We had good news at our weekly Dr's visit this afternoon...Baby is at a -1 (0 is when most people are in labor); meaning her head is down and pressing below. I'm at 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Dr says that she can come any time now and would be healthy and her lungs would be fully functional. Now, we've been chatting (Baby and I) and I keep telling her that she has to wait until after Jan 5th, because Mommy has a few things that she wants to get done before all of our attention is on Baby. We'll see if she listens. Dr is also happy that Mommy has now gained a little under 7lbs this pregnancy. So if he's happy, we're happy!
New This Week: Baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath.
We enjoyed a great Christmas Eve/Christmas last week in Harmony/Preston. It was great to spend time with family (and get some great gifts!) and we really tried to enjoy the fact that this will be the last Christmas before Baby comes!
We hope everyone has a great (and SAFE) New Year's Eve and New Year!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Week 35
We had our weekly Dr's visit and Baby scored her 10 out of 10 this morning. The Nurse Practioner that we had is our favorite and Baby seemed to like her as well. She was doing everthing she was supposed to do and then some! Looks like we have a little show-off on our hands! Not sure if they can really tell or not, but during the ultrasound the NP said that it looks like she's got a lot of hair, so that's kind of fun!
New This Week: Baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds and about 11 ounces - according to our ultrasound this AM (pick up a honeydew melon). You'd think that because it's so snug in the womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but she seems to be moving quite a bit, or maybe it's just stronger movements that make it seem that way... Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
Another weekend spent working and trying to avoid the Holiday hustle and bustle at the stores. It helped that we had some typical Minnesota weather, keeping us from going too far. We had lots of snow and some REALLY cold temps! We're looking forward to some Family Time over Christmas. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Holiday week!
New This Week: Baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds and about 11 ounces - according to our ultrasound this AM (pick up a honeydew melon). You'd think that because it's so snug in the womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but she seems to be moving quite a bit, or maybe it's just stronger movements that make it seem that way... Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
Another weekend spent working and trying to avoid the Holiday hustle and bustle at the stores. It helped that we had some typical Minnesota weather, keeping us from going too far. We had lots of snow and some REALLY cold temps! We're looking forward to some Family Time over Christmas. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Holiday week!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Week 34
You can see her little foot above, at one point she had her hand reaching for her toes which was pretty cute to see, but we didn't get that on a print out...
We had our weekly Dr's visit this morning and Baby scored 10 out of 10 again, so we were happy with that! At first she had scored all her little points except her 2 for moving...poor thing had the hiccups and refused to move! The buzzer got her to move and that really woke her up. After that she was moving all over the place! Mom is also do well, up 2 pounds from our weigh-in two weeks ago. Dr Marcus is still pretty impressed with only gaining 4 pounds so far, so we're happy with that.
New This Week: Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. We're happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. So we're in the home-stretch!!
We had a fun (and quick) weekend with Abuelo, Grandma Mary, and Tio Cheech, who were in town from Houston. We had a nice dinner on Friday night at Casa de Wand, did some shopping on Saturday (yes we braved the crowds), followed by a great dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory. We ended the day with an early Christmas gift-opening and little Holiday celebtration! Sunday we had breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Edina and waddled our way back home to visit some and just relax before having to say our good-byes. The time went by really fast, but it was great to see them again! Frida enjoyed their stay too, she gets really spoiled with them!
It was also the Wand Christmas on Sunday afternoon, so it was fun to get to see everyone and get some good eats too!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Dr. Appointment Follow Up
We had our weekly biophysical today and Baby got 10 out of 10 again. Her heartbeat was good and her "practice" breathing was correct. It was a bit early in the morning and she didn't want to move her extremeties, but when they put that little buzzer up to her, she sure jumped again. And that really seemed to wake her up, because she kept moving and her little heartrate was elevated at just the right time during our 20 minute monitoring! Overall, they were happy with Baby and our progress!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Week 33
We're in the 8th month now! Getting closer! Baby is kicking like crazy still and seems to be taking my breath away a lot more. The belly feels so stretched out, so it's fun to actually see her moving around!
I thought this was an interesting (interesting only because we will share this sign and I can totally relate!) piece that I found on the Baby's sign:
Baby Aquarius
The Water Bearer
Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Aquarian babies are natural rebels who like to do things their own way. Get lots of toys to keep your child from becoming restless during tummy time, and lock those cabinets early. Give her the chance to crawl freely on grassy lawns and toddle around the playground. Embrace her discoveries by letting her collect the rocks and other little treasures she finds. Support her individuality by allowing her to decide which outfit she wants to wear or which stuffed animal she wants to sleep with. And introduce new toys, books, and games regularly: Kids born under this sign are bright and often develop ahead of schedule.
New This Week: This week your Baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (I'll post a more definate weight tomorrow after our appointment)and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through the (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink (which Daddy and I think we saw at our appointment last week) and dilate. And, Baby can now recognize and react to simple songs.
Grandma Bena and Mommy enjoyed a fun Girls' Day on Friday with pedicures and massages! Followed by a nice lunch with Daddy and some shopping. Mommy worked again this weekend and really didn't get much else done.
We have our weekly appointment tomorrow morning and will update with that info sometime later this week!
We are looking forward to Abuelo, Grandma Mary, and Tio Cheech visiting this coming weekend! It'll be great to see them again! I know Frida is excited!!!
I thought this was an interesting (interesting only because we will share this sign and I can totally relate!) piece that I found on the Baby's sign:
Baby Aquarius
The Water Bearer
Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Aquarian babies are natural rebels who like to do things their own way. Get lots of toys to keep your child from becoming restless during tummy time, and lock those cabinets early. Give her the chance to crawl freely on grassy lawns and toddle around the playground. Embrace her discoveries by letting her collect the rocks and other little treasures she finds. Support her individuality by allowing her to decide which outfit she wants to wear or which stuffed animal she wants to sleep with. And introduce new toys, books, and games regularly: Kids born under this sign are bright and often develop ahead of schedule.
New This Week: This week your Baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (I'll post a more definate weight tomorrow after our appointment)and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through the (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink (which Daddy and I think we saw at our appointment last week) and dilate. And, Baby can now recognize and react to simple songs.
Grandma Bena and Mommy enjoyed a fun Girls' Day on Friday with pedicures and massages! Followed by a nice lunch with Daddy and some shopping. Mommy worked again this weekend and really didn't get much else done.
We have our weekly appointment tomorrow morning and will update with that info sometime later this week!
We are looking forward to Abuelo, Grandma Mary, and Tio Cheech visiting this coming weekend! It'll be great to see them again! I know Frida is excited!!!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
"Practice Run"
Well, we had our first run to the hospital last night...
Mommy had been having contractions off and on all day; which is nothing unusual. The Dr said that I could have up to 4 an hour and it was still nothing to worry about. Well...at about 3:30 I had about 3 contractions in 20 minutes! We called the Dr and they said to lay down for an hour and drink lots of fluids. I called into work to let them know that I was going to be late. An hour later I was still having pre-term symptoms so we called and they had us go in for a check up. So then I called into work to let them know that I won't be late, but that I won't be in at all, for the night.
We were monitored for about 3 hours, contractions had stopped and Baby's heart rate was doing great. She was also just moving around like it was nothing! Then they sent us home. We did get a lecture on pre-term labor and that I need to listen to my body!
Lessons learned: I should have a bag packed for the "real thing", we now know that it takes about 24 minutes, during traffic, to get to the hospital (not speeding), and which lot to park in and which doors to go into! Oh and that the hospital has great cable to keep us entertained!
Mommy had been having contractions off and on all day; which is nothing unusual. The Dr said that I could have up to 4 an hour and it was still nothing to worry about. Well...at about 3:30 I had about 3 contractions in 20 minutes! We called the Dr and they said to lay down for an hour and drink lots of fluids. I called into work to let them know that I was going to be late. An hour later I was still having pre-term symptoms so we called and they had us go in for a check up. So then I called into work to let them know that I won't be late, but that I won't be in at all, for the night.
We were monitored for about 3 hours, contractions had stopped and Baby's heart rate was doing great. She was also just moving around like it was nothing! Then they sent us home. We did get a lecture on pre-term labor and that I need to listen to my body!
Lessons learned: I should have a bag packed for the "real thing", we now know that it takes about 24 minutes, during traffic, to get to the hospital (not speeding), and which lot to park in and which doors to go into! Oh and that the hospital has great cable to keep us entertained!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Week 32
We had the start of our weekly appointments this morning. Our appointments now consist of biophysicals that check Baby/placenta on 10 different points. These biophysicals or "stress-tests" are done for moms with Gestational Diabetes to make sure everything is progressing without any complications. They check Baby's size, weight, heart beat/rate, diaphragm for practice breathing, the amount of amniotic fluid, and how she responds to a stimulus. Our little over-achiever scored a 10 out of 10! And was measuring exactly at 32 weeks. The nice thing about these weekly visits is that not only do we get to see any issues that might occur ahead of time, we also get to see Baby every week from now until we actually get to meet her! She was very active this morning and was quite cute (I know "only a mother...") with her little hands in front of her face the whole time. Mom is also doing well and is still only up 2.5 pounds, and Dr. Marcus seemed pleased with this. He did say it was okay to gain (and I'm not trying not to gain...believe me, I eat ALL THE TIME!!!), Baby just seems to be using what was already there. All in all, we are both doing very well.
New This Week: Baby weighs 4 pounds (a little larger than the normal 3.75 pounds) and is about 16.7 inches long, and seems to be taking up a lot of space in the belly. At this point Baby is gaining about a 1/2 a pound a week. In fact, she'll 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.
We were back home this weekend after a good Thanksgiving in Preston and Harmony with the family. Lots of good eats! We also had our annual Cookie Bake at GG's on Friday that went very well and as usual, we took tons of goodies home! Mommy had to work this weekend, and Daddy got the outside lights up. The outside of the house looks great with all the decorations! Now, for the inside...
New This Week: Baby weighs 4 pounds (a little larger than the normal 3.75 pounds) and is about 16.7 inches long, and seems to be taking up a lot of space in the belly. At this point Baby is gaining about a 1/2 a pound a week. In fact, she'll 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.
We were back home this weekend after a good Thanksgiving in Preston and Harmony with the family. Lots of good eats! We also had our annual Cookie Bake at GG's on Friday that went very well and as usual, we took tons of goodies home! Mommy had to work this weekend, and Daddy got the outside lights up. The outside of the house looks great with all the decorations! Now, for the inside...
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