Nursery Progress...

Prescott has finished the closet and built-in!

Thinking About the Hospital Bag Already?!?

Last week, I introduced you to "This Week's Activity" from babycenter.  This Week's Activity is to start thinking about the hospital bag!

This Week's Activity:

You don't need to pack your bag yet, but start making a list of items to bring to the hospital. Besides a change of clothes and a toothbrush, some items to include:

• A photograph or object to focus on during labor (hmmm...maybe a photograph of Pres & Lady?)

• Snacks to keep your energy up and gum or mints for bad breath (I thought I wasn't allowed to eat while in labor!)

• Cozy socks and slippers (oooh the socks Court & Matt gave me for Christmas two years ago!)

• Your favorite pillow (you mean pillowS, right?!?)

• Some light reading material (how about all the baby and parenting magazines I never signed up to receive but seem to be arriving faster than I can read them!)

• A nursing nightie and nursing bra (um, I have nursing pajamas from Court...I'm gonna have to go buy a bra soon, I guess...)

• A going-home outfit for your baby (oh my goodness!  something to think about!)

• A camera or camcorder, fresh batteries, and film, if necessary (are we going to buy a camcorder now?!?)

I've read other lists that are much more extensive than this...a bit overwhelming, too, I'll admit...but I know we'll have it all in order a month from now when I've read we should actually have the bag packed!

Today We Are 31 Weeks Pregnant

How Our Baby Girl Is Growing:

This week, our baby girl measures over 16 inches long.  She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt.  She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.  She's moving a lot, too, so I am having trouble sleeping because our baby girl's kicks and somersaults keep me up.  But I can take comfort: All this moving is a sign that our baby is active and healthy.

"Innovation for Daddy"...Inspiration for Us

You all know that Prescott & I have been pondering the family-friendly car issue. We test-drove the Toyota Sienna. We considered the Dodge Journey. Then, one night, as we stressed over what to do about trading in the Lexus, I insisted we unpack the stroller and car seat to see whether they fit in the Lexus. To our surprise, the stroller fit in the trunk! The front passenger seat is a little snug with the car seat behind it, but it is definitely tolerable. So we decided to forget about trading in my beloved Lex.

Every once-in-awhile, though, I'd comment to Pres that it would be difficult to deal with the car seat in the Jeep, but we figured that Pres would be the one to handle that on the infrequent occasions that we piled into the Jeep. Then, a little over a week ago, we saw this Nissan commercial, and I turned to Pres and asked if we should "upgrade" his Wrangler Rubicon to an Unlimited. We immediately began discussing how doing so would give us a family car that we could take on all the outdoor excursions we want to go on.

After talking to various dealerships (and visiting three), getting three different estimates on the trade-in, and debating whether to get the 2010 or 2011 (which features a new interior), we bought exactly what we wanted: the 2010 Unlimited version of Pres's 2007 Rubicon. We are so excited about our new family-friendly Wrangler and can't wait to take our little girl camping, hiking, off-roading, you-name-the-outdoor-activity.

Assembling Baby Gear

Each week, I receive a weekly update on the progress of my pregnancy from babycenter.  These updates include a section entitled "This Week's Activity," and this week's activity was to begin assembling baby gear: "This is the perfect job for your partner or a friend who wants to help.  Cribs, bassinets, and strollers are notoriously tricky to put together, especially when you're sleep deprived, so get started now.  Swings, mobiles, and monitors can all require batteries, so make sure you have enough on hand.  Tip: Consider getting rechargeable batteries and a battery charger." 

Naturally, I passed this suggestion on to Prescott, and I'm sure you can all imagine what we've been up to since we got home from work yesterday.  Prescott worked on the nursery until I got home.

After a short dinner break, Pres assembled our baby girl's stroller.

and with the help of some libations...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Today We Are 30 Weeks Pregnant

How Our Baby Girl Is Growing:

Our baby girl is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs about 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Modified from: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-30-weeks_1119.bc?responsys_count=1&scid=mbtw_preg30:889&pe=2UxuZCY

Today's Visit with Dr. Katz

Here are the ultrasound pics the tech gave us at today's visit with Dr. Katz: two profile, one head-on (I think she flared her nostrils at me)!

Our little Peanut is a little Peanut no more! She now weighs about 3 pounds, 2 ounces! She was very active (as usual); we watched her reach for her foot with her hand and kick kick kick kick kick. We could even see her open and close her mouth. Dr. Katz said everything looks great.

Our next appointment is Monday, October 4th at 9:30 a.m.

Our 29-Week (& 2 Days) Bump

Anyone know how to airbrush out stretchmarks?

Well, we were taking bump pictures every four weeks at first, but Prescott was in Las Vegas for a convention when we would have taken our 28-week picture, and I was barely out of bed when he left for work this past Friday (the office was closed Thursday and Friday for Rosh Hashanah; a benefit of working at a firm with Jewish principals). Yesterday morning, Pres hopped out of bed at 7 a.m. to take Lady to the groomer. When he came home with his coffee and my chai, I just wanted to hang out together before the rush of the day descended upon us. So this morning, when "all" we had planned for the morning was our first childbirth class at Cedars, we took the time to memorialize my early third-trimester bump. Of course we included the crutches because, well, they're part of the story of this pregnancy.

Today We Are 29 Weeks Pregnant

How Our Baby Girl Is Growing:

Our baby girl now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, I'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I have to be sure to drink my milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in our baby girl's hardening skeleton each day.

Modified from: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-29-weeks_1118.bc?read_more=1&scid=mbtw_preg29:878&pe=2UxuZCY

Today We Are 28 Weeks Pregnant

How Our Baby Girl is Growing:

By this week, our baby girl weighs about two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures about 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 my womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Modified from: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-28-weeks_1117.bc?read_more=1&scid=mbtw_preg28:874&pe=2UxuZCY

27 Weeks...To Boot

On Tuesday, August 24th, I enjoyed a nice evening after work with Prescott, Lady, my mom, Katie & Ava. Pres & I wanted to take Lady to the beach, and we invited the Miller girls along. Though my mom opted to stay home, the rest of us piled into Katie's "Peachmobile" and took Ava to the beach for the first time in her life.

Upon return from the beach, I stumbled on the last two steps in front of our house. Boy, did it hurt! (Don't worry, I, like a good girl, fell on my bum. Our little girl is fine and has actually been quite active since then.) Everyone came running when they heard me screech. Pres helped me to the living room couch, propped my foot up on a cushion and promptly began the ice-on/ice-off treatment. Then he wrapped my ankle and we went to bed.

The next morning, I could not stand, let alone walk. Same thing the next morning. So I called my doctor, and she arranged for me to have an x-ray that afternoon (turns out it's okay to get an x-ray when you're pregnant!). My mom took me, and while we were relieved to learn I had not broken anything, it turns out I have a "right ankle grade II sprain of deltoid and lateral ligaments" (in layman's terms, I tore the ligaments both inside and outside my ankle, which, according to the doctor, is "as bad as or worse than a break"). The doctor gave me this fancy boot to secure the ligaments and instructed me to remain off my ankle and keep it elevated above my heart for the next week. Then, I will have to do physical therapy twice a week for four weeks. Boy, when I do something, I really "do it right"!

So this is a picture of a boot similar to mine - mine is a little shorter, but you get the idea. I've been hobbling around with crutches, and tonight Pres is renting a wheelchair so I can go "walking" with him and Lady (isn't he sweet to look for something like that?!?).

I know it seemed at the beginning of this post that I might be sharing pictures of Ava's first trip to the beach. Don't worry; I'll load and share them very soon.