28 weeks

Just a quick update this time. At yoga this week our regular instructor (who is also a doula) was away at a birth so we had a substitute. It was Mireille, OUR doula! That was a nice surprise. She has a midwifery conference in mid-March and may not be able to be with us if I go overdue but she has arranged a great backup doula for us. I feel that we are in very good hands with Mireille. We start our 9-week Bradley Method childbirth prep class this Monday. Things are moving right along!

Here's me at 28 weeks:





















And according to babycenter.com:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

3 months to go

Somehow I seem to have crossed into the 3rd trimester today while I wasn't paying attention. How the heck did that happen? On Monday I'll have exactly 3 months left until I bring our baby into the world (if she's on time, that is). Of course I can't wait to meet her and hold her and see what she looks like, but I know that these last 3 months will fly by and then the entire thing will be just a blur behind me. It's been a fun ride so far. Her movements are so strong now that they can be seen easily from the outside, and she must be getting pretty big because I can feel them on opposite sides of my belly simultaneously. She's also started waking me up at night with her kicks and punches. I guess she's trying to train me me for all those midnight feedings and diaper changes I have to look forward to.

Here's me at 27 weeks:





















And according to babycenter.com:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Cooking with Grandma-to-be

I came across a couple belly shots while uploading photos Kailen took of my mom and me cooking for Thanksgiving last Thursday. I think these are kinda cute even though they're blurry:

Narrowly escaped karma slap

After my last post, my awesome (if slightly twisted) friend Shenoa sent me the following email:

"Baby Zokay?"














Here is the conversation that followed:

Me: Aaaaaaaahhhh!

Shenoa: It was kinda scary, wasn't it? ;)

Me: Just a little bit! I sure hope the real deal is cuter than that...otherwise we may have to leave it on the mountaintop like the Spartans did...now I feel guilty for saying that, and am afraid I will be damned with a non-cute child as punishment.

Shenoa: Don't worry about it, you'd only get a karma slap if you really believed it!

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Even if our child IS born looking just like a hairy rutabaga with a face I'll still love it. Of course, I'd rather it be born looking more like an adorable - or at least human - baby.

The good news is that at 26 weeks, the hairy rutabaga comparison is a thing of the past and we are now squarely within the territory of a different and more attractive vegetable. According to babycenter.com:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of herlungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.












Unfortunately I was too busy gorging myself on Thanksgiving goodies to take a belly picture this week, but you can rest assured that it has grown. Whether it's because of all of the gorging or because of the baby growing is yet to be determined. I can tell you one thing though, Thanksgiving is a dream come true for a ravenous pregnant woman!

Kicky McKickerson, AKA an average rutabaga

I've been trying to post updates every Friday but last week I was at a conference all day so I didn't get a chance. I never got around to taking a belly pic anyway. But I'm officially back in business this week! I had my 24 week appointment on Tuesday (from here until 32 weeks I'll go in every 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks) and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time since my 13 week appointment. I could never get sick of that sweet little "whoosh-whoosh" sound. While we were listening, baby ZoKay kicked the doppler! It made a loud noise and made my OB and I both laugh. That reminded me that she can definitely hear outside sounds now, and that Kailen and I should start talking to her. I've been feeling LOTS of kicks this week, which has been really fun and has spawned my new nickname for the baby, Kicky McKickerson.

On the not-so-good side, I've been having a lot of pain in the back of my hips...I think it's from sleeping on my side, which I am not used to doing. I'm probably just going to get more uncomfortable from here on out, but the reward will be worth it. To try to help with the pain, I tried a new prenatal yoga class with my friend Nazy on Wednesday at the place where Kailen and I will be taking our birth prep course starting next month. It was wonderful being in that cozy little room surrounded by beautiful pregnant women. At one point near the end of the class, the instructor mentioned something about how amazing it was that there were 19 people in the room, but that we could only see 10. Something about that made me get all choked up. I forget sometimes that I'm carrying around a whole, brand new human being - just a little one!

So here's me at 25 weeks:




















And according to Babycenter.com:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Major pregnancy milestone

Today I got my first comment from a stranger. It was really sweet, so I thought I'd share. I stopped by Zanotto's (nice little grocery store near my office) to grab a sandwich for lunch, and as I was getting ready to pay for my stuff the man at the checkout counter asked how we were doing. I thought he was referring to me and the lady who was bagging the groceries and was confused at first, but then he clarified and said "no, I mean the two of YOU!" I told him that "we" were both doing just fine, and that he was the first person to mention it who didn't already know. He said his daughter was also having a baby and asked when I'm due. Apparently she's due a couple of weeks after me. Then he said "well you look great, keep up the good work!" It totally made my day. Thanks, nice Zanotto's checkout guy!

Feeling prepared thanks to Sarah and Jeff!

So last weekend Sarah and Jeff and their cute little brood came to visit us for lunch, and brought us a literal vanload of baby stuff including a swing, co-sleeper, snap-n-go stroller and a big bin of receiving blankets, clothes, etc. And that was only what they had for us that would fit into the first load! I feel very lucky to have friends like them, and am feeling very spoiled right now. Thanks Sarah and Jeff...you're awesome!

We also picked up our crib and dresser/changer, and over the week the monitor, crib mattress and pad that we ordered were delivered. It feels really good to have so many items checked off our list, even though we aren't planning to start setting them up just yet.

Kailen also felt the baby move for the first time this week during yet another episode of hiccups. It was a sweet, memorable moment for this li'l family-to-be.

All in all, it's been a pretty good week. Not the least of this was, of course, watching the election coverage on Tuesday night. It felt like Christmas, only WAY better. I've been very emotional and anxious about the election and I'm so glad it turned out the way that it did. The world feels like a better place now, one that I feel more comfortable bringing a new life into. Of course due to the passing of Prop. 8 there are still plenty of reminders that the world remains a very unfair place and that people can be very ugly. But I feel confident that this was just a temporary setback...

On a lighter note, apparently baby ZoKay is now being compared to fruits and veggies in terms of weight, not length (so why continue to include the quarter? I'm just sayin'):












According to Babycenter.com:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

And here's me at 23 weeks, back-rolls and all!