Week 39

Well folks the big day is almost upon us.  If all goes according to plan the c-section should be on Monday morning. I can’t believe all of our planning and prepping has come down to this.  I can’t believe we are so close to welcoming our son into the world.  I can’t believe so many things right now.  Just keep us in your hearts and prayers as we move on to this next phase of our life.  It will be challenging and it will be fun.  I honestly can’t wait to get started on it.

Here are some pictures of the nursery and all the stuff we have received.  A special thank you goes out to all those who have helped us along the way, either through gifts, support or both.  It is appreciated.

By the way.  I put together a lot of stuff and this turned out to be the hardest piece of all.  I can’t believe what it took to get it assembled.

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Your Baby (replace the she for he)

One uncomfortable complaint of late pregnancy is frequent hiccups. No, not you, your baby. Because there is no air around your baby, when she practices breathing, it can cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe, resulting in those regularly spaced thumps that make you think you’re carrying a jumping bean in your belly. Other news this week:

The lanugo (an exotic word for soft, downy hair) that used to cover your baby’s body has mostly disappeared, but you may find a bit leftover on the shoulders, forehead and neck. Don’t freak and think you’ve given birth to a monkey: It’ll fall out soon.

The color of baby’s skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color (even in babes with dark skin). These changes are due to the amount of fat your little pudger is putting on. The circumference of your baby’s head and abdomen are about the same size now (though you may not be able to tell if your baby’s born with the common cone-shaped head!).

The placenta is lending your Mini antibodies that’ll keep him strong and healthy after birth. That said, it’s still a good idea to invest in that mega-size bottle of hand sanitizer.

At this point your little critter is about 19 to 20 inches long and weights about 7 pounds. That’s just around the size of a large rabbit. What’s up Doc?

via 39 Weeks Pregnant – 3D Pregnancy Calendar

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Haiku – The Bump

Baby on the way

A mother shows – baby grows

It will soon be time

For more on my journey you can check out this site.  http://fetustomeetus.wordpress.com/

 

Week 34

Babymoon 2

It has been nice getting away for a few days.  We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to have not only one, but two Babymoons this year.

The first one was at the beach and though it was relaxing, it wasn’t anything compared to what we have been experiencing in the mountains this week – colder weather or cooler weather I should say.  We haven’t had the air conditioning on at all since we got here.  The windows stay open all the time.  I can even sit on the deck in the afternoon and not die of a heat stroke.  Right now (Wednesday morning) I am sitting out on the deck in long pants, socks, and a tee-shirt.  Folks, I might just need to go grab a long sleeve until the sun comes up.  With the breeze it is down right chilly – fall like.

How has the trip been?  Mom to be has done a lot of relaxing, including a pedicure.  I am so happy to see that.  She needs it.  Baby to be seems to be enjoying the weather as well.  He’s been very active this week.  Two more full days left after today and then back to the heat of home.  Maybe the hot spell will have broken just a bit before we get back.

We didn’t go to the West Virginia mountains, just the Carolina ones.  This song seemed to fit the moment though.

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(replace the she for he) Your baby kind of looks like she’s coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she’s born you’ll probably see some vernix lingering in her “hard-to-reach” places like under her arms, behind her ears and around her va-jay-jay, if she’s a she.. Other news from the womb this week:

The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby’s body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone. Your baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.

This week, your baby measures about 17¾ inches, as almost as long as an American Girl Doll (!) and weighs almost 5 pounds, as heavy as a bag of sugar, minus the cup you put in your decaf this morning.

via 34 Weeks Pregnant – 3D Pregnancy Calendar

Yes my wife is pregnant, quit asking!

There is a trend that I am starting to notice when my wife (who is now 8 months pregnant) is out in public.   People always stop and comment on her belly.  Complete strangers just walk up and start talking to her about it.  I understand the curiosity factor, but people need to lay off.  I don’t mind family or friends saying things – don’t get me wrong there.  They are close to us and they know us, so we know how we are with each other.

I just can’t believe how rude complete strangers can be to her.  I don’t think they mean to, but would you walk up to an obese person and comment on their belly?  Of course not.  So why is it okay to comment on my wife’s belly?  I just don’t get it.

I don’t mind if someone comes up and asks if it is a boy or a girl, when is he due, etc.  Just don’t talk about how big she is or how big your daughter wasn’t when she was 8 months along or how huge she is for 8 months.  Use common sense and be courteous to her.

Recently, some random stranger just walked up and asked about her belly.  He didn’t say hello, didn’t say congratulations first.  He just went into some diatribe about how big she is and how she must be due soon.  It made her very uncomfortable.  I know he meant well and that his heart was in the right place, but take a clue.  Just leave her alone.

I guess the human animal has a certain curiosity about pregnant bellies.  I see people all the time looking at her with a little half-smile and I wonder what they are thinking.

We did have a cute moment in the park a few days ago.  A little girl walked by and pointed at my wife’s belly.  Her mom was embarrassed and explained to her that it is rude to point, and then told her to ask if there is a baby in my wife’s belly.  The little girl asked very sweetly, my wife invited her to touch her belly, and the mom was very thankful and apologetic.  Then the mom explained to the little girl something about a baby inside my wife and they moved on.

See, that’s the way you do it.  I wish more people would learn the proper etiquette when it comes to approaching a pregnant woman.