually like it to be. And finally, Sunday night, after a painful struggle with my rings, I had to conclude that it would be better to keep them off than to have them cut off my sausage fingers down the road...

I'm still wearing them, though, on a chain around my neck. Like so!


After having worn them every day for three and a half years, I can't imagine not having my wedding rings on me in some way... But I suppose this is just one of those pregnancy rites of passage. Something to do with generating and circulating enough blood and fluids for two...

In other news, Eggi continues to grow stronger every day! Here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com on his development this week --

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). 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 your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; 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. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Well. "Normal" adult vision is 20/20. Mine averages around 20/300, and I think David's visual acuity is somewhere in that neighborhood as well... So we can totally relate to how strange and blurry the world looks to newborns!

Can't wait to meet our cute little bleary-eyed cabbage!

Bump Watch: 29 Weeks

Twenty-nine weeks -- can you believe it's our last week in the twenties? This pregnancy has really been flying by! And I'm slowly getting to the point where opinion is nearly universal that I do, in fact, actually look pregnant... :)

The 29-week bump watch photo was taken on Monday night, on the day when we actually hit 29 weeks -- we're going to try to take the photos on Monday nights from here on out. (Which should be easier anyways, since we don't have small groups or other evening commitments on Mondays.)


I had my regular OB checkup this week -- starting now, our appointments will be every two weeks. We're also getting to meet other doctors in the practice; ideally, we'll have met with everyone before I go into labor, so we'll at least sort of know the OB on call who ends up delivering this baby. This was the second OB other than "my" OB-GYN that we've met, and so far, we really like them all!

Oh, and I also passed my glucose screening test. No gestational diabetes here! But the doctor did recommend that I start watching my sugar intake -- not because my numbers were borderline, but because he makes that recommendation to all third-trimester pregnant women. Which makes sense. But the timing is unfortunate -- cut back on sweets right as the holidays come around! Oh, the sacrifices I make for my child...

And here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he 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 getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.

It's hard to believe that there's a 15-inch long baby in my womb -- why, that's larger than the diagonal on my work laptop!! At the same time, though, I've been getting more and more used to all the activity going on in there -- he definitely likes to make his presence known! And it's cute how he seems to respond to David's voice, thumping away more vigorously at night when David gets excited about something and speaks a little louder or more quickly. Like father, like son -- I so can't wait to see how these two interact with each other!

Bump Watch: 28 Weeks

Twenty-eight weeks, and we're still merrily humming along. :) Even though I'm now into the third trimester, I still feel like I'm in the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy -- none of the first trimester nausea, and I'm not quite huge enough yet to feel uncomfortable. I know that won't last forever, so we're determined to enjoy being in the pregnancy sweet spot for now!

And here's me at 28 weeks, 2 days --

Aww, look, my shirt matches our crib bedding! :)

In terms of pregnancy milestones, this week I had my glucose tolerance test, the initial screen for gestational diabetes. I had to go into the lab, drink a super syrupy sweet orange drink, wait an hour, and then have my blood drawn. Not so much fun, but definitely a necessary part of the whole pregnancy thing... I haven't heard yet whether I passed or not, but I'm hoping that no news is good news!

At least I'm getting used to the whole needles and blood drawing thing. I also got my H1N1 vaccination this week (taking one of the last available appointments in my area for the entire month), and I was all, needles totally don't bother me anymore... I guess that's a good thing? Because I hear there are needles and IVs and stuff involved in the pain meds you get for labor and delivery?

Anyways... Here's the weekly update on Eggi's growth from BabyCenter.com --

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

Eyelashes! And blinking! And neuron development! And baby fat to develop cute wee chubby cheeks!

Meanwhile, David has been spending his free time pondering the various theories and ideologies that are supposed to help you get your baby sleep through the night... It's funny to see how our natural tendencies to research things have been channeled into baby prep. :) Not that we have much hope of actually being prepared for how our lives will be turned upside down with Eggi's arrival... But one can always dream, right?

Bump Watch: 27 Weeks

Check it out -- a bump watch post that's going up mid-week! Yay! As noted last week, our bump photos are being taken in front of our crib from here on out. We really love the crib and bedding. :)

David really made me laugh as he was taking this photo, so there's a slight change in facial expression for those of you (ahem, Steve) who wanted a flip book of these photos complete with different emotions leading up to the big day... :)

I think my belly might look a little smaller this week than last? That's probably more a function of the angle and my posture... Please still tell me that I look huge? :) Though it seems that the women in my office have come up with better ways of saying that I'm "tiny" -- the director of associate development for the firm (the woman in charge of mentoring programs, general training, and basically just keeping all of us happy) was in our office this week, and told me that I'm the most graceful pregnant woman she'd ever seen. And "graceful" is so much better a term than "small" or "tiny," at least in my eyes... Made me happy, so I guess she's doing her job right!

And here's what BabyCenter.com has to say about this week --

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14-1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

I can't believe he's already opening and closing his eyes! I can believe he's hiccuping -- I've definitely been feeling the rhythmic thumping on a fairly regular basis... And his kicks and punches have been getting so much stronger lately! Eggi's really announcing his presence these days. :)

Twenty-seven weeks pregnant -- we're in the beginning of the third trimester now! More than two-thirds of the way through! How exciting, and terrifying, all at once... Please continue to pray with us that our little KeddieCub will grow strong and healthy, and that we'll be as ready as possible for this massive life change!

Bump Watch: 26 Weeks

So much for my resolution to be more on top of these bump watch posts... Emily, you were absolutely right to call me out on my impending failure. Sorry about that! I was slammed this week at work with a couple pretrial deadlines, and my parents were in town for 24 hours this weekend, which led to a lot of last-minute cleaning and prep work... But hey, part of the prep work was starting to put together the nursery, so there are crib pictures in this post!

We've been running out of white wall space in our apartment, so starting with this week's bump picture, we'll be posing me in front of the baby's crib. :)



This week's photo was taken a little later in the week than usual (again, see above-referenced being slammed this week), so that may explain a little why my belly looks like it's grown more than in other weeks... But I think KeddieCub also had a bit of a growth spurt this week!

And here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

And for those of you who just scrolled down to see the promised pictures... :)


Our beautiful crib and bedding set!


The diaper stacker and the interior of the crib (with our old dressers as placeholders
for the nursery furniture we'll be getting sometime between now and January)


Daybed on the other side of the room, which pulls out to create a king bed
(this is, after all, the "nursery-slash-guestroom")

The room is starting to come together! How exciting! We'll continue to document the nursery prep process and keep you all posted!

Bump Watch: 25 Weeks

My resolution for next week: get the bump watch post up sometime before Sunday evening! Some historian and chronicler I am, if I can't write a post about a particular week in pregnancy development until the evening of the very last day of the week... And how can I live with deceiving all of you into thinking that our baby is the size of a rutabaga right now, when I know I'll be getting the 26 week update tomorrow morning, telling us that he's actually about the size of an English hothouse cucumber?

(By the way, am I the only one for whom these particular vegetables don't really provide any frame of reference? How big is a rutabaga, anyways? Hmm, must learn more about vegetables before the baby is born -- or at least, before he's ready to start eating solid foods, and I'm ready to start nagging him to eat his veggies...)

All of that aside -- here's the 25 week bump watch picture!

We've been faithfully taking these photos on Wednesday nights, after small group -- it's a fun part of our pregnancy routine these days. :)

And here's what BabyCenter.com has to say about our KeddieCub this week:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

I'm pretty sure that our son's hair will be straight and dark brown... But I guess we'll see when he's born -- in just over three months!!

Bump Watch: 24 Weeks

Coming in just under the wire, before we hit 25 weeks tomorrow -- it's the 24 week bump watch picture!

I was in another one of my lovely, comfy maternity shirts for this one. It's a bit more billowy than my other shirts, so it almost looks like the bump is a bit smaller than it was last week, but David assures me that I'm growing ever larger by the day -- which, under these circumstances, is a really sweet thing for him to say. :)

And our little boy is continuing to grow, too! Here is this week's blurb from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Aww, he's an ear of corn this week! (Which, incidentally, has been one of my cravings for the last several weeks... I love me some corn on the cob...)

And speaking of lung development, the biggest milestone we passed this week was viability! At 24 weeks, the rate of viability outside the womb goes up to 30-50%, so most hospitals will take extraordinary measures to try to save the life of a baby born this early. Before 24 weeks, survival rates are generally too low for even the best NICU units to be able to do much. So it's a cautiously exciting point to hit in this pregnancy -- we definitely, definitely don't want the baby to be born just yet, but it's exciting to have hit technical viability!

Fun milestone for this week -- my parents bought us our crib, which arrived this weekend!! So we're hoping to clear out the nursery/guest bedroom this week (it's currently full of empty boxes and storage items from the move) and start setting up the baby furniture this week! Pictures will be sure to come. :)

Bump Watch: 23 Weeks

Sometimes, I look at my profile in the mirror and am not sure how much I'm changing week to week. Then I look through these "bump watch" posts... I'm really glad we decided to start documenting the belly growth! I get so many comments from well-meaning women at work telling me I'm "so tiny" for being 5 months pregnant -- which is great, and I'm sure they mean to give me hope that I'll lose the baby weight quickly post-pregnancy, or something like that, but seriously, I just want to be told I look huge. :)

So anyways, here's the latest bump watch photo -- Christina at 23 weeks, 3 days!



And here's what BabyCenter.com had to say about our little guy's development this week:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

And it's TRUE -- I did in fact see baby movement this week! I was sitting at my desk at work, drinking some ice-cold water (trying to get my 64-80 oz. of water per day). The baby tends to be more active after I drink cold water -- I think maybe he's responding to the feeling of cold water in my stomach? So he started kicking up a storm -- and with one particularly strong kick, I actually saw the top of my belly move! I immediately called David, and we marveled at our son's growing strength -- he's totally going to be a soccer star. :)

In other news, I had my monthly OB appointment yesterday afternoon. We got to meet another doctor in the practice, which is great, since any one of them might be the OB actually delivering our baby -- it all depends on when I go into labor and who's on call that day. I apparently am a textbook pregnant patient -- my weight gain is on track (finally up a net 10 pounds!), the baby's heartbeat is strong, my tests have all come back within normal limits, and my uterus is measuring just as it should be. We're so thankful for this "boring" pregnancy!

Oh, and we finally fixed our scanner, so I updated our 20-week ultrasound post with sonograms! [Here's a fun grammar/diction factoid that I didn't know before I was pregnant -- the "ultrasound" is the actual procedure using high-frequency sound waves to scan internal organs; the "sonogram" is the picture that results from the ultrasound procedure. The terms are colloquially used interchangeably, but I like precision in my word usage... So now you know!]

[And while we're talking pregnancy-related grammar/diction and precise word definitions... "Nauseous" technically means nausea-inducing, while "nauseated" means feeling sick. For instance, "I am nauseated because that smell is nauseous." I know this is totally a losing battle -- even dictionaries have started giving "affected with nausea" as the primary definition of "nauseous" -- so I've generally stopped "correcting" people, but I still firmly stick with the traditional definitions of these words. And thought I'd use this blog as a platform for raising "nauseous"/"nauseated" awareness. :)]

OK, OK, I'm done, I promise. Thanks for humoring this pregnant lady and her weird word usage hangups!

Our son: future soccer star and grammatical pedant... :)

Bump Watch: 22 Weeks

Now that we're almost into 23 weeks, it's definitely time to post our 22-week bump watch photo:

The milestone passed with this particular photo: it's the first time I've been in maternity clothes head to toe for a bump watch photo! And let me tell you, maternity shirts are just as amazingly comfortable as maternity pants... :)

The baby has also been kicking much more regularly now. I can pretty much guarantee that he'll start kicking a few minutes after every meal (especially when I have orange juice), and that he'll start kicking up a storm soon after I lie down at night. My current theory on that last pattern is that my movement during the day creates a rocking motion that lulls him to sleep; as soon as I'm perfectly still, he perks up and thinks it's party time. Which is fun right now -- David's been able to feel our son kicking away at bedtime, which is still awe-inducing and very special. Who cares if the kicks keep me awake for a while at night...

And here's what BabyCenter.com had to say about this week --

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

11 inches long? That's the long side of a sheet of copy paper! (Which, frankly, is a more meaningful comparison to me than a spaghetti squash...) Hard to believe that our little KeddieCub is already that big!!

We're so thankful for our little copy paper bundle... :)

Bump Watch: 21 Weeks

Sorry for the delay on this week's bump watch! We did take the photo on Wednesday (at 21 weeks, 3 days), but it's been such a hectic week, what with the beginning of the school year and all, so I'm just now getting caught up on blog posting.

So for those of you who've been waiting with bated breath, here's the 21-week bump photo!

Um, please excuse the stack of collapsed boxes... Our goal is to finally, finally finish unpacking this weekend.

It's also the return of the green t-shirt, last seen at 18 weeks! I think you can see a difference in the fullness of the baby bump since then... Make this hopeful pregnant lady's day and tell her that she definitely looks pregnant now! :)

And, of course, the weekly pearls of wisdom from BabyCenter.com --

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

We're definitely starting to move into the "full-fledged kicks and nudges" now -- no more questioning whether a particular weird sensation was the baby or just indigestion! And his movements are getting strong and regular enough for me to have enough time to tell David about them and have him feel the kicks from the outside! Each little baby kick is exciting enough to make me totally cool with the fact that our little one seems to have decided that my bladder is the most fun punching bag ever...

I know I say this every week, but pregnancy really is such a thrilling experience. And it's so exciting to get to know our little son a bit better every week, as he grows larger and stronger!