35 Weeks!!!

According to "What to expect" for this week-- at about 20 inches & 5.5 lbs, most of baby's growth over the next month or so will be in weight, not height (baby has pretty much reached the in-utero limit in that dept). Fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days. Back in the middle of my pregnancy, baby's weight was made up of only 2% fat, now that percentage has soared to closer to 15% (and it will increase to 30% at term). Baby's once skinny arms & legs are now quite plump.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds the brain, the skull, remains soft. & for good reason, a soft skull will allow the baby to squeeze more easily thru the birth canal. Imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head! Yeah, well, I'm still trying to imagine pushing out a soft skulled head.

I went to the Dr yesterday. I'm still swollen. My blood pressure was fine though. I might have some kind of urine infection though. They are sending it to the lab. I haven't noticed anything different though. I also got tested for Strep B. Will get the results for that next week too. I guess if you have it, you just need antibiotics during delivery. Baby's heartbeat was in the 140's.

Sneak Peek of photos

Nikki has a "sneak peek" of our maternity shoot on her blog. The address is http://www.nicolewelch.wordpress.com/ Check it out!

Maternity photo shoot

Today Jason & I did a maternity photo shoot with my good friend, Nikki. She does awesome work for anyone needing a photographer!! I don't have any photos to show you yet. I will post a link whenever she has a chance to work on them. I can't wait to see them!!! It was really fun and she did a lot of poses. She did quite a few pics with just me and then ones with me and Jason, even Rascal decided he didn't want to be left out and is in some of the pics. Silly dog! We took pics all around our house and even braved the cold and did a few outside. So look for these pics in the coming week!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to give a shout out to my husband, Jason. Today is his 29th Birthday! I hope you have a good day, J!! I love you!!!! :)

34 Weeks!!

According to "What to expect" for this week, baby could be as tall as 20 inches right now & could weigh about 5 lbs. If baby is a boy, this week his testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to his scrotum. Baby's fingernails now reach the end of the fingertips & may even curl over the tip, making a manicure one of the 1st things I'll need to do for this baby.

I went to the Dr yesterday. Everything is ok for now. My blood pressure & urine were both good. She checked my swollen feet and seemed satisfied with them. They are still very swollen though. I haven't gained any weight since my appt last week, in fact, I lost a pound. So that is good! Baby's heartbeat was in the 140's. I have now entered the home stretch and will visit the Dr weekly. Where the heck did the time go?? It seems like it was just May and I was peeing on a stick and finding out I was pregnant and thinking I had a long way to go & now the time is almost here. Jason & I are gonna be parents in 6 weeks or less. Um.....YIKES!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, I went to do the banking for work. I usually just go through the drive-thru, but I had to go in to get something notarized. Usually the same guy notarizes for me every time. He knows I'm pregnant & his wife just had a baby in June so he's a bit familiar with pregnancies. So anyway, he's like "How far along are you again?? Wait, let me guess!!!!" So I'm waiting to see what he comes up with. He says "5 months!" I said, "Nope, I'm due next month!" He says "Really??? U are prlly gonna have a 6 or 7 lb baby. My wife was 3 times your size at 8 months." HAHA. I'm sure his wife would love that he said that about her. Anyway, I just thought it was funny.

Shower pics

Isn't this cake so cute??

Some of my gifts.

Flower centerpieces and M & M favor boxes

Mom, Gretch, Me, Kirsten & Corinne

Me & the "Good things come in small packages" onesie

Me with the lion bank Cory gave me.

Me with this cute picture frame.

Jason's mom embroidered this quilt for Baby O,

this picture doesn't do it justice. It turned out

so cute!! Nice work MIL!

Jason's "Aunt" Karen embroidered a bunch of things

for us too. These are some of my favs. I love the cap

that says "ORF" on it.

2nd Baby Shower

Yesterday, I had my 2nd baby shower. My sis-in-law, Alli and my mother-in-law, Janet did a really nice job! Everything was really cute. The cake spelled out "BABY" in block letters & each block was a different flavor of cake (chocolate, white, yellow or marble). For the favors, they ordered special M & M's and some of them said "Welcome Baby Orf" and others said "Boy or Girl?" and they put them in these little plastic baby boxes tied with ribbon. For the centerpieces, they had an assortment of flowers and the vase was a baby block. Really cute. I got the motherload of gifts. I feel like I was opening gifts forever. Everyone was so generous. I really appreciate it!!! I will post some pictures when I get a chance.
On a side note, I found some shoes that actually fit me!!!! SCORE! Never mind that they are a size 11 but it's better than wearing flip flops when it's cold out. They aren't the cutest thing, but they'll work for now.

33 Weeks!!

According to "What to expect" for this week, baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length & weigh more than 4 & 1/2 lbs. At this stage in fetal development, baby could grow a full inch more this week alone--especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in my uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks, making it likely I have more baby than fluid now. That is one reason I'm probably feeling lots of nudges & pushes becuz there's less liquid to cushion the blows.

If my uterine walls had eyes, here's what I'd see: fetus is acting more & more like a baby with his or her eyes closing during sleep & opening while awake. & Because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping baby differentiate between day & night. ( I wish they'd know the difference once they are outside the womb!!!)

Baby has reached an important milestone about now: the development of his or her immune system that (along with antibodies from me) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

Jason & I went last night to try and find some comfy shoes for me. Yeah, no such luck. It's really kinda depressing. I hardly fit into any shoe. I thought clogs would work, but I can't even fit my foot into some of those. I even tried some men's shoes out of desperation. Luckily, I can just wear slippers at work. I guess I'll just have to stuff my sausage feet into some shoes if I go out in public or resort to wearing flip flops. I am soo glad it's not warm out right now. It would be good for the flip flops but I think the swollen-ness might be even worse in warm weather. I'm feeling a bit nervous now about everything. I should probably wash some baby outfits and pack my hospital bag just in case something would happen & I'd have to deliver early. I'd rather be prepared than not. I hope my swelling goes down some before my dr appt next week.

Dr appt

So I went to the dr today for my appt. I've gained quite a bit of weight since my last appt 2 weeks ago. The Dr comes in the room and says "U can't have gained that much weight since the last time?" I said "Look at my feet, they are soo swollen." She says "Oh my, u must have a lot of water weight!" She said she can even see it my in face. (Yeah, my face is fat!) So she is concerned now that I might develop preeclampsia. She said my blood pressure & urine are great. But she wants to keep an eye on the swollen-ness. So I have an appt next week again. I'm also suppose to buy some different shoes too cuz the shoes I wear cut off my circulation. I actually looked yesterday at Payless & Wal-mart for some cheap shoes but didn't see any. I think I will just wear slippers at work. Good thing I don't have too much longer to go!!!!

32 Weeks!!

According to "What to expect" this week, baby weighs almost 4 lbs & could be up to 19 inches long. Although that is a head to toe length, baby is actually back to a curled up position. Hopefully baby has also settled into the head-down, bottoms up position in preparation for birth. If it hasn't, there's still a good chance he/she will flip head down, even in the tight confines of my uterus.

While baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before it will be getting breast milk &/or formula. In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, baby's digestive system is all set & ready to go. Because baby is accumulating more fat, his/her skin is finally turning opaque (like ours). Baby is looking more & more like a newborn!!

I think I'm ready to be done with this whole pregnancy thing. I'm still overall fine. But I've been having a lot acid reflux lately and it's not fun. Plus this baby is camped out on my right side and likes to kick/punch me and it's getting uncomfortable! Plus I look like a balloon cuz I'm all swollen. Only 56 days left to go. I still don't know where the time went!!!! I can now tell people I'm due next month! Aaaaaaaaaah.

Baby Shower

I had my 1st baby shower on Sat, Nov 1st. Gretchen, My mom, Cory & Kirstie did a really good job with it. Everything was so cute. They had a "Sweet Pea" theme. They also made cute sugar cookies for favors. People came quite a distance for my shower. My Gma Capuano, Gma Liebner & Aunt Janell came down from Milwaukee. Aunt Irene came in from Seattle but flew to Milwaukee and drove with the Grandmas' and Janell down to St Louis. My friend, Erika, came from Kansas City. And the biggest surprise was my friend, Amy. She came in from Cleveland. I had no idea she was coming, she had told me she wouldn't be able to make it. Thank you all for making the trip! Baby Orf got a lot of wonderful things and I had fun opening everything. We also had everyone bring a book instead of a card and we got a lot of great books. Can't wait to read them! Here are some pics from the shower.




Onesie "Welcome" sign at the clubhouse

Sugar cookie shower favors

Isn't this cake the cutest???

Me & the sisters

Gretchen & I

Cory & Kirstie

Kirstie made me this blanket and wrote me the

sweetest poem. I cried!

Mom & Aunt Irene

Me & Fellow Preggie, Erika

Amy, Me, Nikki & Gretch

Aunt Irene, me & Aunt Janell

Gma Capuano, Me & Gma Liebner