34 Weeks

Six weeks (or less!) to go...

At this week's OB appointment her heart rate was 159 bpm and my belly is measuring a little big at 35cm (average would be 34cm, or 1cm per week of pregnancy). Dr. Rojas determined she has turned to the head-down position, which was a relief to hear. He also told us he doesn't think I'll make it to 40 weeks based on the fact that this is my second pregnancy. Apparently second-time moms tend to deliver around 39 weeks, so we may have a spooky Halloween baby on our hands!

Here's a shot of Tommy admiring Baby Sister. He really wants to feel her kick! It seems like every time I tell him he it's time to feel her moving, she quiets down the second he touches my belly. Fortunately, Tommy's being much more gentle with me lately. I think he finally understands that Mommy's belly is getting so big because that's where Baby Sister is growing. Anyone who's met Tommy knows how much he likes to roughhouse, so this is a big step for him. Hopefully this translates into a gentle Big Brother, too.

The Nursery

Tonight we finished decorating Baby Girl's nursery. A *VERY* special thanks to Daddy for all his hard work (not to mention putting up with Mommy's indecision on where to hang things). I've had so much fun working on this project! I've certainly learned a thing or two on my sewing machine...I did the diaper stacker, ruffled pillow, rocker and ottoman cushion covers and curtains and I'm still working on a cornice box or valance. (Patting self on back...look out Martha Stewart!)

Here's our little girl's "Hot Air Balloons Over Paris" bedroom. I'm still looking for a few more French-inspired items to put here and there, but those will come in time. The Eiffel Tower lamp was expertly selected by Big Brother Tommy, who loves spending time in his Baby Sister's room. He's already tossing Hot Wheels into the crib so she can play cars with him right away.

This is probably the best representation of the paint color, as I think it's a great muted green that looks pretty yucky in the other photos. Hiding in the corner is the diaper stacker I made...my pride and joy! Ha ha! In lieu of a mobile I found some really cool hot air balloon ornaments to hang over her changing table. By the way, if you ever want to hear James curse like a sailor, ask him to hang something from the ceiling!Here's a slightly closer look at the curtains, knick-knack shelves (map of Paris in the frame) and rocker in which I'll log hundreds of hours in the coming months.And here is a close-up of the fabrics we used.

So there you have it. Don't tell James, but seeing the finished product almost makes me want to start planning #3's nursery already!

33 Weeks - Heartburn!

All is well this week...except I'm hungry ALL the time and I have no room in my crowded torso for food! This is causing a mild case of heartburn after most meals...just part of the whole pregnancy gig, really. Baby Girl continues to flourish, and at this point it's safe to say she's growing by leaps and bounds. She has been wiggling, kicking, punching and rolling around a ton in the past week. I have a feeling we'll have a very busy girl on our hands from day one!

Name Poll

We're looking for a little input on Baby Girl's name. There are no guarantees that the "winner" will be what we end up naming her, but I figured this would be a fun way to put our finger on the pulse of our loved ones' opinions. Her name won't be officially decided upon until we see her sweet little face in the delivery room, but this might help us whittle it down to one or two. Have fun!

This poll is also open to the general public on twiigs.com, a neat little polling site I came across.

more at twiigs.com...

Birthday Pool

It's time to start guessing when Baby Girl will make her official debut! We'll name her after the winner! Not really, but you'll get bragging rights. ;)

Click the following link to hazard a guess:
http://www.expectnet.com/games/babywedewer

Good luck!
James, Andrea & Tommy

32 Weeks - New Ultrasound

Here are a few shots from Baby's 32 week ultrasound. Now that she's so big it's difficult to capture more than one appendage at a time, so we focused on her cute little face. The ultrasound tech kept commenting on what chubby cheeks she has at this point. We can't wait to meet our little chipmunk! Her estimated weight is 3 lbs. 14 oz. (based on measurements from this ultrasound).

Profile. Her forehead is the bright white curved line on the left. You can also see her upper arm extending up like a little chicken wing next to her body:

Face. Now, for this one you have to look a little harder. Concentrate on the crescent moon shape toward the top, which is the left side of her face. Cheek and chin comprise the brightest part of the picture. The void just the to the left is her nasal cavity. And above that you might be able to spot the little black slit between her eyelids...her eyes are open!

Pretty cool, eh?

The night before the ultrasound I felt a very strong rolling sensation in my belly. This was the biggest movement to date, really. The end result? Baby Girl decided to reposition herself in the womb so that she is head-up-bottom-down, known in the obstetrics community as breech. She still has several weeks to change her mind, but I thought the timing of her move was pretty funny.

Here are this week's belly pictures. I'm growing out of everything that isn't completely elastic. I can tell she's growing leaps and bounds because the skin on my stomach is starting to itch from the stretching...time for lots of cocoa butter in hopes that I don't get too many stretch marks.