36 weeks! Holy chit! :)

Your pregnancy: 36 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

How your life's changing: Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs!

So yesterday was my 36 week check up. I gained back 2 of the 3.5 lbs I lost. Oh well...I'm still under my goal of 25 lbs. I haven't progressed much but doc did say that he his head has dropped much lower. This never ceases to crack me up when she points out the obvious. I mean I know she has to tell me this, but come on! I can totally feel that his head is dropped. The good news is that she did tell me that if I go into labor, she won't try to stop it. And, I can stop taking the meds for the contractions! Woo hoo! She said I can get up now and walk around, she wants to try to rest, which I am doing....ok, trying to do. When I told Joel's mom this the first words out of her mouth were, "So, did you go on a 4 mile hike?" ha ha... there's a thought. Doc also said she wouldn't even schedule my next appt because she doesn't think it's necessary....good sign. Many of you may be wondering why dr says it's ok to deliver before 37 weeks? Well, I've already had 2 steroid shots to speed up his lung development so technically his lung development is a-ok. So, we went to Target yesterday, got some more stuff and it felt good to be out and about. Dr also did say that from now on I don't even need to call her before I go in, just to go, which is nice. But I am so scared of continuing to be that girl that cries "labor". So keep your fingers crossed that Baker decides to make his appearance soon. That would make momma a very happy girl!!

Some fun info!

Congratulations!
Your Due Date Is Saturday, February 23, 2008
Your conception date was most likely Saturday, June 02, 2007 You are in Week 36 of your pregnancy and your baby is 34 weeks old. Why is this? 248 days down, 32 to go!
Fun Birthday Facts
Your baby's birthstone will be Amethyst (Sincerity)
Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Pisces
Your baby's Flower is Violet or Primrose (Violet, Sky Blue or Yellow)
Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Rat
This time next year your baby will be 48 Weeks Old!
Your baby will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2024, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year. Can you imagine?

Our new carseat/stroller combo!

Well, I had my family shower this weekend at Carolina's house! I was shocked by the amount of people who showed up. At one point I counted 35! We are so thankful to everyone who brought us gifts and things that Baby Baker needs! My camera's batteries died during the middle of the shower so I am awaiting the pics from a friend and I can post them. Grandma Caro and Grandpa Froy bought us our carseat/stroller combo. We decided on the Chicco Cortina Discovery travel system. It was just rated #1 by Consumer Reports for Safety and ease of use! This made me happy since we registered for this one a while ago. Baker thanks Grandma and Grandpa for this great present. Now he'll be nice and safe! Joel set it all up and was pushing it around our house last night. It was soo cute! He is so excited to have Baker here, I just know he'll be a wreck when he's born, as will I! He then put the carseat in my car and it looks so weird to see a carseat in my car. People always teased me about my SAAB being such a family car, but now it really looks like a family car! We just have to get a car seat base for Joel's car and we'll be set!

I'm on my 19th day of bedrest....still going crazy, but I just have to keep him in until at least Feb 2, which will be 37 weeks. I hope I can do that. I was checked last night as was still about 2-3 cm dialated and now 85-90% effaced, so hopefully bedrest will shorten the progression. I see Dr on Friday morning so I promise to update asap! Thank you again for all your all your generosity and thoughts and prayers! We really need it!

Love, Mommy, Daddy and Baby Baker

35 weeks and another 2 weeks of bedrest ahead of me!

Your pregnancy: 35 weeks
How your baby's growing: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.

How your life's changing:Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.
From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process

So went to doc today for 35 week check up. (I'm technically 35 weeks tomorrow). I was wishing and hoping and wishing and praying that she'd let me off bedrest. Not so much! She checked me and I am 2-3 cm and 80% effaced! She said his head is very low, right where it needs to be in fact....(to this I am thinking, no $&%#! I can feel him...it's like I just got off a horse!:) She did say that if he were to be born now, I could still have him at Skagit and he'd probably need to be there for a few extra days because he might have trouble eating, but it'd be ok. She just kept saying 2 more weeks and then I would expect you to be wanting to go into labor! (My thoughts exactly) I didn't have another appt until the 1st, but the way things are going, she decided to have me come back in next Friday. At this point, I guess the next week is the most critical. So, I'm stuck once again but hopefully Baker gets that he needs to "bake" for just a little while longer:) I do have conversations with him daily reminding him that no matter how much I complain and how much we want to see him, that he needs to stay in there a tad longer. He usually kicks right after that so I take that to mean, ok mom! I guess I'll stay in here a little longer. On a side note, I managed to lose 3.5 lbs! (I was secretly happy about this:)) I asked Dr if that was anything to be concerned about and she said no, that as long as I am eating, drinking and peeing it was fine. I laughed when she asked if I was eating! I was thinking oh my goodness, that's all I do! So I guess if eating all the time and staying in bed constantly helps to lose weight, I'm all for it!!!

I also have my family shower this weekend at Carolina's house. Dr said this was fine as long I don't move around a whole lot. I told her trust me, I'm so uncomfortable that won't be an issue!

Ok, that's all for my novel of an update! I'm back to bed....yippee! Have a great weekend!

Oh BOY!!!

After 10 straight days in bed, I called the doc and said ok, this isn't working! Am I the only woman ever to hate this stage of pregnancy? I feel like there is something seriously wrong with me! I'm cranky, anxious and soooo uncomfortable. I hope that I'm not punished for feeling this way.

Anyway, doc said it was ok to go for a car ride as long as I didn't walk around too much. So, I jumped at the chance to go with my mom to her hair appt yesterday. We drove to Bellingham and then I just sat there when we got to the salon. They treated me like a queen too. Making sure I had plenty of mags to read, somewhere to put my feet up, water, etc. It was soooo nice!

Then last night, Joel's grandparents dropped off Baker's crib bedding so we got that all set up! It's sooo cute! As soon as I can figure out why my camera stopped working, I will post a pic. (I told Joel that this is the best time ever to get a new camera...so we're researching). So instead, I'll post a pic from Babies R Us's website. It doesn't do it justice of course, but it'll do for now:)

After that excitement, my dear friend Sandra called and asked if I'd like some company, so her and her daughter Shay came over for a few hours to visit (and she brought me some of her US Weekly magazines too, which she knows I love!) Anyway, we all sat on my bed and gossiped and chatted with my mom and Joel. It was a little bed rest party! It is so nice to have friends like that! Thanks again Sand and Shay! It was great to visit with you! Ok, so I'm back to bed now. I am anxiously awaiting our w2's in the mail so we can file our taxes. We're hoping to get a nice little check before Baker comes:)

Only 2 more days until my next Dr Appt! YAY!!!

Cont....

I get to L&D, they hook me up and check me. The first thing out of the nurse's mouth is... "Oh! There's his head!" I'm like, yeah, no kidding...I've been feeling like he was going to fall out of me for the past few days now! She continues to check and says I'm still 1.5-2 cm but am now 50% effaced. She could tell on the monitor how intense the contractions were and says ok, I need to call Dr. She comes back a little while later and informs me that they're going to put me on medication to stop the contractions, but warns me that I'm going to feel like I'm literally on drugs. She gives me the shot and within minutes, I she what she is talking about. My whole body is shaking uncontrollably, I feel like I'm having a major anxiety attack and more. Ughh! Well, the good news is the med worked, the contractions slowed down but then she says Dr wants to send you home with this and you have to take it every 4 hours. Great! So I get home and over the next 48 hours, proceed to sleep 6 hours. It was terrible. They put on a different medication because that just wasn't cutting it and now I just take it as I need it. The good news is I have my 35 week appt on Friday and hopefully my reg Dr will see fit to ease up on the bedrest....considering I have another shower on Sunday....hopefully I'll be able to go. My mom decided though that if I can't leave the house, we'll move it to our house!

Anyway, that's the latest and greatest. Joel set up the crib yesterday after the Seahawks devastating loss and it looks so cute. We were laying in bed last night and Joel and I both said it looks so weird to see a crib in the corner of our room and to think that in a few short weeks Baker T will be in there is astonishing....

Thank you for all the continued thoughts and prayers and for the offers to come over and visit me. I certainly appreciate it, and now that I'm not feeling sick with the flu anymore, next week would be great for visitors! I promise to keep everyone posted as much as possible, but I have to sit up in order to write this so I can only do it for so long! Hope everyone is well!

Here's an update on how Baker is doing:

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her 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.

34 weeks, 1 day: Say what?

Oh boy! What an eventful week we had!

Friday, Jan 4

Joel takes me to the doc for my 33 week check up. We meet with another doctor in the clinic in case for some reason that our Dr is unavailable for delivery, they want us to meet another Dr. He was very nice, of course, he knows Joel's mom...as does everyone. He measures me, takes Baker's hr, etc. He then asks if we have any questions. WARNING: TMI ahead....I mention that I believe I lost my mp about a week before...he says ok, we better check you then. So he performs the check. He and the nurse tell Joel to get up by my head just to get used to it and to go ahead and just admit that everything is his fault right now. I thought this was funny. The nurse also mentions that during delivery, he should keep his face away from my arms/hands, in case I decided to punch him. Hey! It happens. Anywho~ Dr discovers that I am 1.5 cm dialated and 40% effaced. He says he does not like this as he figures I was like that for a few days and wouldn't even be 33 weeks until the next day. He then says ok, ready? And I'm like, uh, sure? He says you're on bedrest for at least the next 4 weeks. And he means business. Only up for showers and potty, he then informs me he needs to give me a steroid shot to speed up Baker's lungs in case he decides he wants to make an early appearance. I then mention to him, ok, but there's one little problem....my first baby shower is tomorrow. He says you can go, but I mean it when I say just sit there, don't do anything. So, I know those of you who don't know what bedrest is like are thinking bedrest? That's awesome. 4 weeks of doing nothing but watching Lifetime movies and reading gossip mags and people waiting on you hand and foot sounds great! And you're right, it does....for one day! I am unfortunately now in the nesting phase and can't do a damn thing about it! I have been on bedrest for 9 days now and it BLOWS!!! I'm bored out of my mind, I can't get comfortable and it's very hard to sleep.

Ok, so Saturday before my shower, I have to go back up to L&D to have another steroid shot. My dad's cousin, Shelley, is also a nurse up there and she is on duty. She informs me that Caro (Joel's mom) wanted her to remind me what bedrest meant...she knows how I get. So, I get the shot it my rear end, not comfy, then head to my shower which was great! Thanks to Christie, Bree and Terry (Christie's mom) and my sis for all their hard work! I get home around 430 and get back in bed. At about 6, I start noticing that I'm having more contractions than usual and they are painful. They started in my back and radiated through to my abdomen. Not fun. So, I keep track of them and by 930, they are getting more intense and are now 3-4 mins apart. I call Joel's mom and she says call your doc now! So I call the doc we saw the day before and he says, get to L&D now, I'll let them know you're coming....oh great~just what I need. So my mom takes me....Joel started a new schedule at work that next day and needed to sleep so I said go to bed and I'll call you if anything significant happens.

32 weeks, 5 days

How your baby's growing:By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.

New Blog!!

Ok, so I figure as far as blogs are concerned, 3rd times a charm! As since I'm not working, I might as well be doing something while doing nothing. So, here's an update!

Today, I am 32 wks and 5 days pregnant. Dr still thinks it will be around mid-February, but isn't quite willing to change the due date. I have another check up tomorrow, then again on the 18th and then again on the 1st. After that, I'm down to once a week. I'm thinking if nothing is happening by 38 weeks, I may have to do something about it! Baker is weighing in at close to 4 lbs and about 16-18" long. My mom told me today she thinks he'll be about 8lbs. Please God, no! I have gained 22 lbs which is still within my goal of 25. We'll see at the appt tomorrow though because I swear all I do these days is eat!

Our house should officially be on the market early next week. I do love this house, but I am ready to get rid of it. I feel it has bad karma. Maybe that's just my pregnancy hormones talking, but I doubt it:) Joel informed me the other day that he is over me bring pregnant. I told him to join the club! I believe that I have come down with the flu over the last few days. I feel yucky and it takes alot just to crawl out of bed....that may also have something to do with the fact that I'm 8.5 months pregnant.

I am certainly getting more and more excited about little Baker joining us soon, but lately I can't help but feel extremely nervous about the labor process and then about actually having to take care of him after he's born! My pregnancy journal has this great quote: "The thing about having a baby is that afterwards, you still have it!" So true. I'll add some maternity pics that I had taken about 10 days before Christmas. Happy New Year everyone!