29 weeks

9/24/08

The baby should now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. This pregnancy is really just going by so fast that at times I forget that I have a baby growing inside me. Then I will get get a hard punch or kick, and it brings me back to reality. Still, my only complaint is lack of sleep. I just can't breathe through my nose when I lay down, and I hate mouth breathing at night. My throat gets so dry and scratchy, and I am constantly tossing and turning. I am looking forward to being able to breathe again, and sleep on my belly. We were so busy and distracted with the power being out last week, we forgot to take the weekly belly shot.

This has been such a busy week. My dad came down last Wednesday night just in time for the power to come back on. I had bought George a ticket to the Ryder Cup for his birthday, and my dad wanted to go to, so they went on Thursday. I think they were both worn out when they got back, but they had a great time. George got several autographs, and got to see his favorite golfer, Phil Mickelson.

Last week we also went to Babies R Us, and purchased a double stroller and a new car seat. It is brown and green, and really cute. It folds down the smallest of all the double strollers, and is also the lightest weight. We are still searching for a pack n play that we love. Since our bassinet got recalled, we took it back and are going to purchase a pack n play instead. We can use the bassinet feature when the baby is small, and then still use the big part as the baby gets bigger. It will also be handy for when we travel. My parents have one pack n play that Owen sleeps in when we are there, but now with two babies, we will have to take our new one as well.

On Sunday, we started going to our birthing class. The class actually started a couple of weeks ago, but since we just took it for Owen, we are just going to the most important classes. Once again, we are going to do the Bradley Method. I know that had I not taken the class before getting induced with Owen, there is no way I would have been able to make it through 4 days of labor and have him vaginally. I am sure I would have ended up with a C-section. Yuck! It was nice to get back in the swing of things, and it also made me realize just how close to delivery day we are!!

Monday was my birthday, and my two loves (George and Owen) took me out to eat. I can't believe I am 28 years old. Where has all that time gone?? I am really getting old. George also purchase tickets to the theatre. We go to see Pride and Prejudice on October 1st. The show playing now is Dracula, and George new I would have no interest in seeing that, so we had to wait until October. He already has our nanny as set up ready to watch Owen for the night.

Yesterday Owen had his speech evaluation. His pediatrician said that he was really right on target, but I felt like he should be saying more words. His vocabulary consists of ma-ma, ba-ba, da-da, cat, cracker, and ack (for quack). The speech and developmental therapist were not here very long and they said he would most likely not qualify. I told them that I really wanted him to receive some therapy so that he would not fall behind. Since he will be 16 months next week, she said she could use the 16-18month scale instead of the 15 month one. In the end, he barely qualified, and we should begin 1 hour of speech therapy a week shortly. Owen loved playing with these ladies, and all their new toys. He basically qualified because he would not point to enough body parts, and would not come give me a kiss on command. He does point to his nose, teeth, hair, and belly normally, but he was not into me yesterday. He had two new ladies here to entertain, and let me tell you he put on a show. If they would look down at their paperwork, he would bend down to see their face, and try to get their attention. I also have never had to ask him to come give me a kiss so I don't think he knew what I was talking about when I asked. He is lovey all the time. When George came home during the middle of his evaluation, Owen ran to the door and wrapped his arms around him, but since we didn't ask him to do that, it didn't count. The therapists that were here said that he is very intelligent for his age, and they believe that once a couple more words come out, they will come by leaps and bounds. They thought he would not be in therapy for long. (The picture of Owen was taken when the power was out, and we were throwing everything out of the freezer. Owen thought it was fun to play in the freezer baskets.)

I have also been really busy with my lia sophia business. I have had 3 new recruits over the past couple of weeks, and that takes a lot of time. I have an opportunity hour planned for tonight. My three managers and I have put this event together and have invited people that have expressed interest in the business. This gives them a chance to learn more about what lia sophia has to offer. I am so thankful for my lia sophia business, and all that is has given me. I am going to work until November at the hospital and then I will be on maternity leave. If everything with lia sophia is still going well, I will mostly likely not be going back. Whoohoo!!

I have changed the name poll, so check it out.

Test results and the Black out is over!

9/19/08

WHOOHOO, our power finally came back on Tuesday night. Then on Wednesday it went back out for several hours. It is finally back on, and I hope it is for good this time. We went to the grocery store last night to restock, since we had to throw everything out of fridge, freezer and deep freezer due to the power outage. I have been busy yesterday and today catching up on my lia sophia business, laundry, and dishes. It is crazy how much our lives revolve around electricity.

My test results finally came back from my appointment on Tuesday. My glucose was 69, and my iron level was 12.4, both well within the normal limits.

28 weeks

By this week, the baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I had another appointment with the midwife yesterday, and had my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I have not heard my results from the test yet. The drink was just as yucky as I remember, and it made me almost throw up several times. The baby was very active and kicking all around while I was in the office since it was all hyped up on tons of sugar. I was laying back on the table so that the midwife could listen to the heartbeat, and my belly was moving all around like crazy from the baby kicking and rolling. She said everything sounded great when she listened to the heartbeat. This was the first appointment I went to by myself since I scheduled it in the morning (I had to fast after midnight for the test) instead of the afternoon so George could go. I made my next appointment in the afternoon so he could come with me. I am now going every two weeks. That means the birth of this baby is nearing. I am getting so excited, and can't wait to find out if I am have a daughter, or another son.

This has been such a crazy couple of days. With the bad wind storm from hurricane Ike our power has been out since around noon on Sunday. We were still in Terre Haute during the storm, so we had no idea anything was going on. Before we left to go out of town, we had taken apart Owens' crib that was recalled and shipped some parts back to the company so that we could get some money back. We had already purchased another crib but decided that we would finish putting it together when we got back from Terre Haute. Let me tell you, it was fun putting it together by candle light. : ) Owen didn't seem to mind the power being out. He thought it was loads of fun running around the house with a flashlight. I am so ready for a HOT shower and to be able to use my hair dryer. It has also been hard to run my lia sophia business with our power being out. With no home phone or internet access it makes things a little tough. Little House on the Prairie life is just not for me! : )

27 weeks

9/10/08


This is what babycenter.com has to say about the baby. This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

I am trying to take moments out of every day to sit back and really enjoy this pregnancy. I have been so busy lately it has been a challenge. I am still having trouble sleeping at night due to this constant stuffy nose. I have done better with the sweets the past couple days. I am sure that the fact that we are out of Pumpkin ice cream plays a little into that equation. : ) Even though I have been complaining about constantly being hot during this pregnancy, I am already missing the hot days of summer. I feel like it became chilly overnight. I know that the before I know it that chill will become snow. I hate winter time. I guess this winter I have something to look forward to so it won't be bad that is so cold outside and we have to stay indoors with our new baby. : )


Here is another belly shot. George is getting pretty good at remembering to take them every Wednesday when I change over into the next pregnancy week.

Ultrasound results

9/4/08

We had another ultrasound today at Maternal Fetal Medicine. Once again, the kidneys were picture perfect. The ultrasound tech checked out the heart, brain, spine, bladder, and stomach, and once again everything was great. My amniotic fluid level was also perfect. The baby weighs 2lbs 3oz at this point, and was in the 56th percentile. During almost all of Owen's ultrasounds he was somewhere between the 70th- 80th percentile, so maybe this baby is going to be smaller. With all the measurements that were taken today, they came up with a due date of December 5th. I have had so many dates, so when people ask when I am due, I just say December. The heart rate was 148 and strong. The baby was in a position were we couldn't get a good picture of the face. He/She was laying sideways and had it's face tucked in and pointed down towards my feet. The knees were up towards its chest, and then he/she would extend them straight out, kicking me in the bladder. In case you are wondering, no we still have not found out the sex. The ultrasound didn't even look during this scan. We have another follow up ultrasound in six weeks to take a peak at the kidneys again.

26 weeks

9/3/08

The network of nerves in the baby's ears are better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both George and I as we chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.
I had my check up with the midwife yesterday, and everything went well. I will now start going every two weeks. At my next check I have to do the glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. I have to chug like 10 ounces of this nasty orange, very sugary substance in 5 minutes, and one hour later they will draw my blood. I just about threw up last time, I hope this time goes better. The baby's heartbeat was strong and loud.

Why am I constantly burning up??? I do not have a fever, I am just always hot. This is coming from someone who normally wears fleece pants, socks, and a t-shirt while hanging out in the house even in the summer. Now, I am constantly stripped down to shorts and a tank top and am still burning up. When I was pregnant with Owen I never experienced this. The only other time I have had a problem with being on fire was when I was taking all the shots for in vitro. For about the past month or so, I have constantly been craving sweets. I want ice cream, candy, and cookies. Plus, I have even eaten two of George's ice cream sandwiches, and I don't normally like chocolate. With Owen all I wanted was citrus fruits; lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges. I feel like everything is so very different, I am almost totally convinced this baby is a GIRL! Only 14 more weeks until we find out. Whooohooo!

Just in case I am wrong, we are still searching for a boy name. Some new names that are being thrown around are Preston, Holden, Parker, and the same old ones, Jack and Grant. I still think with our last name of Shultz, he needs a first name with two syllables. George is still just so set on Jack. He said he thinks Preston is for nerds and not athletic jocks (who he thinks are children are going to be). I reminded him that the U of L basketball team had a player named Preston, so maybe he will reconsider.

We have another ultrasound appointment tomorrow. I will keep you posted on how everything goes, and hopefully will get some more pictures.