30 weeks!

I'm 30 weeks today! So crazy! Jon and I were talking last night and it finally dawned on him that Brinley could be here in 2 months!! I still have a lot to do to get ready for her arrival. My parents need to bring down the dresser (it was mine all through my childhood), put together the stroller and carseat, she needs more clothes, decorate, and choose a pediatrician! Never thought that would be so hard. I keep getting different recommendations from everyone, and my OB didn't even give me a suggestion when I asked her a couple weeks ago. I'll ask again closer to my due date.

I'm going to get wooden letters to spell Brinley's name at Hobby Lobby, paint them, and hang them somewhere in the nursery, probably above the changing table. I'm sure it'll be tough to choose the right shades of purple and pink (or teal) The bedding is purple and teal, but the picture that I'm hanging above her crib is a purple and pink gerbera daisy. Haven't decided what color to use yet on the letters.

I registered for our childbirth and breastfeeding classes yesterday. The childbirth class is only one day, from 9-4. We're doing that April 7, and breastfeeding basics is on April 18 from 7-8:30.

Oh, I talked to my best friend today for a little bit. Her parents bought a house in Arizona to winter at and she's there visiting right now. Anyway, she told me that I need to come down in June and hang out with her because I'll need a break from the baby and that Jon can watch her! REALLY?! I'm not leaving a newborn at home so I can "take a break." Honestly, her suggestion doesn't even surprise me because that's just how she is. She's never wanted kids and doesn't realize how much they need their mommy. It just made me LOL.


Here's our work in progress nursery! I know the crib and changing table don't match, but I got the changing table for $30 from a friend that was moving. Especially since we'll probably only use it for about a year, I'm not worried about it not matching.

30 weeks  from www.babycenter.com
Your baby is now about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 lbs (like a head of cabbage.) A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision-which means that she'll only be able to make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

30 weeks from www.babygaga.com

Whoo hoo! You can now finally see the finish line now that you're in the final quarter of the race!

Whether you felt like your pregnancy's been flying by or slower than a snail scaling Everest, you've arrived in your thirtieth week and your baby's cooking beautifully!

In animal news: the fine lanugo hair that covers their little monkey-like body will start falling off this week in preparation for the big day.  Still, don't be too shocked if your baby ape is hairier than you'd anticipated. Some babies keep their lanugo after birth-which is totally normal, and it will fall off eventually.  

Checking in on the fat factory: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs, thanks to their ever-growing layers of subcutaneous brown fat.

In terms of numbers, your big ol' baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long!

Keep up the good work you too!

Week 29

Week 29
www.babycenter.com

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. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of vitamin C, protein, folic acid and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk or find another source of it-cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Week 29

www.babygaga.com

TMI time! Did you know that my baby girl drinks and breathes her own pee?! EWWW! Yes, she whizes in her amniotic sac and then turns right around and inhales that amniotic pee-filled fluid! Fortunately, her urine is STERILE. That's part of the reason that I need to drink LOADS of water-to give my baby girl a purer, less urine-based drinking/breathing fluid. Loads of water, fresh fruit and veggies=less nasty drinking water for my sweet lil' lady.

Week 28-Third Trimester!

Lots of things have been happening since I last updated! Brinley has been moving around A LOT and she's getting stronger, so I'm feeling her kicks and punches more. On January 13, she flipped over and I that was the first time I actually SAW my belly move! Such a wonderful feeling :) I also bought her her first storybook-"Where The Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. It was one of mine and Jon's favorite books when we were kids and knew that Brinley needed it. We'll be getting the whole series at some point. She also thinks that my bladder is a trampoline made just for her amusement :) It may be fun for her, but certainly not for me.

January 26 was my last day in triple digits for my pregnancy! 100 days left was such a shock to me. It seems like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant, and now I only have a few shorts months left! To celebrate, Brinley decided that she was going to mess with Daddy's head. She was kicking and squirming around as I was getting ready for bed. Jon hadn't felt her move yet, so we were hoping that she would finally cooperate with us. He put his hand on my belly and instantly she stopped moving. We sat in bed and talked for a good 20 minutes while we waited for her to move again. She didn't. Jon took his hand away, and within 30 seconds she kicked me REALLY HARD! She didn't like someone else trying to feel her move. I am proud to say that she has let Daddy feel her several times since that night, though. She will be a daddy's girl once she gets here, and Daddy will be wrapped around her finger right from the start. She's going to be one spoiled little princess :D

Me on January 26 at 25 weeks and 5 days pregnant. 100 days until my due date!










Brinley is the most active at night, so she's going to be a night owl just like her momma. :) Fine by me, I'd rather be up late(ish) and sleep in in the morning with a little one any way! I also ordered her bedding from Amazon a couple weeks ago. I first saw it on the Babies R Us website, but for the last month or so it's been out of stock online, and it's not even available for store pickup. I think it's being clearanced out. I found it on Amazon for the same price so it's all good. Plum Dandy crib set.

My most recent OB appointment was on Feb 8, at 27w4d. I did the one hour glucose test and received the rhogam shot since I'm O-. Baby was measuring perfect at 28 weeks and had a great heartbeat at 150bmp. My bp is doing very well, considering that I was boderline pre-hypertensive. It was perfect at 120/60. The doctor said that if my glucose result came back abnormal, she would call me. It's been a week and I haven't heard from her, so I'm going to assume that I passed! YAY!  Since I'm now in the third trimester, I'm starting my bi-monthly OB appointments. Next one is Feb 22.

Week 28 2.11.12 Third trimester! I can definitely see a difference between the 2.5 weeks. My belly has rounded out on top and is sticking out a little further. I'm excited to see how I progress over the next 12-ish weeks.



Week 28  www.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 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 from your womb. She's also developed billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life outside the womb.

Week 28: Only 12 weeks to go!  from www.babygaga.com   
I've become a human lard factory! It's true: I have a baby that's in the business of fat-collection, which I'll have to tolerate since it's critical to keep my little porker warm and healthy after she's born. Also, her eyes can now blink in response to light and dark, and her bone marrow is busy making red blood cells.

Week 23

Week 23: January 7-January 14

I ordered our crib last week! I was looking at 3 different styles and read all the reviews, and finally decided on the perfect one. I was going to order it from Amazon, but when I was going to order it last week, it was out of stock and wouldn't ship for 1-2 months. So I ordered it from WalMart for the same price and it arrived at the store 2 days later. I'll be picking it up on Tuesday!

My favorite part is that it's a 4-in-1 conversion crib, which means that it converts from a crib, to a toddler bed, to a daybed, and to a full size bed. That means that I'll never have to buy another bed for this baby again! Pretty awesome deal for $200! :)

I've starting working on the nursery decor as well. I've chosen the bedding-Plum Dandy, and it'll also have bits and pieces of the Lion King, like this Lion King lamp, Lion King wall art, and Lion King mobile. I also ordered a couple vinyl wall clings with Disney quotes- "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes-Cinderella" and "All You Need is Faith, Trust, and a Little Bit of Pixie Dust". And this is the color inspiration for the nursery when we get our new house <3 Yarn strands I love the purple and pale pink shades.

Weekly Update
from www.babygaga.com

Your little womb hi-jacker is starting to kick their break dance party up a notch now that her ears are registering sounds from the outside world! The sound of a phone ringing (or that catchy ringtone), a thunderclap, or a car honking will actually jar their ears enough to elicit a kick or jab. More importantly, this means that her ears are picking up the sound of your voice and others around you. So, if you've been yelling a lot lately (and who doesn't get cranky when pregnant?), it's time to reign that in and practice a little self restraint now for the sake of your little eavesdropper, who is becoming exquisitely more sensitive to all of your behaviors every day.

The equation is simple: happy healthy mama=happy healthy baby.

Stress during pregnancy is quite literally BAD for your baby's developing brain.  It's time to clean out the toxic relationships in your life for your sake and your child's sake. Take the time to center and be quiet-to reflect on the growing life inside of you and the future you will share together.  Read up on infant development and attachment to start preparing yourself for the first time you will meet your little one.

from www.babycenter.com

Turn on the radio and sway to the music.  With her sense of movement well developed, your baby can feel you dance.  And now that she's well over 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes.

Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud sounds that become familiar now-such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner-probably won't faze her when she hears them outside of the womb.

What baby looks like this week:

Week 19

Week 19: December 10-December 16

We had our 18 week appointment on Wednesday, December 7th. Heartbeat was great at 160 beats/minute.  According to all the old wives' tales, a heartbeat above 150 is a girl.  I've always thought this baby was a girl :)  Biggest excitement of the day: We have our GENDER ULTRASOUND on  Wednesday, December 14 at 8:30am! We'll find out if Peanut is a little Brinley or a little Cameron.

Friday, December 16 is my 25th birthday and we are going to do the gender reveal for our parents! J and I had planned to wait until Christmas to do it, but we will both jump out of our skins if we have to wait a week and a half to announce the news. Plus it will make for a very memorable birthday :)  I haven't decided yet how I exactly want to announce the news, but I have a couple ideas in mind.  I either want to get a boy or girl outfit and wrap it up, or I want to get a whole bunch of balloons (pinks or blues) in a box and have our parents open it up. 

                                                           

To do either of these, I think it would be the most fun to NOT have the technician tell us what the gender is and write it down on a card instead.  Then we could go to The Children's Place or Herberger's and pick out 2 boy and 2 girl outfits, have the cashier ring up the correct outfits, box them up and wrap it right away. Or if we do the balloon reveal, go to Party City, hand the card to the balloon attendant, and have them fill the box with the correct balloons.  It will be more fun that way. I  don't know if I'll be able to not peak at the card once I have it, but I'll do my best :)  

Week 19
www.babygaga.com

TMI time:  My adorable baby is working on their not-so-adorable first poo! As they drink and digest amniotic fluid, the solid bits will accumulate in the "large" intestines as a tar-like substance (aka meconium), which will become their first historical post-birth poop in a depressingly long line of poopy diapers.

www.babycenter.com

Your baby's sensory development is exploding!  Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.  Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches head to bottom-about the size of a large heirloom tomato.  Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now.  Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting.  A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Baby at Week 19: 

Week 16

Week 16-November 19-November 25


From www.babygaga.com

Over the past three weeks your magical-gro baby has managed to add on yet another 2 full inches of length (totaling about 4.5 inches) and now weighs a whopping 3.5 ounces!

Guess what? Your little lollipop is not so bobble-headed anymore!

Yep, your baby's head-to-body ratio is starting to even out, as the rest of their body - including their arms and legs (the better to kick you with!) plays catch-up.

One of the most anticipated moments in pregnancy is the "quickening" or the first time you undeniably feel your child move inside of you.

In some cultures a woman is not even considered pregnant until she experiences the quickening!

Women claim to feel it as early as 14 weeks. That said, other women laugh at the thought of that woman cherishing a fart that's rumbling in her small intestines.

In general, it's safe to say that after 18 - 20 weeks, all women will experience the quickening as a definitive non-fart poke or prod from within their womb.

Those sweet little flutters will evolve into pokes, prods, and even outright painful kicking as your break-dancing baby-cakes grow in size and seek ways to straighten out in their increasingly cramped quarters.

If you had that gender ultrasound right now, which most doctors recommend at about this time, you might see your little one sucking their thumb, not to mention the necessary signifiers to let you know whether you've got a wee lad or lassie.

Awww...

From www.babycenter.com, 

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long head to rump, and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails! And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

My baby's progress: Week 15

MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 15. November 12-November 18


From www.babygaga.com

Only 25 more weeks to go! 

My 4 inch bald gymnast-baby is super-mobile inside my womb as their organ systems are kicking it into high gear, particularly their amazing tiny heart and complex circulation system, which is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, and will be pumping up to 200 quarts per day at birth!

From www.babycenter.com,

How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and  
weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces-about the size of an apple. She's busy moving 
amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the 
primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop.  Her legs are growing longer 
than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs.  Although her 
eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light.  If you shine a flashlight at 
your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.  There's 
not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.  
Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out 
whether your baby's a boy or a girl! Don't be too disappointed if it remains a 
mystery, though.  Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the 
picture and on your baby's position.  He or she may be modestly curled up or 
turned in such a way as to "hide the goods."