No news is good news

Doctor visit
Had our now weekly scheduled doctor visit yesterday. We had another ultrasound which meant we get to see our sweet boy being lively again! And the best news - I have not progressed any further from last week. Woo hoo! Maintaining is my M.O.! Doctor said a couple more weeks of kicking back and then we can talk about possibly upping the activity factor. Crossing my fingers I don't go crazy before then.
I have never loved the UPS man more than right now. He has been the highlight of my week so far - nicely ringing the doorbell and leaving me lots of fun packages. The hard part is not getting too excited and trying to bring them all in and open them myself!
Here is a great foot shot from yesterday. Dude is not a fan of being poked and prodded by the ultrasound lady.

8 Months

Bump watch update

Okay, here we are at 8 months. Time for another pregnancy pic. I can't give up the grey shirt just yet, although, it is really getting a tad difficult to get over even my head these days!

These last few days have been fairly relaxing (to say the least), but I did at least get to have a little excitment. My mom and sister drove up on Friday morning to keep me company for the day/night. Jen flew into Lawton from D.C. for the shower that never happened, so I was thinking I was not going to get to see her at all, so it really was a great surprise that she didn't mind jumping in a car for six hours after her plane ride in order to come and see me in KS! And, she got acquainted with BC - he kicked a "hello" at her and she felt it! 

32 Weeks

According to the reading, BC really should still be under 4 lbs. this week, about the weight of a "large jicama". However, we know from our sonogram last week, that BC is ahead of the curve, coming in around 4.3 lbs already. Therefore, in honor of his above-average maturity, I am doing away with the food comparisons. BC is now fully a "baby" in my mind, and should he be born today, a handsome little 4.3ish pound baby he would be (see below pic from last blog entry for cuteness factor)!

Ready for my close up, Mom!

Here is a picture from our sonogram this week. BC was MUCH bigger this time around and wouldn't sit still very well, so all of the pictures were a bit blurry and hard to tell what part was what, if you know what I mean.
Still, here is a pretty good close up of his cute little face. You can clearly see his profile with nose and lips, and his little fingers are waving around up there right by his face. (Hopefully it's not just the middle finger we see there). :)
Some stats:  BC is measuring around 4.3lbs this week. He's a week ahead on his growth! That comes out to about 56% in weight for his age. Also, the tech told us she could see that he has hair! I'm taking her word for it b/c I sure couldn't make out any sort of hair-like image, but still, very exciting stuff!

Simmer down now!

Hey look! It's a Wednesday morning and I'm updating the blog. What up with that? Well, let me fill you in on the latest and greatest of BC's journey into the world.
My "nuisance contractions" (doctor's words) are still keepin' on keepin' on, although the drugs help slow them down. We went in to the doctor yesterday for our regularly scheduled 2 week appointment. We had a sonogram first, and BC is looking good! He's quite a bit bigger than the 20 week sono pictures, so I had a really hard time picking out which body part was which this time. Matt was freakishly good at it. We got a great printout pic of his face close up so I will be sure to post that soon (I now have time to actually learn how our scanner works!).
So, after the sono, we talked to the doctor. Apparently, the ultrasound showed the baby is down into position, and BC's head is maybe a little too close for comfort down there. I believe the word "effacement" was used. Yikes!
That means, effective immediately - as of yesterday - I am on bedrest from work. That also means I am unable to travel. I was supposed to have a baby shower in Lawton this Saturday and am super duper bummed that we have to cancel it. I was so looking forward to catching up with family and friends that I have not seen in a really long time. Sigh. Well, it just goes to show life is what happens when you are busy making plans! If this will help BC take a little more time before getting the party started, then so be it.
Maybe he just isn't a fan of his June birthstone????
And because a blog update really isn't all that interesting without a picture, here is a pic of the beautiful Wichita Mountains, one of the oldest mountain chains in the country, and found just a short drive from lovely Lawton, OK. Go visit today!

The Best Laid Plans

Oh, so that's what those feel like!
Well, it's been an eventful week in pregnancy-ville. Long story short, I started having contractions last weekend that have lasted throughout the week. I went to the doctor and was monitored, given shots (and a darn bruise from an over-enthusiastic nurse), and examined, several times by several people (guess I was going to have to get over any modesty issues sooner or later from pregnancy). Apparently, I have a "cranky uterus" that is going a little crazy. My doctor says I am not going into actual labor right now, but these "nuisance contractions" just aren't letting up like regular Braxton-Hicks ones, so I'm on some drugs to relax the uterus so all of this movement doesn't trigger something that could lead to labor. So, thanks for all of the prayers and good wishes we've received this past week. Keep 'em coming! Just gotta hold off BC for a few more weeks! The doctor put me on bed rest over this weekend and gave me an oral prescription for the same stuff that was in the shots, and so far things have calmed down quite a bit, so hopefully things are going in the right direction. I just didn't plan on bed rest being part of my third trimester experience! Anyone know any good TV series I should netflix should this become a routine???

I want my mommy (and daddy)!
My parents were super nice and dropped their weekend plans to come up and take care of us. My mom cooked and cooked and cooked and made us lots of yummy and healthy meals to freeze and tide us over for awhile. My dad was game for running errands, walking the dog, and doing general heavy lifting. It was a blessing to have them here as a distraction and a help. I just realized that we never got them to play the Wii for the first time while they were here. THAT would have been some real entertainment for the weekend!

31 Weeks
Every week from now on will be gravy as far as I'm concerned. This week, not much has changed in the way of BC's size. According to the reading, he is starting to fatten up, weighing in around 3.3-3.5 lbs, about the same as carrying four navel oranges. Not sure how many oranges "they" tried before finding just the right number.

The Big 3-0

30 Weeks
Yippee! We've made it to the three's. Even though it's still too early for BC to make his appearance, I feel like now is the time to hit the books hard in order to learn as much as possible about the first few weeks/months of his life and what we are in store for. Matt and I went to childbirth classes this weekend. We learned WAY more than we really wanted to know. And, I cried after one of the birthing videos. Hey, I saw one of the other dads in the room wipe his eyes too, so I know it wasn't just me being hormonal. Hopefully, they just make you overprepared at these classes so you will know all of the what if's even though they claim most of us will have a "normal" delivery. I am now smarter, and more scared! Of course, as soon as that first sleep-deprived day hits, I'm sure all of my newfound knowledge will go right out the window!
This week, I'm changing up the measurements. Instead of focusing on BC's length or weight (he's still around the size of a head of cabbage), let's see how much amniotic fluid we've got going on inside. Turns out it's about a pint and a half. Cheers!

That right there is a very fine chair.

So, bit by bit the nursery is coming together. Here is a pic of the rocking chair that got delivered this past week. The little side table is the work of my talented Mother-In-Law who we keep telling should go into business selling her fabulous painted furniture creations.

Doctor Update
We went to our monthly checkup with Dr. Minderman on Tuesday. Everything is pretty much on schedule. I do start the two week checkups now so we will go back on the 20th of this month. And, we got some exciting news. We get to have another sonogram this next visit! Matt is really excited to be able to check out BC's progress since the 20 week ultrasound. And I hope to relieve a little of my paranoia about what is really going on inside that growing belly of mine!

Furniture pics!

Happy Easter!
It was so much fun to see all of the little ones in their Easter finest today at church. I'm already planning BC's Easter outfit for next year! I'm thinking a little driving cap could be the finishing touch. ;) And yes, I might have just a touch of baby-on-the-brain syndrome.

We've Been Set Up!
The furniture has arrived! The baby's room is looking like, well, a baby's room, finally. Here are some pics of our progress so far. The 1st picture shows the closest representation of the actual color of yellow.

Safety First
This past week Matt and I went to the first of several baby classes we signed up for at the hospital (because we need all the help we can get). This class was over infant safety and CPR. We learned quite a bit and are now even more freaked out about all of the injuries and accidents waiting to befall BC than we ever could have imagined! Next weekend is childbirth class. I am sure our eyes will be as big as saucers when that one is over.

29 Weeks
Almost to the 30's! I don't know why, but I will feel more like BC is almost here once we hit the 30 mark. We go to our monthly dr. checkup on Tuesday. Starting next month, I think the visits will be every two weeks.
According to the reading, BC is still in the 2.5-3.0 lb range, and his weight this week is similar to that of a butternut squash - not to be mistaken with Week 22's produce selection - a spaghetti squash. Butternuts are the kings of the squash world!