36 Weeks

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mom came with me to my 36-week doctor’s appointment. My blood pressure is still good (122/62), Bean’s heartrate is normal (144), and I am still not dilated. One glaring difference between this appointment and the last is that I apparently gained 5.5 pounds in a week! I think some of that was because I had jeans on, but who knows.

My doc also said that swelling could contribute to the extra weight, and I am certainly looking more puffy these days, both in my hands and my feet. It’s crazy how suddenly it started and how noticeable it is. But this week has been quite a busy one, and I haven’t been able to put my feet up as much as I had been doing. Bring on the relaxation!

Another big difference about this appointment was that my doc ordered another ultrasound. Up until this point, my belly had been measuring right on track, but this time I only measured 34 weeks instead of 36. My doc wasn’t really worried because she figured the baby had just dropped into my pelvis but decided it was worth taking a closer look just to be sure.

All is well! Bean is definitely in a head down position, the amniotic fluid volume is good, and Bean's estimated weight is 6lbs, 4oz. I was excited going into the scan since we hadn't seen the baby since 20 weeks, but he's so big now that we couldn't really see much. Oh, well. Still very cool technology! Here’s my 36 week belly pic. :)

Busy Week

My mom and I drove back to my house from Houston on Tuesday and almost immediately got to work. She had offered to come and help me get a few things cleaned out and organized before Bean gets here. And while she doesn’t think we got enough done, I think we did a lot.

We got all of my Christmas decorations out of the guest room closet (Kenny is moving them into the attic as I type this), my candles and blankets/games closet organized better, the laundry room cabinets straightened out, all of my gift wrap stuff is now organized, and we even got to the closet in the office a bit. She wanted to do more back there, but there are just too many things Kenny and I still need to go through before that room can really be addressed.

Mom even got to come with me to my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, but more about that in another post. And we also had out-of-town visitors on Thursday: QP, UJ, Jenn, Elisabeth, and Margaret drove over to have lunch and spend the afternoon here. It was so great to see all of them, and we had a wonderful (although short) visit.

Mom left on Friday and I headed to meet up with 8 of my old co-workers. Gabrielle organized a fabulous lunch for us at Zea, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone again. They all wanted to know when they would get to meet the baby, so I promised to bring Bean by the Center as soon as I could in a few months.

After a busy week I am completely ready to relax and not do much of anything. Kenny and I have nothing big planned from now until Bean decides to make an appearance, which is just fine with us.

Thanks so much, Mom, for driving over and spending most of the week with me. I really appreciate everything you did!

Maternity Photo Shoot

One other thing I had planned to do while we were in Houston was to have a little informal maternity photo shoot. I debated paying a professional photographer for a session but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the $200.

Instead, I asked my Dad if he would mind taking some pics of me and Kenny with his fancy new camera. He agreed right away and even came up with a beautiful spot to go to for some great shots: a restaurant near the house has gorgeous grounds behind their main building.

It was insanely hot so we only stayed about 20 minutes. But in that time Dad managed to take over 400 pictures! I edited them down to around 120 and definitely picked out some as my favorites. Here are a few!

 

Wicked in Houston

Kenny and I, along with Jeff and Erin, went to Houston last weekend to visit the parents and to see Wicked. I just love hanging in Houston at my parents’ house. We had a great family dinner at the house the first night, made ziploc omelets for breakfast the next morning, relaxed a good bit, and enjoyed a fabulous pre-play dinner at Benjy’s.

Ziploc omelets!Dinner at Benjy’s

Only Jeff and Kenny had never seen the play before, and they were good sports to sit through it with the rest of us. It was fabulous! All of the actors were super in their roles. I got chills at the end of the second act when Elphaba sang “Defying Gravity.” Love it.

Bean’s first play!

It really was a great weekend. Kenny, Jeff, and Erin headed back to Louisiana on Sunday afternoon, but I decided to stay two extra nights and ride with my mom back to my house on Tuesday. More on our busy week soon!

35 Weeks

From BabyCenter.com:

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). 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.

I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, and although I may sound like a broken record by now, it’s still very much a good thing that I’m progressing as I should be! My blood pressure was 118/70, Bean’s heartrate was 143, and I actually didn’t gain any weight since my last appointment. But my belly is measuring right on track!

Also, according to my doctor, Bean’s head appears to be down (not breech), but I am not dilated at all yet. However, she did say that if I were to go into labor now, they wouldn’t stop it. So, she sent me home to pack my bag for the hospital just in case of an early arrival. Although I am getting anxious, I’d prefer Bean stay in there a little bit longer. I’m just hoping he doesn’t follow in my footsteps and decide to be 12 days late!

Noteworthy Recipes

A few weeks ago I got into a fairly major cooking kick. I also decided to double a lot of the recipes and freeze half, thereby stocking our freezer with homemade dinners that will reheat easily and quickly once Bean arrives. Smart of me, huh?

Here are a few of those recipes (all Rachael Ray, as you can see!), along with a couple of others that Kenny and I really enjoyed but that I figured wouldn’t freeze all that well. The first and last recipes were especially tasty and very easy!

1. Grilled Beef, Tomato, and Lemon Kabobs (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Grilled-Beef--Tomato-and-Lemon-Kebabs)
2. Chicken and White Bean Stew (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Chicken-and-White-Bean-Stew)
3. Sausage-and-Zucchini Rice (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Sausage-and-Zucchini-Rice)
4. Steak with Red Wine Sauce (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Steak-with-Red-Wine-Sauce)
5. Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Ham (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Pasta-with-Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Ham)
6. Butter-Almond Crusted Fishwiches (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Butter-Almond-Crusted-Fishwiches)

34 Weeks

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to 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. 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.

I had my latest doctor’s appointment last week, and everything is continuing to go well: my blood pressure was 118/62, Bean’s heartrate was 141, and I gained 2.5 pounds. My next appointment is one week from today, and then I start going every week until the end!

The only new thing of note is hiccups, both for me and for Bean. Some of mine are pretty strong and somewhat hurt when they come up, so that’s been interesting to deal with. Hiccups seem to come on for Bean quite often: they feel like little constant, rhythmic kicks way down in my pelvis. My doc said that’s a good sign of a healthy baby. I’ll take it!

That’s certainly not the only movement I’ve been feeling lately, though. Kenny and I often start laughing most nights on account of my belly moving seemingly of its own accord. It’s pretty neat to watch, and it’s one of the things I think I’ll miss the most. Here’s my 34 week belly pic!

Birthday Party

We had Kenny’s family over this weekend for a little birthday celebration for his mom. We barbecued some tasty food for a late lunch on Saturday and then had presents and dessert. It was a nice afternoon and so good to see everyone!

Kenny is usually pretty productive on the weekends, but yesterday he decided to join me in lazing around on the couch for most of the day. We spent a better part of the afternoon glancing between the laptop with the live feed of the oil leak and the television with the World Cup Final (congrats to Spain for pulling off the win in extra time!). Pretty exciting stuff!

Home for the Fourth

Once again, Kenny and I decided not to travel anywhere for 4th of July weekend this year, mostly because long car rides continue to be uncomfortable for me. I’m getting a little worried about our trip to Houston at the end of this month, but my doctor has already okayed it and there’s no way I’m missing out: I have to see Wicked on the stage again!

So instead of driving to New Orleans for my parents’ annual 4th bash (which I’m sure we’ll do next year with Bean!), we hung at home for the three-day holiday. We tried out a couple of new recipes (stay tuned for a “Noteworthy Recipes” post soon), watched a couple of DVDs (Avatar and The Lovely Bones), and also ventured out to see a movie (The A-Team). Lots of fun!

The only bad thing about the long weekend was that my parents stopped by on their way back to Houston yesterday to pick up the cats. It was great to see Mom and Dad, but I didn’t want to say goodbye to my kitties. Three weeks went by way too fast again! I loved having them here, and I will of course miss them terribly. And although it was nice to thoroughly clear out all of the cat hair and kitty litter from the house after they left (read: MAJOR cleaning took place!), I’d still rather them here. Oh well; soon I’ll have something else to occupy my time…..only 7 weeks left!

Eclipse

Once again, Twilight fever has gripped the nation. The third installment of the now epic saga, Eclipse, was released on Wednesday. I decided I wasn’t going to drag Kenny with me to see the latest movie in the theater (especially since he still hasn’t seen the second), so I went by myself. On opening day.

I really didn’t think I’d have trouble getting a ticket to a show in the middle of the afternoon. I know it’s summer and all, and everyone who’s really interested in seeing this movie is out of school, but I expected the die-hards to have already seen the midnight screenings the night before. However, my first showing of choice was sold out. As was the next showing, as well as two of the evening times. Pretty impressive.

What I ended up doing was driving to another theater and trying my luck for the next showing there. Success! I had luckily brought my book with me, so, after purchasing my ticket, I headed over to the nearby Starbucks to read and have a small caffeine fix while I waited for movie time.

I think Eclipse turned out to be the best of the three movies. I can’t remember if I liked the third book the best, but they certainly did a great job with the film. The chemistry among all of the actors is still there, the storylines are true, and the pace of the movie was spot on. We were even treated to further character development in a couple of scenes: I really enjoyed the attention given to Rosalie’s and Jasper’s backstories.

And even though there were plenty of teenage girls in the audience with me, they were more controlled than they were when I went to see New Moon back in November. The only complaint I had stemmed from the woman sitting a few seats over in the row behind me. She had decided to bring her 2-year-old with her, and said child did not exhibit proper movie theater etiquette (read: she did not remain quiet). I mean really, woman, could you not have taken her to see Toy Story 3 instead?

Oh well, such is life. After seeing Eclipse, I can say that I’m very interested to see how the filmmakers deal with the last (and strangest) book. Like the last Harry Potter novel, Breaking Dawn will be split into two separate movies, and we’ll all have to wait until November 2011 to see Part One. At least we’ll have two films with the final adventures of Harry, Ron, and Hermione to watch in the meantime!