29 weeks; 77 days left

The only reason I mention the 77 days is that the ticker to the left caught my eye since I was born in 77, that's all. But, since I have reached 29 weeks, both The Bump and Tarzan's Guide to Baby Development give us new items to compare baby to:

A papaya:



Really? The baby is not round, so why do we compare it to spherical things?

A big wheel:



Ah hah, a website that tells me the baby looks like:

A butternut squash, mmmm yummy. This is according to Baby Center:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain.

Yay for more brain, but the size of the head still gives me nightmares.

Your baby's very active now. Your healthcare provider may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let your provider know if you ever notice that your baby is becoming less active. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.

Considering we've already had a trip to Labor & Delivery over this issue, this is something I intend to bring up with my doctor today. I have a hernia mesh and an anterior placenta, so movements are hard to feel. Oh, I feel him when he lands a nice jab right to my bladder, but beyond that if he's just slowly swimming around in there, I don't necessarily feel it.

And just as I finished typing that, he rewarded me with a swift kick to my belly.

Just a small addition from the I am Pregnant website:

Research has shown that your baby is not only able to hear, but also able to recognize your own voice. This shows that your baby can already learn, remember and recognize.

I think he moves more when we talk to him. We'll keep talking and singing to the belly and see if more movement occurs.

Shoes & books & hiccups

Let's start with hiccups:

Last night, I am lying on the couch watching some quality television (Bridezillas) when I feel something weird right below my belly button. I put my hand on my stomach and just feel it for a few seconds. It felt like a slight knock, very light, but every couple seconds. It would go on for 10-15 knocks, take a break for a few seconds and then happen again. I suddenly realized it was hiccups!!! I called my mom over and she felt them too. Jeff came home and he felt them too. The baby had them for a good hour. And again, this morning, for a few minutes.

Books:

I asked Jeff to read a book to Oliver last night. It feels weird but I know he can hear us and I want him to hear more than my work meetings and my driving outbursts. I also want him to know his dad's voice. So, Jeff read Goodnight Moon to him. It still felt weird till Oliver kicked a few times towards the end. I don't know if it was just his regular kicking or if he was responding to Jeff's voice. I'd like to believe the latter.

Shoes:

Found the first casualty of pregnancy. I tried these on last night and though a little snug, they felt fine. I could walk in them and nothing hurt. This morning, I couldn't zip them up. Welcome, fat feet. RIP for a few months, shoes.

The only thing keeping me from sobbing about this is the fact that we leave for Niagara Falls tomorrow. Yippee!

7 months, and a shower

Well folks, we have a belly! It could be all the food I ate on Sunday, but here it is:

7 months down, 3 to go (if you count 4 weeks as a month; if you count 30/31 days, then I have 2.7/2.8 months respectively). I think I can safely say, so far, this trimester is my favorite! That might change when I gain more weight but so far, the 1st had slight nausea all day long and the 2nd had debilitating heartburn pain everyday almost, so in the absence of those 2, this trimester is shaping up to be a breeze. I know things can change so all you naysayers, let me enjoy my bliss while it lasts.

According to Baby Center, this week the baby looks like a Chinese cabbage. They didn't provide a photo, so I looked one up.

Your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. Your baby can open his eyes now and see the light that filters through your womb. He can hear, too, so go ahead and talk or sing to your baby.

Oh yeah, time to start indoctrinating him in the ways of country music. Also, probably should read movie synopsis more carefully before renting them. I thought Kick-Ass was a comedy, not so much as I cringed while watching limbs get cut off and stuff.

Billions of neurons have developed and are firing in your baby's brain, creating essential connections that will help him learn in and outside the womb.

Thank heavens he won't be stupid ;-)

This past Sunday, 4 amazing and beautiful women, threw us a baby shower: my sister Suheir, Brenda, Kimber and Anjuli. It was great to see our friends and feel the love, not just through their gifts but through their support and their warmth. I managed not to cry at the shower itself, but I did as I was writing our thank you cards. Days like Sunday make us glad we moved to this area. It shows us that we have a support group here that's always there for us even though we might not speak with these people every day or even every week. Thanks to everyone who showed up and made the shower so special. Here are a couple photos; most others are on Facebook but I'll put them on Flickr as well for those who aren't on FB.

This cake was yummy, coconut on the top and lemon on the bottom 2 tiers.

For now

you'll have to do with this photo. Lisa is due 11/23 and I am due 11/15. You can try to figure out when our husbands are due hehe.

Sneak preview of L&D

So, I got to see the labor and delivery department at St. Agnes today, way before our September 11 & 12 childbirth classes which include a hospital tour.

Backstory: My OB told me on Monday that after eating, for 2 hours, I should count Oliver's movements. I told her how I didn't really feel a lot of movement, just a couple kicks here and there. She told me if I didn't count at least 10 in 2 hours, I should call her. So, for 2 days, I counted and called her today because the maximum I could ever get to was about 7. On average, I counted 3-4. She told me to immediately go to labor and delivery.

Oye Ve. This was at 2:10 p.m. and my parents & sis were supposed to arrive at the airport at 2:40. So, I picked them up and we all hustled to St. Agnes. Where they gave me their sexy hospital gown and hooked me up to some monitors and watched the baby's heartbeat for 45 minutes or so. It was between 130s to 150s and the doctors were happy. I was told to keep on counting movements but to see if they're "normal" for me, i.e. if 7 is normal for me, then I should be happy with 7.

So, I guess it was an hour spent to reassure ourselves that everything was ok.

Goodbye, second trimester

Here are 27 week belly photos:




Today marks the last day of my second trimester. Tomorrow, I start the last leg of this journey. Let me tell you how glad I am. If I could see my feet, I would bend down and touch them and do a back flip. Many times. 2nd trimester as not good to me. Till last couple weeks, I was miserable every day. Every meal I ate was followed by extreme pain and acid reflux. The last 2 weeks, nothing! *knocks on some more wood* So, I am looking forward to the third trimester, since the transition into it seems to promise easier times.

Highlights of this past week:

• Did my gestational diabetes test on Wednesday. I called the doctor's office on Friday and my doc wasn't in so they couldn't give me my results. However, they did say if it had been abnormal, they would have called me. I have my appointment tomorrow, so I'll find out for sure.
• Gained more weight.
  
• Measured my belly and waist and I have officially lost my waist; put on 4-5 inches each since the beginning of the pregnancy in those areas.
• When I stand, I cannot see my feet.
• When I drop something, I cannot bend over or down gracefully to retrieve it.
• I have to get up to use the bathroom every hour at night.

According to the Baby Center website,

the baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, the baby's brain is very active 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.

I haven't felt any hiccups yet, but then again, I think because of the hernia mesh in my belly, I feel less of the movements than I would have in its absence.

GTT Yippe kai ey

Mmmm looks like Fanta, smells like Fanta, even tastes like Fanta, but unlike Fanta, this has 50 gms of glucose in it. This is what I had to drink this morning for my Glucose Tolerance Test. Every pregnant woman gets this done between 25 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, I believe, to test for Gestational Diabetes. Which, according to that side, could result in "fat baby." I am already afraid of birthing a 12 pounder, I didn't need to read that. But, I guess I'll get the results by Friday afternoon. They'll call if I failed the test. Then, I have to repeat it over 3 hours. Really hope I pass it this time.

Since I have had gastric bypass, I am technically not a good candidate for this test, since my body doesn't metabolize sugars in a normal way anyways. The other option would have been to do the stick test 4 times a day for 5 days straight. You know? I would have preferred that. I don't mind needles, I don't mind sticking myself. I had heard so many horror stories about the GTT that 20 sticks in my fingers sounded like heaven. Which, if I fail this round, I might ask my doc to just do the sticks.

I don't think I had a goal behind this post, I am just rambling. Blame it on the glucose ;-)

Weight loss motivation

If you know me at all, you know I am a sucker for sales and good deals. This week is tax free shopping in MD. And, Macy's sent me some very nice coupons last week ($20 off $50, $10 off $30 and some 20% off). So, I thought I'd go see if they had anything good. Their prices were good, but nothing I put on felt or looked quite right. Of course, the pregnant belly doesn't help. I put everything back BUT this just caught my eye.



I paid $17 for it; I can get into it now but I sort of look like a stuffed sausage. What I am going to do is hang it in my bedroom to convince me to get on the treadmill after Oli's birth. This has worked before, hopefully it'll work again.

99 bottles of beer on the wall

or in my case 99 days of pregnancy to go ... that;s right folks, I am in the double digits as of today.

Let's see what a 6.5 month (26 weeks) belly looks like, shall we?



That's mah belly! And, that's what my hair would look like if I had the time and patience every morning.

A few things from this past week:

• Had possibly the worst GERD attack at work, in the middle of a very important meeting. Which led me to regurgitate my lunch in a bathroom on the top floor of our building (it's a very important floor)
• BUT, that was the last attack I had! *knocking on every piece of wood I can find as I type this*
• For the second week in a row, I have a 2 lb weight gain. This is better than not gaining or even losing weight, but now I think I should stop with the bags of Rolos and start back with some form of exercise
• Been feeling Oliver kick a little, maybe move a little, off and on. And we might have heard the heartbeat with the dinky little doppler I got off of Amazon
• Been a little sickly the past 3-4 days and the more it lingers, the more it feels like bad allergies. Hopefully, the shot I got on Thursday kicks in soon

Looking forward to next week:

• Got my gestational diabetes test on Saturday. Had planned to do it last Saturday and I got to the lab 15 minutes before they opened (at 6:45 a.m. folks on a Saturday, don't tell me I didn't make an effort). And, there were about 20 people already there. Without an appointment, I would have waited hours. So, I made an appointment for next Saturday.

Beyond that, nothing much planned for this week. Just working and getting the house ready for my parents and sis to get here on the 18th.

Here's what I am pregnant website states is happening at 26 weeks pregnancy:

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue.

I did not know this!

Finger and toe nails continue to grow.

Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus.

Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

According to Baby Center, the network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other.

Uhoh, we need to start being careful of what we are saying.

Oh, cool, this website does week by week comparisons still, so at week 26, your baby is as tall as an English hothouse cucumber and weighs about 1 2/3 pounds. (Length: 14 inches, head to heel.)

Hormonal roller coaster

Argh, so sick and tired of my feeling going up and down. I have never been too affected by hormones, I mean usually my PMSing means I lose my temper a little easily (though my sis and Jeff would say that's normal for any time haha). But lately, it feels like my moods surprise even me. Monday was a blue day, yesterday was ok, mostly because I spent a lot of it in heartburn hell. But, I have no idea what was wrong Monday, I just could not see anything positive for after the baby's born. Our life will change, will our friends still want to hang out with us, will I lose my identity as Sylvie and as Jeff's wife and only become a "mom" to everyone?

And today, I keep wanting to cry thinking about how I can't wait to hold Oliver in my arms. I am wondering if he'll be clingy, will he be his mommy's boy? How long will he let me hug him and kiss him before he's embarrassed of his old mom? Or, will he follow his daddy everywhere, wanting to be like him and do everything he does?

Will he look like his dad (and his granddaddy since Jeff looks a lot like his dad)? What will he inherit from the Khajurias?

Will he have an interest in academia and go in for the long haul like both his grandfathers and his Aunt Jenny and get a PhD? Or, like his grandma Pooja, get a number of degrees (I lose count at 4, I think :-P) Or, will he be like his Grandma Chris or Aunt Suheir and want to heal people? Will he inherit his creativity from his aunt Kelly? Or, will he be a pioneer and do something nobody's done in the family?

Or will he inherit all the geekiness and nerdiness from his own parents and build his own computer before reaching his teens? *gasp* will he inherit the stubbornness and recklessness of youth from his parents? This is where I get the idea that I'll inject him with the same chip Smokey has so we can track him. Y'all who frown right now have no clue what Jeff and I got up to in our younger days. Scares the living crap out of me. And, the world we are living in now is in no way safer than the world we grew up in.

One moment, I feel like I am dreaming about this pregnancy and this could not be real. Next moment, I feel a slight kick under my belly button, sometimes right to the bladder, as if he's punishing me for doubting he's in there. Sometimes, I dread November and the birth and the changes it'll bring. Other times, I can't wait for the next 3 months to pass and for us and our family and friends to meet him.

I really hope this roller coaster eases up or the next 3 months are going to be so much fun for Jeff.

25 weeks down

and time for a new food item comparison. The Bump states that for the next 4 weeks, the baby will be an:

For the men out there, Tarzan's Guide states it's more like a:

What to expect this week? I am pregnant tells me:

As your baby becomes more dexterous, he will be able to touch and hold his feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time.

I hope he's ambidextrous. Come on baby, you can do it :-)

Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, you might begin to notice these patterns as well. Some women experience the most fetal movementswhile they are trying to rest.

Oliver really hasn't been keeping me up or from resting. I feel movement throughou the day, here and there. A kick sometimes, a swoosh other times.

I took an impromptu vacation last weekend, I visited my sister and parents in Wilmington, NC from Friday through Sunday morning. And I did NOTHING! I lazed around while my sister worked, then we'd go shopping or watch a movie. We went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch and Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner to celebrate her. Overall, very relaxing weekend (except for when I checked my email and found out I had to be at work way before I was going to be on Monday and that changed Sunday plans for me and Jeff). But, I came back with 2 new pairs of shoes, so it was a VERY successful vacation.

Now, the countdown is to their visiting me on August 18th :) My sis will be here for a week before heading out to Switzerland and my parents will stick around for another week. At the tail end of their visit, we leave for a weekend in Niagara Falls. I have never been, so I am really excited to cross off another place from my list.