32 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

By now the baby weighs 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama- see picture for reference) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus (which I can feel). I am gaining about a pound a week (sometimes more, sometimes less in my case) and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, she will 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 is the Mommy doing...

Oh my gosh...I can not believe that we have less than 60 days! I was telling John that once August gets here, we are having a baby next month, crazy! I am actually starting to get more and more scared. I am so excited about meeting our little girl and holding her but I am also scared of this little tiny thing. I know it is first time mom fears and I hope as soon as I see her all my worries will disappear.

This week has been a pretty exhausting week. On Monday I was able to make it down to Pearland and see the progress my mom and sister had made on her classroom which is amazing! She has an awesome jungle themed reading corner with these cool leaf umbrella things we found at Ikea. I am so excited for her and for the students that will be in her class this year. After seeing the classroom we went and laminated all of the stuff for her boards and posters and then we headed to her place to start the never ending process of cutting things out. It took forever and I ended up spending the night there. On Tuesday, John and Titus headed over to my sister's place to meet up with me, my mom and Ashley and we took both of the dogs to the dog park. They had a blast! I again ended up spending the night becuase I was just too tired to drive home. I finally stayed at my house on Wednesday night and I starting to catch back up on my sleep.

My doctor's appointment on Friday went well and everything is progressing as it should. Later that day I met up with my sisters and we all had lunch and then just hung out that afternoon. The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing, watching Batman, having some friends over for dinner and just resting.

Other than being tired from this week, everything else is going well and our little girl is definitly running out of room and I can feel her move even the slighest bit. John was able to feel two strong kicks last night and even felt her move from one side to the other. It has also been fun trying to figure out which body part I am feeling (so far elbow/knee has been winning).

I will try and get some more pictures up during the week so stay posted!

• Next Doctor's Appointment: Friday, August 1

How is the Daddy doing...

John had a nice relaxing weekend as well and has been challenged by a recent bible study to examine his work/life balance and see where he might need to make some changes. Pray for guidance as well as diligence in maintaining the right balance in his life.

31 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

This week the baby measures over 16 inches long and she weighs about 3.3 pounds (about four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.

How is the Mommy doing...

Well, I know that babycenter.com says that our little girl is about to head into a growth spurt but I honestly think she started that a week early. This week has been so uncomfortable! I know she has gotten significantly larger because I feel every little movement now and have even started feeling her kicks up high as opposed to low kicks which have been the norm. Overall, this week has been pretty rough with an annoying stretching/burning pain on my left side, constant back pain and just general discomfort. Hopefully my body will adapt to this growth spurt and I can be comfortable again. Also, according to our survey results (which you should take if you haven't), most people think that she will be arriving a week early and I am starting to think that as well.

Other than being uncomfortable the week was really quiet and we really didn't do much because I was feeling bad. Our glider arrived and we put that together. It is so comfortable and I loved sitting in it and almost fell asleep. We also put together a swing and set that up in the living room. It is pretty exciting to see baby stuff flowing outside of the baby's room. I made Titus sit down in front of the swing and then I turned it all on with everything going (music and mobile too) just to see what his reaction was, well, he pretty much glanced at it, glanced at me with a look that read, "really mom, am I supposed to be interested," and walked off. So that is good that he really doesn't care. It might be a different story with a crying baby in it but it is a start.

My mom flew into town on Friday and it has been a crazy weekend! I ended up spending the night at my sister's Friday night and then Saturday we all went out to start getting supplies for her new classroom. We went for 15 hours straight and got so much stuff. It was tons of fun planning out bulletin boards and the reading corner. I didn't get home until around 11 that night and went straight to bed. I am surprised that I lasted the whole day! Then today we went out and finished up more things for her classroom and made a visit to Babies R Us to take advantage of some 15% coupons I have been collecting. We are slowly collecting more and more baby supplies and eliminating things off the list. We still have a little ways to go but it it comforting to be making some progress. My mom is leaving on Wednesday so hopefully I can make it down to Pearland at least one more night to spend some more time with her and then she will be down here August 3 for good!

Other news, John and I have been having some discussions about the baby's name and it is actually in negotiation right now (long story on why). Please pray for us as we try to determine what is the best name for our little girl.

I have a doctor's appointment this upcoming Friday which should be pretty routine and other than that this week should be pretty calm. On a side note, work has been very slow lately which is good that I am not having to be stressed but I have been very bored. Please pray that it either picks up or I find something to occupy my time while there. 

• Next Doctor's Appointment: This Friday (July 25)

How is the Daddy doing...

Since I was hanging out with my family pretty much all weekend, John took the chance to rent four guy movies: Alien vs. Predator (lame), I Am Legend (good), Hit Man (pretty good), Live Free or Die Hard (awesome as expected). Also, this week I remembered that John somehow got out of wearing the pregnancy back pack in our childbirth class so we made our own and John wore it around for a hour. Check out the picture of him acting so uncomfortable. 

Current Survey Results (as of 7/18)...

Since I can't get the survey to show you the results when you are done, I will just create a section for them and update them weekly.

If you haven't taken our fun little survey yet, you should, just click on the 'Baby Survey' link under the links section on the left!

1. When will Baby Acord make her appearance? 71.4 % say a week before (week of 9/14) and 28.6% think a week late (week of 9/29)
2. What time of day will baby Acord make her appearance? 57.1% think in the morning (6 AM- Noon), 28.6% think the afternoon (Noon-Four) and 14.3% think the evening (Four - Nine)
3. How much will baby Acord weigh? 57.1% think between 6-7 lbs, 28.6% believe she will weigh between 7-8 lbs and 14.3% think she will weigh over 8 lbs (I really hope the 14.3% are wrong)
4. How long will baby Acord be? Pretty split but 57.1% think she will be between 16-17 inches and 42.9% think she will be between 18-19 inches
5. Who will baby Acord resemble most? I am pretty flattered that 57.1% think she will look like me while 28.6% think she will look like a combination of John and me and only 14.3% think she will look like John
6. How much hair will baby Acord have? Since I had no hair, I am really hoping that the 71.4% that think she will have an average amount of hair are right. 28.6% think she will be like me and have no hair.

30 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

She is about 15.7 inches long now and hse weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of a cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluiod surronds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision- which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

How is the Mommy doing...

I can't believe we only have 10 more weeks to go! Crazy how it seems like the other day we found out we were pregnant!

After waiting so long to really feel her kick, she is making up for lost time, especially between 11-5! I love feeling

her kick, hiccup and move around. She is still pretty fickle though and although I say she is making up for lost time she only gives you one good kick a hour so it is still difficult for John to really feel her move since there is so much moving. She is a pretty mellow baby. Feeling her move though is a wonderful feeling and reminds me how much I love her and am so excited about her arrival. Absolutely the best part of being pregnant!

This week we finished our classes at the hospital with infant care and we are now supposedly ready to go through this whole birth process. We will probably do some follow up reading in the next couple of weeks and then in a month or so pack our bags etc. We are looking into taking an infant CPR and first aid class which will only be two nights so it is nice that we have our Monday nights back!

I finally got some more information on the glider and why it hadn't been shipped and Target pretty much told me it would take an additional six weeks maybe. Pretty much they were no help. So I ended up canceling my order and finding a cheaper and better matching glider on another website and it shipped out on Thursday so I should get it on Wednesday!

I had a dentist appointment on Thursday and praise that everything was healthy. I have read that with pregnancy and the influx of hormones that you can develop some inflamation and some gum issues and given my past dental history I was a little worried that pregnancy could make things worse but I actually had a better report from the dentist this time then I did in November before I was pregnant!

John and I have been walking more and more this week and I even ventured on a 2.5 mile walk to rent a movie on Thursday night. It is nice to get out an exercise even if I have to walk pretty slow. Hopefully we can continue our nightly walks as long as possible.

I had Friday off (part of my Summer Friday) and John and I made it over to my doctor's appointment in the morning and everything is still looking good. I have been having some pain on my left side (upper left abdomen) that feels like burning and just stretching and only comes later in the day/evening. She suggested trying out a maternity belt and helping alleviate some of the pulling and stretching so I need to start looking into that. I am now going to the doctor every two weeks and am anxiously waiting for 36 weeks where we get to have our final ultrasound to check if she has moved head down. John and I can not wait to see her and see how much she has grown. After the doctor's appointment we visited two additional day care places and then went back to one to do a second tour and ask some lingering questions. After having lunch and discussing all of the options we decided on a day care (Primrose) and went ahead and registered her for a January 5, 2009 start date. After that we went and visited our friend Sarah and her little girl Emma who was born end of May. It was great to see how much Emma has grown and also be able to pick Sarah's brain on advice based on her experience in the early parts of being a mom. I love that Avery will have other kids her age around and am looking forward to being a parent with so many of our friends. After that we went and hung out with our small group and had dinner and then headed over to Main Event for laser tag and bowling, both of which I had to sit out but my sister was John's partner in my place and it was still fun.

Saturday and Sunday we started on the "to do before the baby comes" list and did some major cleaning, organizing and just general things around the house that we never seem to have time for. We are just trying to get litttle things done before the baby comes because we know that we will have even less time once she is here.

This upcoming week is remarkably quiet. I am really looking forward to Friday becausemy mom will be in town for a couple of days. I can't wait to see her (I haven't seen her since January) and am hoping that the baby will save up some good kicks for her to feel when she is here.

Please pray for John and I and preparing for the baby. We (more like I) have been pretty overwhelmed the past few weeks with all of the gear that she needs and just some normal fears about becoming a mom. Pray that we are comforted and not stressed so we can enjoy these last few weeks.

• Next Doctor's Appointment: July 25 

How is the Daddy doing...

John loves visiting Sarah and baby Emma and is very excited about his little girl. Seeing Robbie interact with Emma when he came home really got John excited about how although his evenings will be different how great they will be caring for his little daughter. He has decided that he is tired of running and is going to try a general fitness program instead of running for insane hours every weekend. So, we will probably need to start looking into transferring his Houston marathon entry to someone. 

Also, some friends of our created a fun survey when they were waiting for their little girl to arrive so we thought we would join in the fun. Check our links section to particpate or you can click here.

29 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

Avery now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, I will need plenty of protein, vitamin C , folic acid and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I will need to make sure to get my calcium as this trimester about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in her hardening skeleton each day.

How is the Mommy doing...

This week started off with us going to our second to last class and going on a tour of the hospital. It was great to be able to see where we will be in September and go over the process. It is very reassuring to know what rooms we will be in when and where Avery will be going and just the procedure to expect. Our last class is this Monday where we will be going over basic infant care. After that John and I are going to sit down and review some of the things we learned and write out our contact list and just go over things that I will need and I think will help during labor. 

Tuesday we were able to meet up my dad who was in town helping my sister move into her new apartment in Pearland. We caught up with him for a little bit and then went for dinner with him, my sister, and her boyfriend. It was great catching up with everyone but it made me miss my dad more and am looking forward to seeing him again in August for a couple of days. My sister has moved into her apartment and I am so happy that she is closer. We had her, Hardy (her boyfriend) and Max (her chocolate lab) over for Fourth of July for lots of food, games and watching the Kemah fireworks which was so much fun. Titus and Max love playing with each other and have a great time. It was also just really nice to spend time with my sister knowing that she is so close and we can do it again anytime we want. I love my family living so close and Titus loves that Max can come over more!

On Friday we also went and got the stroller/travel system for Avery and after much deliberation between two we picked the Chicco Cortina Travel System. It is all put together and we are storing it in her room for the meantime but we now have a car seat to bring her home from the hospital which is a relief. I am still waiting for our glidder and ottoman to be shipped and am getting worried. Hopefully it will ship this week.

The rest of this weekend has been relaxing and today was a great day celebrating John's birthday. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband and am so excited about Avery meeting her wonderful dad!

• Next Doctor's Appointment: This Friday
• Total Weight Gain: 27 pounds
• To Do This Week: Last class at the hospital, doctor's appointment and visit some more day cares

How is the Daddy doing...

John is pretty exhausted from work and is in need of some peace at work. John has enjoyed this weekend with Fourth of July with having Ashley over and is pretty excited about my family moving closer. He had a great birthday with lunch with his mom and then spending the afternoon having birthday cake and relaxing. We ordered his birthday present yesterday, a pretty sweet 22" LCD Monitor and he is anxiously waiting for it to arrive.