34 Weeks and looks like LRM

Baby had her first portrait taken today - in utero. It was hard to get good pictures because her face was smushed against the placenta, but from what we can tell she looks just like LRM! She looks like LRM's 3D ultrasound anyway... She looks like she may have her mommy's nose, whereas LRM has her daddy's nose. We think Baby will have her daddy's lips, though - just like her big sis! We think she is going to be a beautiful little girl and we can't wait to meet her in the next few weeks.

Here is what she is up to these days:

In week 35, the average baby weighs around five to six pounds and measures about 16 to 19 inches in length. Your baby will begin to gain weight more rapidly than ever before…adding about one half to three-quarters of a pound each week from this point forward. And healthy fat is being deposited all over your baby's body, especially around the shoulders.

Because of her size, your baby may move around less as her surroundings become more cramped. Her head may be resting on your pubic bone in preparation for labor and delivery.

Other developments are also taking place this week:

• The central nervous system will continue to mature.
• The lungs will most likely be fully developed by Week 35.
• Baby is beginning to develop daily activity cycles. You may notice that Baby is often more active at night when you're trying to rest!
• Even though they won't be considered “full-term” until the end of the 40th week, Baby's respiratory and digestive systems are nearly mature.
• Baby's immune system is starting to develop.
• The umbilical cord is now about 20 inches long and one to two centimeters in diameter; at birth, it will be about two feet long and a half-inch thick.

LRM Goes to Flagstaff and Mommy is Getting Large

LRM and Mommy were invited to hang out with some friends in Flagstaff. We had a wonderful time. We had our own private suite, there was a huge playroom for the six babies (ages 3 months to 3 years), horses to ride, and plenty of dirt to play in. The weather was a perfect 75 during the day. This morning we had a nice fire going while we ate our breakfast. We really hope to be invited back; it was very relaxing indeed! See the pictures at http://money.shutterfly.com/action/

Pregnancy Update
This week marks some major changes for your baby's eyes. Most notably, the iris in your baby's eyes will become pigmented. However, no matter what color eyes your baby is born with (most are born with dark blue-brown or blue-gray eyes) the color almost always changes after birth. In fact, your baby's true eye color won't appear for six to nine months after delivery, because the final eye pigmentation occurs in response to the strong light of the outside world.
By the end of this week, Baby will weigh about 3.5 pounds and will be about 14.5 inches long. From now on, your baby's weight gain will exceed her growth in length.

Each day brings new developments inside the womb:
Baby's eyes are now usually open during waking, and are closed at naptimes.
Baby's lungs and digestive tract are continuing to develop.

As you near the end of the second trimester, your baby will begin to settle head-down into your pelvis. However, some babies don't make this journey until late in the last trimester, and about four percent of babies don’t make the switch, remaining in a breech position at delivery.

LRM Goes Camping

We headed north to beat the heat this weekend and had a fabulous time in beautiful Sedona. It was our first time there and we were quite impressed. The landscape is amazing - makes you wonder how the settlers made it across this land in covered wagons. We think it's beautiful but I'm sure they thought it was a pain to travel.

We thought LRM would have trouble sleeping in the tent with us, since she doesn't ever sleep with us. But she barely napped on the way there and we kept her up late so when she was tired she just crashed. The four of us (P, me, LRM, and Dags) were cozy in our two-man tent. We hiked a little and played in the creek. LRM was not a fan of dirt on her hands but eventually she learned to wipe it off herself instead of just cry about it. On the way home we stopped at Slide Rock State Park, which was really neat. We couldn't bring Dags to the water so I stayed with him while P and LRM played. I have lots of pictures of our trip posted at Shutterfly. You can view even more of LRM's newest pictures on Shutterfly by clicking LRM Photos to the right of this post. There are pics from our recent trip to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as well as some new family portraits.

We can't believe we've been here a year and haven't camped before now. Shame on us. We're looking forward to more camping, especially visiting the Grand Canyon. We'll have to hurry though, because I'm growing quite large and I don't want to stray too far from medical care should I go into labor. Once baby arrives, though, we'll be back in the woods!

26 Weeks and Growing

Baby and I are growing - luckily my weight has steadied off a bit so it looks like I might not end up the size of a house. Maybe just a small shack. :) She's kicking around a lot and I felt the hiccups for the first time the other day. She really loves Cold Stone ice cream - it gets her moving. We're still on the search for the perfect name, so don't ask.

LRM is doing her own share of growing. She said "turtle" the other day. She's got lots of words in her vocabulary but turtle has to be the cutest. We go for her 15 month check-up next week. I think she's getting some chubby on her legs so hopefully she's bigger than the 3rd percentile in weight.

The weather here is still very hot so we spend a lot of time in the pool. We're thinking of doing some camping soon, north of here of course where the weather is much much cooler. Not only will the heat keep you in but we have a couple of serial killers on the loose. Last night one shot a girl only about 4 miles from our house.

I ran over a lizard in the garage today. There are guts. I'm not cleaning it up. Maybe P will find it but I'm sure he won't clean it up either. It will just dry up in an hour or so. See how exciting my life is - I write about squished lizards in my garage. Here's a thought. The lizard is lying on its back. How does one run over a lizard on its back?

Here's even more excitement. My latest obsession is the Grocery Game. Can I really save $300 a month on my groceries. Tune in to find out...

It's a Girl!

Ok, so I realize I've been away for a loooooong time, but we have been traveling to Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia and have had family in from Oklahoma and Kansas since my last post. I've been a little busy - give me a break.

Between trips we had our ultrasound and it looks pretty certain that our next little peanut definitely is without nuts. :) The baby name adventure has begun. If you have any great ideas for little girl names, please let me know. We need all the help we can get.

LRM is doing great these days. She's walking all over the place and FINALLY started saying Mama, though it comes out MomMoma, which I think is soooo cute. She's learning how to use her temper and is being very clingy (actually very sweet when she just wants to cuddle). I can't WAIT to have another one! :) She loves swimming in the pool and she kicks all over the place. She doesn't mind going under so we're practicing staying under for longer periods of time. This morning she ate her oatmeal with a spoon all by herself. What a big girl! Now if she can only master the stairs I'll have it made.

As for our trips, we visited my family in Oklahoma - we stayed a week with Grannie and I left LRM with my mom while I drove to Dallas for Memorial Day weekend for a wedding. I must say it was a fantastic weekend with the girls I hardly knew. Mostly it was just nice to not have mommy duty for a few days. The next week my mom and sister and P's sister came for a visit to Arizona. We did some swimming, watched some TV, visited the Desert Botanical Gardens (very cool), and ate a lot. It was a nice visit. The next week we were off to Atlanta where P was in a wedding. We were busy with wedding stuff but had a great time. Also, my sister and her family were in town so we all visited the Georgia Aquarium (also very cool). Hopefully, I'll soon get some pictures posted to Shutterfly with our trips. We stayed with Sarah, who is a fantastic host and wonderful mommy to her precious dog. We love Piper!

Pregnancy Update
By now I'm about 21 weeks gestation. I feel lots of movement from baby but nothing too extreme yet. I forgot to note my weight last doctor visit (funny how that happens) so I'll have to update my fatty chart next month. I am eating healthier now so I don't think I'm porking out too much, though my boobs continue to overpower my appearance and my baby bump. God bless cosmetic surgery when this baby stuff is over!!

Anyway, so here is what baby is up to this week...

This week nerve endings become functional enough so that Baby can feel! She may experiment with this new sense of touch by stroking her face or feeling other body parts to see how they move. You may feel Baby stretching her muscles by pushing against the muscular wall of your uterus with her feet or head. In addition, Baby's liver is busy breaking down bilirubin, a substance formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in blood cells. Because a baby's liver can only break down a limited amount of bilirubin, the excess is passed on to you through the placenta to filter from your liver. Baby weighs almost a pound now, and is seven to eight inches long. Although she's filling out, her body still appears wrinkled because she lacks a significant layer of fat beneath her skin.

Other developments taking place this week include:
• Baby will form distinct lips.
• If Baby is a boy, testes, which have been tucked up inside the pelvis, will begin to descend into the scrotum this week and immature sperm will form in the seminal vesicles.
• Baby's eyes will complete formation, although the iris (the colored part of the eye) will still lack pigment.
• The pancreas, essential to hormone production, will continue to develop steadily.

16 Weeks...

Not much new to report. I know I promised you my weight (bad idea), so here it is. I cannot be held responsible for its accuracy. :) PSM got me an ice cream maker for my birthday so looks like this baby might be pretty well fed. The good news is that I don't gag at the thought of vegetables anymore so my diet is improving somewhat (with the exception of waaaaaaay to much ice cream).

Here's the action in the womb this week:

As your pregnancy progresses, your baby's first feces are starting to build up in her bowels. Called meconium, this sticky substance is made up of dead cells, digestive juices, and swallowed amniotic fluid. Meconium is usually not excreted until after birth, although occasionally Baby may release it into the amniotic fluid before delivery. Baby is now almost five inches long and weighs about four or five ounces. She is firmly anchored via the umbilical cord to the placenta, which continues to grow with her. The placenta, which is now more than an inch thick, contains thousands of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby.

Big happenings this week include:
• Layers of fat are beginning to develop under the skin to help keep Baby warm and protect her after birth.
• A rubbery skeleton continues to develop, although Baby's bones are still primarily cartilage, flexible enough to enable her to pass through the birth canal.
• A protective coating called myelin is slowly beginning to cover Baby's spinal cord. This coating will help protect the cord for the rest of Baby's life.

15 Weeks and Counting

So, I'm up to 15 weeks now. I feel like I'm really showing but I might just be lazy about sucking my gut in now. If I suck in I don't look so prego. But who wants to go through all that effort when you have an excuse not to? I've gained another 5 pounds this month and I'm still within the recommended range, but right at the top. Maybe now that I'm feeling better I'll lay off the perogies and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - YUM! Plus I've been feeling a bit anemic so I really need to eat more beef and veggies. I went to the doc this week and heard the heartbeat for the first time. Doc said it "sounds like a boy," whatever that means. We have our ultrasound in 3 weeks to determine the gender. Keep your fingers crossed for a boy!

So, here's what is happening in the womb this week:

Baby can now make facial expressions because of the development of her facial muscles. This week she can squint, smile and frown. This is probably not an indication of mood, but may be linked to random impulses in the developing brain. Overall growth continues—your baby now weighs about 2.8 to three ounces and is about four or five inches long.

Other highlights this week include:
• Her ability to make some voluntary muscle movements means she can now hold her head somewhat erect.
• Baby is developing a sensitivity to light, and may respond with heart rate accelerations to projections of light on the abdomen. This can serve as a test of well-being before birth.
• Hiccups may start now, but you won't hear or feel them because the baby's system is filled with fluid rather than air.
• Baby's heart is now pumping the equivalent of 25 quarts of blood each day.
• Arm and leg movements are becoming more coordinated.
• Baby's bladder will empty about every 40-45 minutes.

LRM Walks!

She took three steps on her birthday but we were coaxing her with pizza. Since then she's taken a few half steps and one step journeys but this morning she took 4 steps. I think she's off and running very very soon...

She's really cranky today (already, at 9:00 AM) so I think she must be about to cut another tooth - her third.

LRM Turns One

After Mommy had an eventful weekend in Las Vegas, LRM had an eventful day by turning 1. We had her party a week early but she never knew the difference. She's still trying to recover from the sugar high she got from her cake. Thanks to everyone who attended her party - she had a great time!!

You can see her birthday pictures at our Shutterfly location http://money.shutterfly.com.

LRM Encounters the Easter Bunny

No words needed...

Prego Update

Here's what is going on in my womb, according to www.verybestbaby.com

Your baby's growth will really pick up speed over the next few weeks. By the end of this week, Baby will be about two inches from head to bottom, and still weighs about half an ounce — but she'll double in size and weight in about three weeks. To handle this growth, the blood vessels in the placenta are increasing in size and number, providing Baby with more nutrients. Other changes you can expect this week include:
• Baby's ears will move toward their final position on the sides of her head.
• Your baby's external genitalia are beginning to develop, and in a few weeks you may be able to tell whether you're having a boy or girl.
• Baby will begin to swallow and kick.
• Bones will begin to slowly solidify, although most of the skeleton is still made of flexible material.
• Nerve cells in the brain are busy connecting with each other, building pathways for future communication.
• All major organs will be fully developed.
• Spinal nerves will begin to stretch out from the spinal cord.
• Fingernails will begin to appear.
• With a special hand-held device, your doctor will be able to hear the fetus' rapid heartbeat.

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So I've gained 7 pounds. I think that's right on track but I feel like my arms are fat. I'm in a wedding in May so I really need to be lifting some weights but I'd rather take a nap. Plus Long John Silvers is my new best friend. :) I'm going to be very brave and share with all of you my weight chart. If it gets too high that will be the end of my sharing. The good news is that I was 7 pounds lighter post-LRM than I was pre-LRM. Breastfeeding is the miracle diet!!!

Pregnancy, Week 10

For those of you who are interested, this is what the Peanut is up to this week, according to www.verybestbaby.com...

This week your baby's brain will experience enormous growth, producing up to 250,000 new cells every minute. The rest of her body is growing, too; she's now about the size of a small plum, and weighs about half an ounce. This week marks Baby's last week as an embryo; next week she'll officially become a fetus. At this point you can relax a bit, because any abnormalities that could develop in your baby are much less likely to occur after the tenth week. Of course, you'll still want to make healthy lifestyle choices — avoiding drugs, X-rays, alcohol, cigarettes and toxins that could harm Baby's developing cells.

This week, there's a lot of activity going on:
• Tooth buds for baby teeth will begin forming inside the mouth.
• Reproductive organs and external genitals will be formed, although it will still be too early to determine gender.
• The nervous system will continue to develop and many of the internal organs will begin to function.
• The intestines, which have been developing inside the umbilical cord, have now begun moving into Baby's abdominal cavity.
• Taste buds will begin to appear on the surface of the tiny tongue.
• Eyelids are almost closed over the tiny eyes, which have already developed some of the color they'll have at birth.
• The upper lip will form completely.
• Most of the joints will form (elbow, wrists, knee, shoulder and ankle).

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Overall I'm still feeling like a wet noodle. P is busy scrubbing the wallpaper glue off of the kitchen walls getting ready to paint. This was my project but no chemicals or paint for me. :) That leaves me to make the curtains. I'm hoping to have the kitchen finished by LRM's birthday party but I have to order fabric, so who knows...

Our Little Peanut

And no I don't mean LRM! :) I went for an ultrasound today. We are 8 weeks and 2 days pregnant, due on November 4. Little Peanut is 1.7 centimeters long and his/her heartrate was 168. We saw little arm and leg buds and the heart beating. I go back next Wednesday to the OB to start my regular visits. We're very excited about the new addition to our family! I guess I get to start shopping for double strollers soon...

Tonto National Monument

Last weekend we took Dags and LRM and drove up to Tonto National Monument where there are some really cool cliff dwellings. Dags was allowed on the trail to the lower dwellings but not the upper ones. The trail to the upper dwellings is more natural and they are trying to preserve that. I guess they are afraid dogs will eat the cacti?? Anyway, the weather was wonderful so he stayed in the car while we hiked up the trail to the upper dwellings. If I had been a Salado Indian, I think I would have lived here too. Absolutely stunning!

LRM Signs

Ok, so clearly I am not good at this blogging business but I promise to try harder. I have so many things to talk about now but I don't know if I'm supposed to save each topic for a new post or if I'm supposed to throw them all into one. I think I'll do separate ones. That way it will give you all something new to read. Who reads this stuff anyway???

So LRM signed "hat" today. Very cute. She kind of misses her head and pats her face but we get the idea. She also just started signing "monkey." I think the spider monkies at the zoo were her inspiration. She puts her hands near her armpits and makes a "ooo ooo ooo" sound. This morning she spoke the word "cat" as plain as day. I'm pretty sure it was an accident but we were talking about the cat and she was looking at the cat when she said it. I'll keep you posted on whether or not she says it again. Oh, the excitement of my life...

LRM's First Tooth

Yesterday I noticed a little scratchy thing on LRM's bottom gum... FINALLY her first tooth is appearing. So far she doesn't seem to mind it much so I guess it isn't hurting her. We're considering going to the zoo today to celebrate, but it's a little chilly outside, a cool and cloudy Arizona winter 67 degrees... Brrrrrrr. Maybe the clouds will bring some rain. It's been something like 130 days with no rain here.

Here we are at the zoo...

My first post

While LRM is having her breakfast this morning (scrambled eggs and bananas) I'm trying to create this blog. Hopefully this is a good idea...

This picture is not a result of breakfast, I just think it's a funny picture of Mad LRM!