Hello blog, so we meet again :)

Well today is a great day, it's my official last day of work in 2010. I have the next 14 weeks off for maternity leave - and YES, I will be getting paid the entire time! The long hours I've put in this year have been worth it!!! And to top it off, my raise will become effective October 1st! Thank you KPMG, don't mind if I do.

We had our baby shower last Saturday and had a great turnout of family and friends! Thank you Danielle and Shayne for helping put the whole shindig together - couldn't have done it without you guys! Lyla got a TON of diapers and clothes and some great essentials. We are so thankful to have so many wonderful people in our life!!! I will try and put up some pictures of the shower shortly. We now need to go purchase all the other things that Lyla needs... changing table, bathing stuff, stroller, etc...

We will finally be attending a baby class tomorrow! YAY! Prepared Childbirth from 10am to 4pm. I hope they don't make us watch a birth video.

Next Tuesday is our last baby doctor appointment before the big day. It should be a fun one, I get to climb in the stirrups again. Woohoo.

How far along: 35 weeks, 5 days
Size of baby: Honeydew melon, over 5 lbs now
Total weight gain: ~50 pounds
Maternity cloths: the clothes I bought a few months ago are still fitting, believe it or not. However my one pair of jeans that fit me are starting to get a little tight :(
Gener: baby girl
Movement: All the time - Lyla had the hiccups forever the other night and it made me laugh
What I miss: fitting into my old clothes and shoes
Cravings: ginger ale, ice
Symptoms: hip pain, back pain, heartburn, swollen feet
Best moment this week: baby shower

Week 36: Wee fingers o' steel

The countdown continues… and in fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: their muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and you’ll definitely be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm). And in genital development: if you’re having a girl, her labia are now fully developed. Finally, in the fluids/excretion department: the amniotic fluid-to-baby ratio has fallen over these past weeks, although they’re still swallowing fluid (building up even more meconium for that historic first poop), and some vernix caseosa. They will be more than ready to swallow and digest milk after birth. Just in case you didn’t get it quite yet: you’ve got yourself an adorable and hungry 6.5 lbs 20 inch baby—are you ready?

 

Montessori School

I had to share the conversation Tyler and I had this morning during our carpool to work... I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down may face.

(As we drive by Montessori School International)

Me: I wonder how much montessori school is?
Tyler: Why? Do you want to go?
Me: Huh? Do you know what montessori school is?
Tyler: Yeah, it's like God school...

(Here starts my laughing spell. Through my tears of laughter, I manage to eek out...)

Me: Maybe you're thinking of monestary school?
Tyler: Yeah I think you're right

I laughed for about 10 minutes. Tyler didn't think it was so funny. I'm just glad I hadn't put on my mascara yet.

On that note, it makes me excited that montessori school takes kids from age 18 months and up! And its about the same price as day care. Good to know... :)

Honeydew

33 weeks = Our little Lyla is now the size of a honeydew!

Recent Developments

Well, we have managed to get the old carpet out of the house (with the exception of our room) and the new wood in about half the house. We still have our room and the other two bedrooms to finish laying wood in and the 2 bathrooms to tile. After all that is done, we have to put new trim on all the doors and new baseboards everywhere... Can we finish it all in 7 weeks or sooner? I sure hope so!

We did get to put together Lyla's crib and dresser this weekend! Soon enough, we will have all her bedding washed and set up in the crib... once all our home construction has slowed and all the dust settles, literally.

Marmaduke has already tested out the crib and he seems to love it. I hope Lyla loves it as much as Duke does.

We have another doctor's appointment today at 4:30. It'll be another quick one, taking my weight, listening to Lyla's heartbeat, the usual. We'll find out today when our next and last sonogram/appointment will be. I can't believe the end is so near!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks, 2 days
Size of baby: Lyla is a honeydew
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained ~ 40 lbs... give or take a few pounds
Maternity Clothes: I'm all stocked up on maternity clothes! Three more weeks of my business casual clothes and then I plan on living in my Target tank tops.
Gender: Little princess
Movement: Lyla is moving like crazy these days - mostly during the day.
Sleep: Ehh not so great lately. I recently bought a Snoogie (body pillow) from Babies R Us and it definitely makes sleeping a little more comfortable.
What I miss: wearing heels, bending over, my old jeans :(
Cravings: ginger ale
Symptoms: severe heartburn.
Best Moment this week: Putting together Lyla's crib and dresser this week! They look beautiful in her purple room :)

I got the "Pregnancy Highlights" idea from gotta run...catch me later. I love reading Jenny's blog!

Lyla's Developments

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 33: fetus in eighth month For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor?

Crossing Off Stuff on the To-Do List!

Baby Furniture ~ Almost Done

We finally made it to IKEA last week around 6:15pm and they close at 7pm... So it was a little bit of a hectic trip once we got there. I felt like I was in a maze. After finding the dresser and changing table we wanted, we got to the checkout section only to learn the changing table was out of stock! At least we were able to get Lyla a dresser.

We will have to make another trip to get the changing table. But it feels great to be almost done with the furniture shopping. Now once the floors and ceilings are done, we can actually put the dresser and the crib together! Can't wait!


Speaking of Floors and Ceilings ~

We made a decision after months of debating what we were going to do with the floors and actually bought the flooring! Hopefully we can get the floors installed the weekend after next. And when I say we, I mean Tyler :) Its getting more and more difficult to bend over these days.

Baby Classes & Our Little Sqaush's Development

I finally signed Tyler and I up for a baby class! Believe it or not, they are kind of hard to find! It seems like hospitals offer the most options. So it looks like we will be attending "Prepared Childbirth Class" on 9/25 ~ a 6 hour course at Southwest General Hospital. Apparently we will be learning what to expect and what to do while in labor. I'm pretty excited... I hope it provides us with a lot of information since I don't really know what to expect and have no idea what to do while in labor! Eek.

We are also looking into a few classes that are being offered at Methodist Healthcare... Hopefully these will work out with our schedule because they seem interesting!

~ You & Your Baby - Find out how to transition into your new role as a parent, prepare for your baby's homecoming, learn basic infant care and much more.

~ And Away We Grow! - Learn fun ways to enhance your baby's potential. Topics include feeding, tummy time, sensory development, maximizing strength, coordination and flexibility.

~ Boot Camp for New Dads - Veteran dads (with their babies!) show expectant dads what it's all about! In this class you will learn tips on how to support mom and how to handle the new demands of a baby.

Week 31 Developments ~ Lyla is this size of a squash this month! Next month she becomes a honeydew :)

Another day... another ounce - Fetal development in pregnancy week 31: fetus in seventh month Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around!

Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

Week 30 ~ 3/4 of the way done

As of Sunday, I am 30 weeks along! Only 10 left to go!! I had another dr. appointment today and it went smooth as usual. Our baby's heart beat is a strong 136. The belly is measuring 30 inches and thankfully, everything seems to be right on track. I have 2 more check ups before the "big day". The next one is September 9 and the last one will be 3 weeks after that. It's getting so close!!

New developments this week.......

Week 30: Goodbye monkey baby, hello roly poly! Fetal development in pregnancy week 30: fetus in seventh month The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long.

No really, poke me AGAIN, it's fun!

As you can probably tell by my unusually high posting frequency, I'm on vacation from work! I saw the article included below and it made me chuckl - I can totally relate. It seems like every time I go to the doctor, they need to steal more blood. And I HATE needles, so that makes each appointment that much more enjoyable. The diabetes test last time was probably the most fun - On top of having to give away my blood again, I had to drink a really disgusting bottle of "fruit punch" and sit in the waiting room for an hour before I could release my blood to them. I wonder what's in store for me at our next appointment on Tuesday :) Lyla ~ I would give them all my blood if it would ensure that you will be born a healthy and happy baby ~ but that doesn't mean I won't complain about it :)

"No really, poke me AGAIN, it's fun!"

When you’re pregnant, you’re getting ready to change all the “labels” in your life. You go from “wife” to “mother.” “Childless” to “Mom.” There’s another label they may forget to tell you about: Human pincushion.

I have never been poked with a needle as many times as I have while I was pregnant. It seemed that every time I turned around, someone was telling me they needed this or that tested and, of course, it always needed to be a blood test.

The most annoying test, to me, was the gestational diabetes test. Not only would you find out if you would have to stop consuming that gallon of ice cream every night, but you’d actually have to drink a sugary syrup before having your blood drawn.

The doctors always scared me with this test. They’d hand me a glass bottle with a bunch of directions typed on it and say “See you next month. Make sure to follow the directions.”

Too bad the directions were written by someone who had never met a pregnant woman that worried too much.

“Do not eat for X hours before test. Do not look North while drinking the orange soda. Do not hold your breath for longer than six seconds and please do not think about peeing in the next five hours.”

After you drink the orange soda, you have to make sure to get to the doctor’s office in a certain amount of time for them to do the blood work. From the minute the bottle touched my lips to my entering the doctor’s office, I would keep worrying that I wouldn’t get there in time and I had drunk the drink for nothing.

“I’m here for the glucose test!” I’d scream as I ran in. “I drank the drink exactly one hour and 55 minutes ago and I need someone to draw my blood now or I JUST MIGHT DIE.”

I never did die, nor did I ever miss the time frame given for me to have my blood drawn. I did, however, annoy plenty of nurses due to repeating “Oh no. I think I’m going to faint. I hate this. I’m going to faint. I have bad veins. HURRY THE HECK UP ALREADY.”