Week 37 Update

Let the count down begin.....We are now considered to be "term"! Wooo hooo we made it! We had a doctor's appt. yesterday and things have progressed just a little. I am still 1 cm dilated, but nearly fully effaced and her head is now engaged. Aubrey's heart rate was in the 150's. This is my last week of work which is good because I have started to have some swelling....the heat and humidity here don't help much! My ankles looked like trunks the other day and my fingers look like sausages! The recliner has become my good friend! We go back to the doctor next Monday morning so we will keep you posted!

My Nurse Practitioner collegues had a wonderful shower for me on Saturday. Thank you girls! And thank you Lisa for having it at your beautiful home! We got some wonderful gifts! Everyone has been so generous! I have included pics below....

And a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Allison and Matthew! Liam made his big entrance yesterday! He weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz and is 21 inches long. Mom sounded great when I talked with her yesterday and I am planning on going to see them today. Hopefully I will have some pics to share!

Here's what's going on: Aubrey is full term! This means that if she arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though my due date is still three weeks away. She weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if her hair isn't the same color as ours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz

The invitation.

The presents!

The food!

Aubrey's first piggy bank with her 1st silver dollar....everyone put a penny in and made a wish!

Yummy chocolate Dobash cake from Pollmans! Thanks Amy!

Sporting my tiara!

37 weeks! I know she's really out there now!

Week 36 Update

Okay everyone....we went to the doctor today and we have good news! I have begun to dilate some on my own! I am 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced (which means my cervical length has shortened alot). Her heart rate was in the 130's and everything looked great! Since she measured in the 67th percentile last time, little chunker, Dr. Max is okay if I go into labor now! I have had some pretty good contractions, sometimes regular but nothing that lasts more than about an hour. She feels alot lower now, too. So maybe soon.....but things could also stay this way for little while. She'll show up when she's good and ready. We head back next Monday for another check up, so we'll see!

I had another shower this last weekend that my friends Jennifer and Meg threw for me. It was soooo nice! Thank you girls! We got some great gifts and the food was awesome! I have included some pictures.....

Here's what's going on this week: Aubrey is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, she will be considered full-term. Have a great week!

The invitation.

The sign to say "the Party is here"

A diaper cake with pics of Jamie and me as babies. My corsage with Aubrey's first Christmas ornament.

The cake....Pretty & Yummy!

Jennifer with Kate, Diana with Jack, Sam, Meg, Me, Katherine, Courtney with Cooper.

35 Week Update

We had a doctor's appt. today and everything went great! They did an ultrasound and she is head down with a heart rate of 157. They estimate her weight at 6 lbs. 7 oz. right now, but that can be WAY off. So we are thinking around 5 1/2 to 6 lbs. at this point. Let's pray we don't have 9 pounder! She can gain up to 1/2 a lb. a week now! They tried to get some good pics but she just wouldn't cooperate....we did see her yawn a few times and we got to see her on the 4D screen, that was pretty neat. I will post the picture we got, it's pretty blurry though. We start going weekly now and our next appt. is Tuesday. They will do a GBS test then and check to see if I have dilated at all.

I only have 6 working days left until I start my maternity leave. My last day to work is the Aug. 1st. Yeah! Maybe I will have some time to relax before her arrival! I have started sleeping with my head and feet propped up. You wouldn't believe all the pillows in our bed! Poor Jamie hardly has any room!

Here's what's going on: She doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in my womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

35 + 4 days....

Allison and I last weekend at her shower. She and I are about 2 weeks apart...it's Aubrey and Liam's first picture together!

This is a diaper cake my friend Lesley made for me! Too cute!

This is a profile shot...you can kinda make out her nose and forehead....

These are the wall letters I will hang over her bed that my friend Linda gave to us!

Week 34 Update

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend! Can't complain here, things are going well! We had a little scare the other day....I was in super nesting mode and putting away some things in her closet, I stepped on ledge to put something on the top shelf and it broke ('cause I'm such a lightweight now hahahaha) and I hit my abdomen on another shelf causing a pretty good bruise. We went to the hospital to make sure little Aubrey was okay. She looked great on the monitor, nice and reactive and moving around like crazy! They did an ultrasound and she looked great! I can't believe how big she is, no wonder she's moving around to find comfort all the time in there! She was opening and closing her little hands as if to say "Hi Mom and Daddy!" Needless to say, I will be carting a step stool with me everywhere now! The doctor checked me at the hospital and I have not dilated any, but my cervix has thinned 50%, which in the L&D world really doesn't mean much! My doctor took me off the Brethine yesterday, the medicine that stopped my contractions.....so we will see what happens now!

I've got my hospital bag packed and ready to go. I will be keeping it in the car since I work next door to where I will deliver and we live 30 minutes away from there! I worked my very last night call last night and now I only have 12 day shifts left! My last day will be August 1st, so I will have a couple of weeks off to rest before she comes, maybe!

Here's what's going on this week: She now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to 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.

33 Week Update...Shower!

A BIG THANK YOU to Beetle, Catherine, Dee and Kristie for the baby shower this last weekend! It was so good to have everyone together! Thanks to everyone for all our wonderful gifts! Aubrey will be set! Thanks to Jamie, Mr. Jim and my Dad for all the work at the house. Aubrey's closet is complete!

One of the shifts at work had an ice cream party for me on Tuesday and gave us a very generous gift card to Target! I am so blessed to work with such thoughtful and caring people! They are my NICU family!

We went to the doctor on Monday for a check up and she is doing just fine. Her heart rate was 147. We go back in 2 weeks on the 17th for an ultrasound to make sure she is head down and get a measurement/ weight....they may check to see if I have dilated at all then....then I will start seeing the doctor every week! I can't believe how fast things are going! I tire very easily now and just can't get enough rest it seems, but getting up 4 times a night to pee doesn't help! And Aubrey having hiccups in the middle of the night doesn't help! hahahaha I guess it's mother nature's way of getting me ready! I am having a little trouble with Carpel Tunnel, but I have a brace to sleep in and it will go away after we deliver. No worries!

Here's what's going on this week: she weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Mom, me and Aunt Dianne

Kristie & me

Cat, Beetle, Me, Dee & Kristie

All the "Pregos" from work...

Erin, Allison, me & Rachel