Smiling Baby Jones

This is the best picture of the lot in my opinion. I will tell you more about the entire visit later. Eric is taking the computer away from me so he can use it for guitar stuff. =\

3D Ultra Sound

This weekend is our 3D Ultrasound and I can't wait!!!!!!! I'm so hoping the pictures turn out good and that I like my baby. Just kidding! I'm sure the baby is fine. But I AM SO CURIOUS! I figure we'll all be impressed either way. I mean, I've never had a 3-D Ultrasoundbefore and when Eric and I were in the womb doctors were still drawing out Ultrasounds on the inside of cave walls.

Mostly, I want to know if it has Eric's skinny head (the skinnier the better when it comes to the delivery!) and my nose and what not. I just want to see the dang face! I think this freaks my Mom out for some reason but curiousity is killing this mama cat and I just want to see it. I WANT TO SEE IT!

We get to invite up to 8 people to be in the room and view the baby on a big screen -so of course we invited our family.

This is what our package includes:

- 20 minute 3D/4D session
- Gender determination (if desired) NOT DESIRED!
- Hear your baby's heartbeat
- At least 2 black & white 3D Images
- DVD of session set to lullaby music or music of your choice
- CD with all images taken (jpg files, for easy sharing)

Grandma Avis has requested that a cute shot be taken and blown up for her office at the condo. Again, I'm hoping we get some non-alien-baby looking shots for her!

Here are the pictures of the Ultrasound office. It looks SO FANCY! Maybe they serve Champagne too!

Dr. Appointment

Yesterday I had my regular check-up at the OBGYN. I weighed in at 208.5 - a little higher than I wanted to. I was hoping for 207 but I was puffy, as usual, and I had a full bladder when I was on the scale. Why stand on the scale with a full bladder you ask? Because step #1 of the appointment is getting weighed. Step #2 of the appointment is peeing in a cup. I needed the pee for step #2. Step #3 of the appointment was my blood pressure and it was good -- so no preeclampsia so far! I'm hoping I can keep it that way! Preeclampsia can really blow. Word on the street is that preeclampsia can kill you. To prevent that they deliver your baby early so you don't explode. Signs of preeclampsia can be similar to the puffy signs I've already had.

"Call your midwife or doctor right away if you notice swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, or excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles."

My Mom came with me to my appointment yesterday which was really neat! She got to hear the baby's heartbeat which was at 136 beats per minute. That is lower than before and normal. The bigger the baby the slower the heartbeat. And she got to witness the ceremonial measuring of the belly (30cm). After that we went to lunch -- Italian! And I got a fruit smoothie from Robeks for dessert. I was spoiled! I also got a prenatal massage as a gift from my parents and Mom got me a $25 gift certificate to Robeks so I can get smoothies on her for the next several weeks! Yay! Note to all pregnant ladies out there: Bringing Grandma to hear the baby's heartbeat really gets you far in the gift department!! *wink*wink*

Today I am 30 weeks and that is the last week of Month 7!! It's hard to believe but I'm only 7 weeks away from being at a safe delivery point. Next on the list of to-do's is the baby's nursery which should be done by June 28th!

30 Weeks (8 - 12 more weeks to go!)

Thirty weeks! Even the nurse at my doctors appointment said "you're in the home stretch!" I'm so excited! My comments today are in Red!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half (I think I have more than the average Mom. My belly is huge.)of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your 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. (Odd that there is so much talk of a out-of-womb baby!) 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.)


How your life's changing:

You may be feeling a little tired these days (um ya! I've been sleeping like a rock lately! The whole house could burn down around me and I'd have no idea.), especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal (Not that clumsy yet), which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier (Yes, thanks.), but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. (Also, this causes the pregnant woman to waddle. I learned this in my L&D class the other night! ) Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size. I don't care now that I'm not going to a wedding in 6 hours!

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? (Mood swings? What mood swings?)The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of those emotional ups and downs. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent. (I'm really not worried about either to quite frank.) But if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly irritable or agitated, talk to your doctor or midwife. (I'm sure it's the Prozac but I feel just fine. The only thing that seems to really bring out the devil in me is constipation and I do try to avoid that like crazy.) You may be among the 1 in 10 expectant women who battle depression during pregnancy. Also let your caregiver know if you're frequently nervous or anxious. ("Nervous and Anxious" is not really my style. Not when it comes to baby stuff anyway.)

Labor & Delivery Prep Class #1

Our first Labor & Delivery Preparation Class was last night. It went really well. I learned a lot, Eric learned more than he wanted, and we got to leave early! I'd say all-in-all that means it was a hole in one!

Topics of discussion were:


-Early signs of labor
-Signs of early labor
-Stages of labor (including a facial expression chart which I thought was priceless!)
-Cervical changes during labor
-Newborn Saftey
-Carseat Saftey

Eric's least favorite topic was the mucus plug. Luckily they didn't refer to it by it's other name, "The Bloody Show" or I think he would have left the room.

During the class the janitor was moping a nearby floor with a strong chemical and so they let us out early. Eric and I didn't even notice the smell but the nurse teaching the class did and so did some other couples so we were excused.

Next week we're going to tour the maternity ward which I'm really looking forward to.

Fat Feet & Formal Wear

This past weekend was my sister-in-law's wedding. It was a lovely affair! So beautiful and filled with family. Everything regarding the ceremony and the reception went off without a problem. Impressive!

With all the prewedding eating that had to be done (Bachelorette Party & Rehearsal Dinner) I ended up swelling like a balloon. Restaurant food = BIG legs, ankles and feet. By Saturday morning I looked like I'd broken both my ankles. No joke.

My morning was filled with frustration and anger as I tried to find gold shoes to go with my dress. The dress I bought months ago in preparation for this event. The dress I spent quite a bit of money on (for me, anyway)and intended to wear my gold shoes with....
Here is the dress:


...but no......my gold shoes didn't fit over my enormous feet. Off I went to 2 DSW's, a Famous Footwear, a Payless. I found nothing! My ballooned feet could not fit in any gold shoe. I don't mean -- the gold shoes weren't cute enough. Or the gold shoes weren't comfy enough. I mean I actually could NOT fit my foot in to any gold shoe. Finally I ended at Old Navy. For $3.50 I bought a pair of purple flip flops to match the dress.

Here are the shoes:




I took my doctors office advice and ate some melon, a natural Diuretic. Ok, I actually ate an entire melon. It worked pretty well. I had to pee every 10 minutes but it took the swelling down. Then I sat with my feet up for 1 hour before the ceremony. By the time I got to the church my feet were half the size but still swollen.

Sunday, after the wedding stuff was all over, my ankles were amazing and slim. Just a day late for the ceremony. Oh well. The flips worked out fine and after I had come to terms with the fact that my swollen ankles were out of my control -- I felt better about myself.

Legal Guardian

So much to do when you have a kid! So much to plan for when you're pregnant! One of which is legal guardianship. It's not fun to think of dying and leaving your children to someone but then again it helps when you can pick the people/family they'll be going to. Eric and I have asked that his brother Bryan and wife Toni take our kids if something should happen. They have accepted (thank GOD!) Once the baby is born we'll have this legally drawn up along with our Will.

Bryan and Toni are not only wonderful people but they are wonderful parents too! They have a wonderful family life. Their kids are healthy, happy, good in school and they eat salad and drink their milk too. Bryan and Toni help with homework and are very involved with the kids sports and extra curricular activities. Plus, they all go to church - mega bonus in my opinion. Personally, I've thought about just giving the baby to them when it's born and then getting it back when the kid is grown up and raised right - but I have yet to figure out how to approach them about that. =)