33 Weeks

When we did our first anatomy scan, the ultrasound technician talked about how important it was to get to at least 32 weeks for the baby's viability and overall health.  At the time, it meant nothing to me, because Beckett's pregnancy was such a breeze that I took for granted we would get to 32 weeks with this baby girl - far beyond, in fact!  

Never have I been more glad to have my picture taken with no makeup on and my hair undone.  This is Baby Girl and I at 33 weeks.  I am now very thankful for every additional pregnancy picture we can take!

Here's what Baby Center has to say about 33 weeks:

How your baby's growing:

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. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with aconehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How your life's changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist.

Here is a video of what life is like for Baby Girl right now:

Inside Pregnancy Weeks 28 through 37

A 3D animated look at a baby in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Little Miss

Someone is getting excited to meet us! I have been feeling a little differently the past two days, like Baby Girl is dropping and pushing downward. I texted Shonn jokingly this morning and said it felt like she could come anytime... Then I talked to the doctor about scheduling my c-section (date set later than originally planned!), and off-handedly described what I have been feeling. Well, he wanted me to come in to do a non-stress test (oh, the irony), so I left work and went in to the office. The test indicated i was having contractions every 2-3 minutes! They sent me to the hospital for fluids and some medicine to stop the contractions. I'm actually typing this in Room 203 of St. Anthony's hospital, where I had Beckett.

Okay, the doctor just came in and said the medicine is working - yay! He also said I have to be on Level 2 bed rest, which means I can't work. I will be home "until further notice". They usually release at 37 weeks because it is considered full-term, so that's about 4 weeks from now. I have an appointment a week from today and they will check to see if I'm dilated at all. We will know more then.

I have talked to my bosses, and they have all been very supportive and kind. I even had to call Mark Forget, who I do consulting for, because I was supposed to fly to Oklahoma City in two weeks. He was so nice. I also have to cancel my trip to Chicago this week, which is another flight to cancel. I can only hope the airlines will be as supportive. Haha!

Of course, our family has been wonderful. In fact Beckett is at the farm today, and Jim and Janis are going to bring him home later. My dad is driving down with Shonn to pick me up. The nurses were really sweet, too.

So, that's where we are at this point. It's been a stressful day. This morning, i never would have guessed i would be lying in the hospital by the end of the day. I'm just so so so thankful she looks good and her heartbeat is strong. I can't wait to meet you, either, Baby Girl, but let's hold on a little while longer. XO

Pics are of: 1) when I realized this was "for real"; 2) the couch where Shonn tried to sleep about 22 months ago; and 3) the dreaded iv, which took 3 tries.

Pot o' Gold

Here is the craft we made today. It was quick and easy. And cute! Beckett remembered the word smock from the last time we painted, too, and he really wanted a leprechaun on the rainbow, which he said "God made". (He learned that from Noah's story.)

Bambi in the Thicket?

We got the original Bambi movie from the library and I had no idea how much Beckett would love it! We went for a walk behind our house to see Shonn's trail cam and looked for Bambi, Thumper, Feline, and Flower. Beckett was also very curious about where Bambi's dad might be. (I'm sure Shonn would like to know, too...for different reasons.)

Snowman

Merman and papa stopped by to help make a snowman today. It was fun, and Beckett enjoyed eating some snow, too. :)

Happy birthday, Ava!

Ava had a swim party today so we went to Effingham to celebrate!

Stylish Footwear

Beckett has been putting on slippers, socks, and even Boogie Monster leg warmers when he wakes up. Here are a few of his best looks.

"Lexi Licking, Mama!"

The other day when I was getting ready, Beckett spilled his cup of milk. He started laughing and said, "Lexi's licking, mama!" I went to get a few paper towels and when I headed back to the bathroom, I heard, "Mmmm! Delicious!" This is what I saw when I got there. Oh dear.

Dino Mobile

I found a cute preschool craft website this morning, and they had tons of dinosaur crafts. Ive been really itching to use my friend Marissa's cricut, and i got to make a huge dinosaur sign with it for one if the crafts. (First pic)

Beckett picked out the Pteronadon mobile (I'm really going to have to learn how to spell all of these creatures' names) and we had a lot of fun making it. He knows so many dinosaurs!

He also made a beautiful brontosaurus with the scarlet crayon on the seat of our white upholstered office chair. :)

Valentine's Day 2

Beckett was hard at work making us some wonderful Valentines this year. Janis had some darling craft ideas and made delicious cookies for us. I love the picture with Beckett's hands because he still says "hold you" when he wants us to pick him up or cuddle. I don't want to teach him the right thing to say because it's just so precious.

The tulips were from Shonn - gorgeous. My parents even brought a big bear and candy to school! (Big bear is with Beckett in the last pic.)

We made some crafts for his library and Bright Start teachers, and some treats for his Bright Starts class, too!

Boogie Feet!

Beckett loves his Boogie Monster feet and uses them to dance on his dinosaur.

Wheeee!

Shonn and Beckett enjoy the snow day!

Snow day fun!

32 weeks!

Baby girl!



Our appointments went really well today! I was shocked to hear we are at the weekly appointment point in the pregnancy. I feel like it has gone so much faster than it did with Beckett. My blood pressure was still really low (110/70) and I'm weighing less than I was at this point with B. (I think she's burning extra calories for me with all her dance moves!)

I out a comparison of the 2 pictures to show how much baby and brother look alike! Te girl that did our ultrasound today has never done a 3D before so it isn't quite as clear, but it was amazing in person. We also had an echocardiogram so we saw unbelievable images of her heart and the miracle of our design, even at 4 pounds! The doctor said she was beautiful and that everything looked great, which was a relief. Beckett was very curious and watched carefully as they scanned my stomach and he told the doctor "baby sissy is in there" and pointed. :) He is such a sweetie and a charmer.

From Babycenter.com:

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 gainingo about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, your little one will gain a third to half of his or her birth weight during the next seven weeks as he or she fattens up for survival outside the womb. Your baby now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). The skin on your baby's body is becoming soft and smooth as he or she plumps up in preparation for birth.
Sent from the My Pregnancy Today app

Sent from my iPhone

Hadleigh's House

My friend Allison and I have swapped some clothes - her little guy, Hampton, is exactly a year younger than Beckett, and Hadeigh has already outgrown the wardrobe of six fashionistas.  So, we traded some clothes. I hope this works out until our kids are 18. (Our husbands hope so even more.)

Here are a couple quick pics of the two buds playing while the Mommas dished and closet shopped.

I can't believe how tall Hadleigh looks here!  She just turned 3 in December.  Beckett will be 2 in April.

Valentine's Day

I think this is our fifth year of heart-shaped pizza! (First year Chef Beckett contributed.) We had a great night!

Grocery list

Beckett wanted to add a few things to the grocery list today.

Practicing

Janis takes Beckett to playgroup every Thursday and he seems to love it. Janis does such a great job of including me by sending me pictures of what they do all day. Today, she sent some super-cute pictures of Beckett feeding a baby. I think this is so sweet because it's obviously something we've never taught him at home, but he sure seems to be qualified to be a big brother!

Scientist

I bought this little magnifying table at a resale shop in town and it is so cute. Beckett has started inspecting things underneath it, and Janis sent me this picture of him examining his dinosaurs under the magnifying glass. I thought it was so cute!

Start Your Engines

While at Carly's, the boys started their own derby and raced through the house on a dino, a trike, and a walker. Hilarious!

Growing Business

Shonn has not really had any time off!  He was installing patios and walls all the way into January and has been busy with estimates and designs since then.  I'm so excited for the future of his business and all the ideas he has to make it grow!  Today he was looking at new machinery that would increase his potential and build equity - I know very little about the actual machines except they are big and nice and he knows what he is doing!

Snow-ing Cream

Instead of shaving cream, we made snow-ing cream. One of the teachers at my school had the coolest art project on her bulletin board.  I asked her about it, and she said it was a mixture of shaving cream and glue, with shapes stuck in for decoration.  We tried it tonight and they turned out so cute!  We made a snowman on one piece of paper and a blizzard on the other.  

Click click click

Beckett discovered his tongue could be a rhythmic instrument...

Big Boy Chair

Someone wants a BIG BOY Chair.  He eats so well.  Tonight we had tacos, and he ate it like a salad with a ton of lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and (of course) MEAT.

Arrgh, Matey

We found some cute pirate crafts on Pinterest tonight and made a couple of masks. As soon as I put one on Beckett, he said, "ARRGH, Matey."  I think he learned this from when I have put shirts with a pirate on him, but I'm amazed at how much he remembers!

Daddy takes a turn!