Our Girl - 34 Weeks

Only 35 days until C-Section day! Hooray!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-34-weeks_1123.bc)

Abby and I are having one of those crazy, forgetful kind of days. Luckily I've remembered to take Abby and bring her back on all the errands we had to run. Now is just our regularly scheduled Wednesday clean up before our bible study meets here tonight. I need to get some serious mopping done on this floor, but I have a feeling that is going to have to wait until a day when Steve is around to help out with that.

Abby's feeling pretty good today. I'm pretty sure she woke up about 1 hour before she decided to grace me with her presence this morning. I finally went upstairs to see why she wasn't up yet and she was in her room playing with her doll house. Apparently she isn't a big breakfast eater... must be she gets that from her dad.

Our Girl - 33 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-33-weeks_1122.bc)

We had another check-up today. Everything was good and growing on schedule. There have apparently been a ton of really sick people around town lately and the doctor had admitted three kids around Abby's age to the hospital, so we are hoping to avoid whatever it is that is making the rounds.

Abby and I have almost survived our first day of our little stretch with Steve. He made it safely to Chicago around 3 this afternoon and Abby and I have been missing him already. Abby is all off schedule, didn't take a nap at all today, and is still going strong at 8:40 p.m. I'm hoping that means she will sleep in for me, since there won't be any alarms going off in my room tomorrow morning. Although she seems to have a knack for waking me up early. This morning Abby woke me up at 5:30 a.m. to tell me "Abby is tired." It's one of those things where you don't know whether to laugh or be upset that you have to crawl out of bed at 5:30 to go put her back into her own bed and turn her Veggie Tales c.d. back on. She didn't even want cuddled or anything, she just wanted to tell me she was tired. What a girl...

And... to keep today even more interesting, Abby wore a skirt under a dress today. And I had to take her out in public with her skirt on under her dress. Luckily they were both denim and the skirt didn't peek out too much. Unluckily, she got food on the dress (which was on the outside) and had a diaper leak on the skirt and tights, so I get to do double the laundry for today. Oh well... at least she has a little bit of spunk and independence.

Our Girl - 32 Weeks

How your baby's growing:By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Apparently I've been doing a lot of laying on the couch (and with good reason), since Abby seems to have decided it looked like a fun thing to try. I've been having some major joint pain, mostly in my right hip and jaw. According to the web it's probably caused by the hormone relaxin, which helps loosen joints to aid in delivery. Unfortunately, I don't really need those joints to be loosened for a c-section and there seems to be an imbalance in the levels, because my joints never hurt like this when I was expecting Abby.

Abby and I went out for a lunch date with her friends Autumn and Little Abby. She had a great time at play land and finally went high enough to get down the slide (she had some major mommy assistance). We've been working very hard on breaking Abby of her recent habit of not listening to mom and dad. Today it took 3 tries to get her into her bed for nap time. She's also been asserting herself with Maize, which can be funny but also probably isn't too safe. Yesterday she was dragging Maize around by the collar (see pictorial evidence). Luckily we picked a very gentle dog, because I think any other dog would have taken a bite or two at Abby for all the abuse. It may make bringing home Baby Sister an exciting adventure. I'm really hoping that Abby will decide to be a helper/protector instead of a boss/aggressor.

And.... only 49 days until the scheduled c-section. Let's hope for a few days less :-)

Comparison

At 32 weeks pregnant with Abby I was 45 inches around. This morning I am 47 inches around. No wonder I feel like a blimp!

For the record: Abby's belly was 19 inches today, but she was sticking it out as much as possible. Then Abby made me measure Maize's belly too. Her's was 22 inches.

And... for the first time since we've been married, I am about to weigh more than Steve. We are within 1/2 pound of each other. I am going one way, he is doing a great job at moving the scale in the other direction.

22 Months Young

Apparently hats are hilarious! Especially when being worn backwards.

Abby has been keeping busy today - she visited her friend Ella, took payroll to the crisis pregnancy center with me, had lunch with her dad, and told all her dolls "I love you anyway." I guess she's read Olivia a few times since Olivia's mommy always says "I love you anyway" when she puts Olivia to bed. It's amazing the things our little sponge soaks up and remembers.

We've been watching a bit of the olympics, since there isn't a lot on t.v. in the evening that is Abby appropriate. Last night she enjoyed watching the "dancers" (ice skaters) doing "supers" (lifts) and the luge, which she called sledding. She is still convinced that the olympics is one giant pow-wow, so whenever they come on she gets excited to see the pow-wow again. She sure keeps us laughing.

Unlike Abby, who was a kicker/puncher, Baby Sister seems to be a flipper and roller. This is way more uncomfortable than the kicking/punching variety of babies. I've been struggling to sleep at night with all the flipping going on. It's been resulting in lots of uncomfortable bulges that are hard to sleep on. But it does make for easy identification of the baby in my belly for Abby, so she at least has the advantage of knowing some littler person is in there trying to get out.

Our Girl - 31 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-31-weeks_1120.bc)

We had our checkup this week. Baby's heartbeat was 144 beats per minute. Abby was excited to listen to her baby "sing." We also got a tentative c-section date (the surgeon just has to okay it) for April 7th. If we can make it that long.

It's Puppy Time

Abby is having a great time visiting her grandmas and grandpas, but I think she is most concerned with the 5 wiggly bulldog puppies at Grandma and Grandpa Hodges house. She is pretty impressed with those guys and has been sneaking in to pet and hold them as often as possible. She even has all of their names down pretty well.

Abby spent almost all day yesterday with Grandpa Roy and she had a great time. She even made it an entire day without watching Beauty and the Beast - this is a big step for us. And Grandpa Roy survived watching all 4 of the Obreiter grandkids at once by himself for a few hours before reinforcements in the form of Great Grandma Joy and Great Aunt Jessie arrived. I am so thankful that we have wonderful family who don't mind having an extra little person around.

Abby cracked me up yesterday watching Aunt Emily play basketball. She was pretty good about staying in the bleachers and actually watching part of the game. But... she was most impressed with the automatic flushing toilets in the bathroom. Apparently she's never seen one of those in Sault Ste. Marie before. She was also pretty impressed with Grandpa Scott's popcorn.

We are just about 2 months away from having Baby Sister (who still needs a name, by the way). I will be glad to be over some of the "joys" of pregnancy, like the 7 charlie horses I had during the night last night. Or the fact that the seat belt in the very back seat of mom and dad's car only fit around me if I pulled it all the way out (which then causes it to tighten and lock, so that I was strapped in tighter than Abby ever is). Or my all time favorite, being so big that my pants don't go up high enough to beat gravity and keep falling down and practically off. I'd rather have the crying baby, the sleepless nights, and the surgical recovery than any of those annoying pregnancy issues...

Our Girl - 30 Weeks

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 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. 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.)

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-30-weeks_1119.bc)

Crying In The Car

We didn't even make it into the church building this morning before Abby was crying and pleading with me to let her stay with me in service rather than go to the nursery. Ugh... Luckily, I got her distracted with food and was able to sneak out and join Steve in the church service. Unfortunately, he had decided to sit in the exact middle of the auditorium, which meant I was about 20 seats in from the aisle. Not a good plan for a pregnant woman to be so far from the aisle (and the bathroom). And Baby Sister was not on her best behavior this morning either, so it was a LONG service, even though we were out earlier than normal.

Baby Sister made the flip last night from head up to head down. There was definitely a foot pushing down at the bottom of my belly last night when I was trying to sleep (you could feel it - it was kinda weird). She used the same foot on my lungs this morning during church. I am so looking forward to the point in time when she is too big to do these flips and such. And even more looking forward to having my body back.

Tonight Abby decided to try out a new movie - Snow White. I am so, so, so glad that we aren't spending another evening watching Beauty and the Beast. We definitely needed a new movie for a change. As much as Abby loves Beauty and the Beast, Steve and I are getting to the point where we know all of the words. I'm hoping she'll continue to add new movies to the rotation so that we don't have quite as much monotony around here. And we've been trying to really cut back on the amount of t.v. she is allowed to watch, so that has been helping with our Beauty and the Beast addiction as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't help with the state of the mess in our playroom. Less t.v. directly equates to more mess...

Playland Predicament

Abby met her friend AJ for a lunch date at the other play land in town today (Burger King) and she was actually big enough to climb in and around all by herself. But we still had issues... big kids. Abby is terrified of coming near them. And so, when she gets all the way up into play land and one gets near her, big pregnant mom has to climb up too so that Abby can be rescued. The rules sign on the outside said, "If you see anything weird, tell a manager." I'm pretty sure big pregnant women climbing around in the play structure counts as something weird, right?

Readers Are Leaders

Abby is continuing her education by learning to "read" certain books with her dad. She can finish the pages for him in about 5 books that they read often. It is pretty adorable to hear him stop reading and listen to her pick right up where he left off and finish the page. Now we just need to get her to learn her ABC's (I know... bad parenting, since she is way smart enough to have known these for months).
















Abby and I took some paperwork over to the crisis pregnancy center today since I do all the bookwork for them in my job as treasurer of the board. While we were there one of the volunteers noted that I "looked like you are about to have that baby." Unfortunately... not. And today I definitely felt like I was about to have a broken back from carrying this heavy little girl around. I think we are going to set the "over/under" for her at 9 pounds and I'm pretty sure the smart bet is going to be way, way over.

Our Girl - 29 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) 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. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your 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 your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-29-weeks_1118.bc)

Baby Sister is still really active - I thought I might get ripped in half last night with all the activities she was preforming. I hope this isn't a sign that she will have major day/night mix ups when she is born.

Our Girl - 28 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

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.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-28-weeks_1117.bc)

Just for fun yesterday I measured around my belly. It was 45 inches. Wow... that is big. At this point in my pregnancy for Abby I was 44 1/4 inches, so I'm not that much bigger than before, but a whole lot more uncomfortable.

Our Girl - 27 Weeks (and a day)

How your baby's growing:

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.

From (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-27-weeks_1116.bc)

Our Girl - 26 Weeks

If a full night's rest has become elusive, welcome to the (sleepless) world of pregnancy insomnia. Between heartburn and leg cramps, bathroom runs and that big beach ball beneath your nightie, it's no wonder your body's having trouble calming down and drifting off. But there are lots of tactics to try that should help keep you in bed (and asleep!) instead of pacing the floor; these include daytime exercise, a daily dose of fresh air, and limiting fluids before you hit the hay. What's up with your baby? She now weighs a full two pounds and measures nine-plus inches. And this week, her eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. Of course, there's not much to see in there, but if your baby spots a bright light (or hears a loud noise) near your belly, you may notice an increase in fetal activity. (Hey, I'm in here, Mommy!)

from (http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-26.aspx)

We had a check-up today. Baby's heart rate was 138 and she was moving all around. Everything is right on track according to the doctor. We had the re-test for the glucose challenge test, so hopefully that will come back normal and the gestational diabetes will be a thing of my past :-)

Abby had a really fun afternoon playing with her best friends Autumn and Maddie. She didn't even cry when I dropped her off at Autumn's house and left. She is really growing up fast!

Happy Birthday to Mom

I got an early morning wake up from Abby this morning. Not really the world's most wonderful "happy birthday," but from Abby I will take an early morning wake up call. Abby ended up snuggling with us from 3:30 a.m. on. I'm pretty sure she is having some of the same sinus and congestion issues Steve and I are having and just can't vocalize it.

I'm celebrating my birthday by doing a dinner make-ahead marathon. So far I've done beef and bean enchiladas and turkey alfredo. Abby has been helping me and standing on her "helper stool" watching me cook. She should be well versed in cooking by the time she is old enough to actually use the stove. Unfortunately, while I was in the middle of my cook off I realized that everything I had made so far would be banned if I test positive for diabetes again on Wednesday (actually, it would be the next week since I'd have to fail both tests before I got the label back). So, I'm hoping all my cooking ahead for weeks when I am tired isn't in vain. But if it is, then I guess I'll have a lot of cooking done for when Baby Sister arrives.

And... by the way, there are only 100 days until her due date. That means only about 93 days until the c-section and only about 4 weeks until we see the surgeon and hopefully set the c-section date. Abby is getting excited to meet her little sister and I am very excited to get this pregnancy behind me and my aching back :-)

Our Girl - 25 Weeks

Your Baby

By the time you reach pregnancy week 25 your baby probably weighs in at more than 1.5 pounds and may be almost 13.6 inches or longer! Most babies' length and weight tend to vary from this point on in your pregnancy week by week. Keep in mind that while some babies are born a mere 6 pounds, others weigh in closer to 10 pounds! Most babies average about 7-8 pounds at birth.

Changes In Your Growing Baby

Your baby is working diligently on putting on weight during pregnancy week 25 and as you continue your pregnancy week to week. About the time you approach 25 weeks pregnant your baby's spine starts to mature and blood vessels form in the lungs. If you were to peak inside at your baby you would also find her nostrils developing by pregnancy week 25. By the end of 25 weeks pregnant they will even open!

from (http://www.pregnancy-weekbyweek.com/pregnancy-week-25.htm)

Tired Tuesday

We hope you don't get a case of the post-Christmas grumps, but if you do this may help you get out of the slump. Abby has been enjoying her Christmas gifts almost non-stop since we returned home. And after purchasing some new rubbermaid storage totes, Steve and I have been appreciating them too. Last night we had some good times with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. Abby is certainly creative when it comes to making them up.

Abby got quite a bit of kitchen supplies and fake food for her play kitchen over Christmas and she has been cooking us some wonderful pretend creations (and boy are we glad they are pretend, because in real life some would be majorly disgusting). Last night we had some tomato coffee (she is really into cooking up tomatoes) and some cookies. She has also been feeding a lot of her creations to her dolls and Maize. It is fun to watch her imagination at work.

I have reached the stage in pregnancy that we shall fondly call sausage foot time. The car ride to and from Hastings left me with toes that felt much larger than they should and with distinct imprints from my socks, leaving a nice sausage like bulge where they ended. So I am back into the compression tights, not something I would have minded skipping this time around - oh well...

Last night Abby entertained herself (and apparently her sister too) by shining a flashlight directly onto my belly. She enjoyed the red glow that your skin makes when the light is directly on your skin. Abby's sister enjoyed punching out the light that Abby created. I'm pretty sure baby O. is going to come out swinging, so Abby had better beware!

Merry Christmas to You!

Right: the entire Scott J. Hodges family. By next Christmas the family will have officially doubled its original size. I'm thinking eating out with 16 people (5 toddlers and infants) is not in the cards. Sorry Melissa... you had eyes closed or funny faces in all my pictures :-(

Here's the first few Christmas pictures. We'll share more over the next few days, since there are so many to go through. We had lots of fun visiting family and friends over the holiday, but it was pretty tiring!

Here is the pregnant bunch. From left to right: Courtnie (sister-in-law) due July 4th, Melissa (sister) due July 4th, me due April 14th, Sarah (cousin) due February 19th, and Laura (cousin) due January 25th. We also did the belly measuring and Laura and I were tied. Sarah has a couple inches to go to catch up with us. I'm hoping to stop expanding or I am going to win the biggest belly of the year contest in this family.

Abby was wonderful the entire trip. We didn't really have any major behavior issues to deal with, she used her manners, and she slept like a champ. She had so much fun opening presents once she figured out what the process was. And she really enjoyed all the new things she received. We have her pretty worn out though, so she's working on 12+ hours of sleep right now. She even rode down and back with only minimal crying and only one dumping of the snacks onto the floor. That's got to be about a record for us.

Our Girl - 24 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-24-weeks_1113.bc)

Abby, Steve and I are all packed up and ready to hit the road when Steve leaves work. We decided to leave tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow. We really don't want to deal with any winter weather and we are hoping that Abby falls asleep and rides better tonight than she would during the day tomorrow. Unfortunately Abby woke us up at 4:45 a.m. and stayed up, so it is going to mess with the schedule I had planned for her (which included a nap right about the time we were going to leave). So we just have a few things left to gather and we will be on our way.

P.S. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott - we are joining the slumber party at your house tonight since we are going to be pretty late and Grandpa Roy and Grandma Yvonne have to work tomorrow. Just so you know :-)