I wonder...

Last night I had a dream about our baby! (I don't have many so this is exciting :)

I dreamed that we had a baby girl and her name was Lily. She was really cute but she had hairy arms (like Sandy!). In my dream, I skipped from babyhood to toddlerhood in a couple of moments....cause you can do that kind of thing in dreams! She was a really active little girl that I was always chasing after...this part certainly seems like it will become a reality!

I wonder if this dream means anything? Are we having a girl?

Of course, the only other baby dream that I had was a couple of months ago and I dreamed that it was a boy that time.

I can't wait to find out!!!

What's going on this week....

Week Twenty-Nine

Your baby's head is in proportion with body now. He appears more like a newborn
each and every day!
Fat continues to accumulate under the skin -- only now preparing for entering the *real world*.
Your baby's brain can control primitive breathing and body temperatures.
His eyes can move in their sockets. Soon he will be able to follow a blinking light.
Your baby is increasingly sensitive to changes in light, sound, taste, and smell! Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences (or disdain) for particular tastes or odors at this stage.
He is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, he will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if he is performing somersaults for a circus act!
Her length is now approximately 15.2 inches (38.6cm) and weight is 2.54 pounds (1153gm)

Today's update

I had an appointment with Joanne today (at 29 weeks). Everything is still going great!

I have gained another couple of pounds which puts me at plus 25 pounds. It seems like a lot, but I'm eating healthy and exercising, so maybe that's just how it is going to be. Joanne wasn't concerned, so I'm trying not to be either.

Baby's heart rate was 156 beats per minute (as it's been everytime she has measured it!). It's head is still down with it's bum up around my belly button...hopefully it stays put!

The best news is that my stomach muscle separation thing seems to have healed up quite a bit. Joanne was amazed at how much smaller the gap was! I guess a whole month of rolling of the furniture to get up and not lifting anything heavy at all has paid off!

My next appointment is in 3 weeks .... at 32 weeks ..... EEEEK!!!

The third trimester!

It's been a while since I last posted. Just carrying out my day-to-day activities was absolutely wearing me out! But, after a couple of nights of going to bed at 9pm and sleeping through until 7am (well, aside from the trips down the hall to the washroom!), I am feeling much better.

I even went out tonight! This is a big deal because usually by 7pm, I am flat out on the couch. But, I had a good sleep last night and felt energetic enough to go out to a movie with 2 girlfriends.

The baby seems to get really active whenever there is loud noise. The other day I was teaching a grade 3 class. We went to gym where they were doing fitness stations so I turned on some music for them. It was pretty loud and the baby was moving around like crazy! And, tonight at the movie theatre, the volume was high and again, the baby was rocking and rolling!

I am definitely getting larger and there is certainly no mistaking that I am pregnant now! We are officially into the 3rd trimester at 28 weeks 2 days. Apparently, the baby is gaining half a pound a week now. I weighed myself tonight and I am a bit concerned because I think I'm going to weigh more than Sandy by the time I'm full term!!! He's still got a good 15 pounds on me, but boy! It's pretty crazy to see such a high number on the scale...actually, I kind of have to lean forward and look around my belly... I noticed tonight that I can no longer look directly down and see my feet!!!

Buddha Belly!

ZZZzzzzz....

I. am. so. tired.

A good night's sleep seems to have become a thing of the past. As soon as I lie down in bed, the baby decides it is time to start practicing it's circus act. Add this to the fact that I am a tummy sleeper (very difficult when there is a basketball permanently attached to your abdomen!). Plus, I have to get up 45 times a night to use the washroom. Maybe this lack of sleep is nature's way of helping to prepare me for the sleep deprivation that comes with having a newborn!

3 months from .... TODAY!!!!

3 months from today is our baby's due date! I'm pretty sure the baby won't be born on exactly April 15th, but still!!! 3 months!!!

I worked at Fairhearts this afternoon and a lady who was shopping for some clothes said to me, "I guess you'll get to meet your baby in a couple of weeks"....um, no....not for another couple of months! Even though I was laughing, I think she felt bad because she started going on and on about how some women don't eat very much when they are pregnant and are so conscious of how big they get and she thought I looked fine. She should have stopped after the first comment!

Belly pictures!

For Christmas, my Mom and Dad gave me a new digital camera. It's very fancy and when I get it all figured out, I'll be able to take some very cool photos. For now, I am taking regular-type photos and playing with the new software that came with the camera!

This collage is an example of one of the neat things that I have figured out so far. I've been taking weekly belly pictures so that I can look and see how much my tummy has grown. It is tough to tell since it's on me, but when I look at the pictures, I can really notice a difference!

26 weeks!!!

Your baby may weigh about two pounds now (average is 1.7 pound, 760gm) and is 14 inches (35.6cm) in length

To support the fetus's growing body, the spine is getting stronger and more supple. Though no longer than the span of the average adult hand, it is now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings, and some 1,000 ligaments.

Air sacs in the lungs form now.

Lungs begin to secrete a greasy substance called surfactant. Without surfactant the fetal lungs would stick together and couldn't expand after the baby is born.

Although they've been sealed shut for the last few months, your baby's eyes are opening and beginning to blink this week. Depending on ethnicity, some babies will be born with blue or gray-blue eyes (which may change color in the first 6 months of life) and some will be born with brown or dark eyes.

Retinas begin to form.

Brain wave activity for hearing and sight begins to be detectable.

Fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn his head, which according to researchers, means his optic nerve is working.

Active baby!

Usually I only feel the baby move around in the evening --- when I am lying still and concentrating. But, not today! This little baby must be feeling restless or something because all day long, I have been feeling punches and kicks and flips .... all kinds of movement!

It's a little distracting when you are trying to talk to a class full of Kindergarten students and all of a sudden, your baby gives a big kick! Speaking of the Kindergarten students, I'm noticing that it is getting increasingly difficult to bend at the waist...this is a bit of a problem when you are teaching in a class where half of the group needs help tying their shoelaces!!!

News from midwife appointment yesterday

I had an appointment with Joanne yesterday. Overall, it was okay. Baby is still growing well and my measurements are right on track. The baby's heart rate was 156 beats per minute (same as always!). My blood pressure is good and my uterus feels very healthy and toned (I have no idea what that feels like, but I know it's a good thing!)

However, I had the joy of weighing myself and found out that I had a huge weight gain over the past four weeks --- 12 pounds to be exact! YIKES! My total gain for the whole pregnancy is 18 pounds, so Joanne wasn't concerned at all. I definitely enjoyed lots of yummy food over Christmas holidays, but I think it's time to get back to eating only healthy foods with an occasional treat instead of the other way around!

During my examination, Joanne noticed that my stomach muscles are starting to separate around my belly button (a condition that can occur during pregnancy called diastasis rectus). She wasn't concerned about it and just said that I should be more careful about getting up properly. I am supposed to roll off the couch or bed and not use my tummy muscles to pull myself up. Also, I shouldn't be lifting anything heavy...sounds good to me!

Of course, I came home and googled this condition and found all kinds of scary horror stories on the internet to sufficiently scare me into a state of panic. So, I called Joanne this morning to go over it again. She said that right now, I have a mild case and if I'm careful, it may correct itself during pregnancy and if it doesn't, there are exercises that I can do after the baby is born that will pull the muscles back together. She said I can continue curling, going to aerobics, and going to yoga --- just to listen to my body and only do what feels okay.

Guess I'll just have to remind myself that I am *actually* pregnant and need to take it easy every once in a while. ;)

Just had to share...

I was reading through a baby website tonight and browsing the section that tells what is going on with the baby at 25 weeks. The site shows this picture as what the baby looks like now!

Happy New Year!

Wow...2008! The past year was great for us and I'm sure the new year will be amazing. Lots of changes for sure....in four short months, we'll have a baby!

Baby is 25 weeks today. According to www.pregnancy.org, the baby is officially viable! We really want it stay put for another 15 weeks or so, but that's still pretty cool.

The baby weighs about 1.5 pounds and is about 14 inches long. This week the structures of the spine are forming, the lungs are continuing to develop, and it's dexterity is improving (baby can make a fist and would clasp an object placed in it's hand!)

Here's to a great year ~ Cheers!