37 weeks (February 19-25)

How our baby's growing:
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.) Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

In other news...

I started my weekly doctor's appointments last week, so I went back again this week. My blood pressure was a little high on Tuesday so my doctor had me go to the hospital for some blood work and NST (nonstress test) to check on the baby. Everything was fine at the hospital and I was scheduled to go back to see my doctor on Thursday for another BP check, NST, and ultrasound. Well on Thursday, my BP was still high but Brantley was doing well on the NST and on the ultrasound. (Which is the great news!) His heartrate is normal, my fluid is at a good level, and he is healthy! She is guessing that he weighs about 7 lb 13 oz right now (which is a pretty big boy!) and she said that he has a big head and big feet! The big feet totally explain why my ribs hurt all of the time cause that's where he likes to keep them! :) My doc wanted me to complete a 24 urine test and return to the hospital on Saturday morning for another BP check and NST. She also suggested that I not return to work so that I could rest and keep my BP low. I went back to the hospital as planned on Saturday and all of the tests were still normal, but my BP is only low when laying down...which shows the need for moderate bedrest. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and the nurse at the hospital said that she might mention induction at that time, so we'll see.

So, Friday was my last day at work. We did have a field trip that day, but it was a fun way to spend my last day with the kiddos. I told them that my doctor wanted me to stay home and rest before the baby is born and they seemed to be okay with that. They just want me to bring Brantley to visit them when he does arrive! I stayed a little longer after school to straighten up my classroom and get things are ready as possible for my substitute. I was mostly ready but there were still a few things that I had to take care of.

My mom also came into town on Friday to help me do some cleaning this weekend. It was a good thing that she did come because she was able to scrub and thoroughly clean because I couldn't do a whole lot! While she cleaned, I helped by straightening up and mostly finishing the nursery. Here are some pictures of Brantley's room.

36 weeks (February 12-18)

How our baby's growing:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

In other news...

Mike and I had our last baby shower on Tuesday. His office at CSU threw us a joint shower with another girl from his office who is having a little girl around the same time that Brantley will be born. It was very nice time with his coworkers. I think by now, Brantley has pretty much everything that he needs!

35 weeks (February 5-11)

How our baby's growing:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

In other news...

I had another shower this week on Saturday at my good friend's Lindsay's house. It was a brunch shower with some friends and it was perfect. It is so good to have such great friends! :) My mom and aunt also got to come for the day to bring me a piece of furniture for us to use in Brantley's nursery.

Thanks for hosting Lindsay! :)

My 27th birthday was also this week on Wednesday! It's hard to believe that this is my last birthday before becoming a mommy! Mike was out of town on my actual birthday so we went out to eat on Monday to Logan's Roadhouse. We had an awesome waiter who brought me a delicious chocolate fudge brownie cake!! YUM...especially when you are prego! :)

We also got some maternity pictures taken this week. A friend of Mike's from work and his wife (Jeremy and Rebecca) met us at Wannamaker Park and took some fabulous photos of us. Thanks again! :) Here are a few of my favorites...

34 weeks (January 29- February 4)

How our baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be 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.

On Saturday, my mom came to town and we went to see the newest addition to our family in Florence. My cousin Jennifer and Bud Sarvis had sweet baby Ellie McClain on Wednesday. They had just come home from the hospital that day. She is such a cutie! I can't wait for her to meet Brantley went he arrives!

This week I had also two more baby showers. One of them was hosted by wonderful teaching assistant Peggy on Sunday. Everything was amazing, especially all of the yummy food! :) I feel so blessed to have such an amazing kindergarten team and friends from work!

The wonderful host, Peggy, and me.

The yummy and cute cake made by Peggy's daughter Tammy.

The other baby shower was at school on Thursday afternoon. It was a joint shower for Allison McMeans and myself. Allison is due at the end of this month!! Mike was able to come to this shower to share in the excitement. Thanks to the kindergarten and fourth grade teams for hosting such a nice shower!

Mike, me and Peggy.

Cute "Super Tiger" cape from 5th grade!

I also had another doctor's appointment this week. I met with another doctor in the practice who was super nice and said that things are progressing as they should be! Brantley's heartbeart was at 140. He told me that at my next visit I will have the Strep B test and my cervix will be checked. This is also when I start my weekly visits!! The time for Brantley to arrive is almost here!! :)

33 weeks (January 22-28)

How our baby's growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.