29 Weeks

Here is my big belly, getting bigger every day!

Patrick and I have been working on the baby's room all week. He painted over the weekend (notice the nice green color!) and we built the crib Tuesday night. It came out very nice - we're very excited about it. But we've come to realize how very small the room is. Its only 8.5x8.5 ft, so there won't be much extra space! We're still hoping to squeeze a dresser/changing table combo and a rocker/glider. Its going to be a tight fit, and we haven't quite figured out how we're going to arrange the room. We're using newspaper cut to the dimensions of the dresser and rocker to try to lay things out with the crib (since we don't have either of those pieces in the room yet), and we haven't found the perfect solution yet, but hopefully we'll figure something out. Nellie has been checking out all the action as we are starting to put together the room.
But don't be fooled. She's not as innocent as she looks. What she's really after is the monkey.

In other news, Patrick and I took a newborn care class last night at the hospital. We learned all about diaper changes, baby carriers, and swaddling. I'm a little concerned that when Patrick was practicing putting a baby doll in a carrier that you wear, he popped the baby's head off. A little too much pressure on the head as he was trying to position the baby, perhaps? I'll give him another chance but if he pops our baby's head off, he's going to lose some privledges.

My water aerobics class is a lot of fun. There are a couple of other moms in the class that are due in April. I feel a little self-concious because I think I look way bigger than they do. But its fun to get together with other prego ladies and swap stories. I have my second class tonight.

The baby should be about 2.5 lbs now and about 15 inches long. This is the period where his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, so I've been drinking lots of milk! He needs about 250mg of calcium a day to deposit into his hardening skeleton. His head is getting bigger as well since his brain is developing so he also needs lots of protein, Vit C, folic acid, and iron. I've really tried to eat much healthier since I've been pregnant. Hopefull he's getting lots of good nutrients!

News Flash!

The nursery is now green. Yes, it was green before. Is it now the right color green, you ask? Doesn't matter. It's green.

-Patrick

Weeks 27 and 28

I'm a little behind on updating the blog, so I'll have to do two weeks at once! The third trimester has officially begun! The baby should be about 2 1/4 lbs and about 14.8 inches long. He can open and close his eyes and his eyelashes have also formed. As his eyesight is developing, he can probably start to see light that filters in through my belly. His brain tissue is also still developing, and at this point his brain is probably very active.

Patrick and I have been busy the last couple of weeks. We've finally managed to get most of the baby's room cleared out and transferred most of the office stuff into the guest bedroom (its getting very crowded in there!) We've been storing all of the baby stuff in the guest bedroom too since we still need to paint the baby's room. I'm working on picking out the paint, but I don't make decisions like this very quickly. And Lowe's seems to be out of the paint swatch that I think has the exact green color on it that I want! But I think I would like to paint the room green and have red accents, like red curtains, etc., since the pattern has some red in it. Those of you that have been to our house know that the baby's room is already green, but its definitely not the right green. Its too dark, and not quite the right shade to match the pattern. But I think I've finally convinced Patrick that the room needs to be painted. He has agreed to do it, although he doesn't seem to be happy about it. Since I'm pregnant, I'll just supervise the job. But I'd better get the green color right the first time because there is no chance in hell that I'll convince him to repaint it if I don't like it! We're going for an animal theme, and here's a picture of the quilt from the pattern for the baby's room (click on the picture to make it bigger):


We purchased the crib this past weekend, so I'm glad that it's done. I was worried that we would have to order it and that it would take up to 12 weeks to arrive, which is around the time the baby will arrive too. And even though the baby won't sleep in his crib right away, we still needed it soon, right?! But the lady at the store said, "we have some in the back, do you want it today?" and of course I said yes! They came out with this huge box, so we ended up having to take all of the pieces out so that we could fit them all in the back of the Explorer. I told Patrick that I felt so much better now that we have the crib. He thinks I'm crazy of course because he didn't think there was anything to worry about anyway. And now he wants to know what we should do with it until we are ready to put it in the baby's room. Hmmmm...right now its in pieces in the living room. Guess we should paint the room so that we can put the crib together, huh? That means I need to make a decision about the color!

I had my most recent doctor's appointment yesterday. I had to do the screening for gestational diabetes, so i had to drink a very sweet fruit juice drink then wait an hour to have my blood drawn. I called and got the results today and it was in the normal range, so that's excellent! The baby's heartbeat also sounded great - it was around 150bpm, so it's going strong! Otherwise, the doctor seems to be pleased with my progress. I only gained about 5 lbs between my last two visits, as opposed to the 10 that I gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I have enrolled in a prenatal water aerobics class on the suggestion from Patrick's cousin Laura. She said it made her feel so much better and she thinks that the fact that she was in pretty good shape made for a better labor. I look pretty funny in my prego bathing suit, but hopefully so will all of the other pregnant women in the class. I'm supposed to start tomorrow night, but I'm fighting a cold again so I guess I'll have to wait and see how I feel.

25 and 26 Weeks

Patrick and I just arrived back in NC after a very nice visit home for Christmas. We stayed in Atlanta both driving there and driving back. Our old neighbors, Shawn and Besty, live there now and were kind enough to give us a warm bed to sleep in. We were lucky enough to have great weather for the drive, and traffic wasn't really too bad either. We stopped frequently so that I could use the restroom and move around a little bit. Its good to be back in NC, and I think it will be a long time before we can get Nellie back in the car. Between the drive to New Orleans, the trips across the lake, and the drive back to NC, she's had about as much fun in the car as she can take. She has taken to running away when she thinks we're going to put her back in the car.

As always, we were busy seeing family and friends in New Orleans, and enjoyed every minute of it. We started the week with Maw-Maw's Christmas lunch on Sunday where we got to see the Orys. Emma Reese and Renee are getting so big and adorable!


Abby and Matt

Uncle Vance and Renee

Danielle and Emma Reese

Then on Monday (Christmas Eve) we had Christmas morning with Patrick's parents and Matt and Abby, lunch with my Dad's family, dinner at Big Mama and Big Daddy's, then a final stop at Aunt Di and Uncle Bill's.

Family Photo


Lisa Harrell and I compare bellies

Then on Tuesday (Christmas Day), we had Christmas morning with my family, then we went to Mimi's for Christmas with the Wedig's, then back to my parents for Christmas supper with the Sehrts. It was an exhausting couple of days, but I don't think Christmas would be the same without the craziness!

Mimi and Tricia

Me and soon-to-be Aunt Tobi


Sehrt grandkids

Before we left, Patrick's family gave us a baby shower! We got lots of great things - some really cute outfits. Our baby will be well dressed, that's for sure!




We had a great time over the holidays. It was strange to think that next year at this time, we'll be toting around an eight-month old! Patrick is priming everyone for Christmas in NC in '09. We'll have to see about that!

As for the development of the baby, he is now about 1 and 2/3 lb and 14 inches long. He's starting to put on some body fat. The nerve pathways in his ears are developing and more equipped to respond to sound. His wrinkled skin is beginning to smooth out and he's growing recognizible hair. I'm still feeling really good and starting to count down the last 3 months of pregnancy!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! We have a lot to look forward to in the new year and are very excited about what's to come!