Dr. update

I wanted to update y'all on my doctor's appointment yesterday!

It was my first internal exam so that was interesting. It didn't start off well... I waited over 1.5 hrs before I even got into an exam room. They did the usual weight check, blood pressure, Baby heartbeat, etc. Then the doc checked me out and said my cervix is dilated about a fingertip's width and ~60% effaced (0% means long and thick, 100% means paper thin)! Already!! She also said Baby has started to drop so its head is now behind my pelvic bone. I couldn't believe it! Makes me excited, this could mean that Baby is coming soon :) Of course, Baby may just decide it wants to stay in there and I could remain dilated at <1cm for the next 3 to 4 weeks...

We still have to post pictures from Mike and Darla's wedding. Maybe I can do that tonight. We're going to another wedding tomorrow, so we'll have MORE pictures to post. This week has been so busy, I just don't know where the time is going!!!!!!!

Week 34

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.
www. babycenter.com

Space is getting a leeeeeettle tight in my belly. Baby is now kicking my ribs, hips, bladder... sometimes I think Baby uses my bladder as a trampoline. That's lots of fun! My ribs really do hurt, which is weird. I recall a friend of mine saying that near the end of her pregnancy, her son constantly kicked her ribs to the point where they felt bruised. I think I'm getting there. It's also uncomfortable to sit upright for long periods of time. Too bad I can't stay home and do all of my research from the comfort of our bed!

We went to Mike and Darla's wedding this weekend and it was wonderful. We'll update with another post and pictures soon. Gorgeous, and so much fun!!! Congrats to the happy couple :)

Bluebonnet Photos!

Here are some of the bluebonnet pictures Derek and I took Sunday on our drive from Austin to Cypress. The bluebonnet fields on Hwy 290 were amazing!

Bluebonnets as far as the eye can see.

Let Baby smell the bluebonnets!

Bluebonnets and belly

Big Belly

Derek layin' in the bluebonnets.

What a handsome man :)

Week 33. Can you believe it?

Yowza.  Now that is a growing belly.  Week 33!

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.  These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

(www.babycenter.com)

Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy.  Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.  Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

(www.thebump.com)

The belly just keeps getting bigger and bigger!  I'm having trouble taking nice deep breaths of air now since things are becoming so constricted.  Baby is moving a TON, ALL the time.  Hiccups, kicks, waves, you name it.  I'm also still getting contractions, more than I thought I would be.  I guess my body is just getting ready for the big day!

Let's see, where shall I start?  Derek and I went to Austin this weekend to visit my parents and sisters.  It was a lot of fun and, of course, flew by too quickly.  We arrived Friday night and grilled some steaks for dinner (so good).  We also had birthday cake that my Mom made for Derek's birthday!  On Saturday, we did end up going golfing (beautiful weather for it!), and then Derek and I went to the jeweler to get my ring fixed in the afternoon.  Luckily it didn't take long - they even tightened a few of the other diamonds and cleaned it for me.  Now it sparkles like a star!!  :) Today was a low key day, briefly went looking for a dresser at several second-hand baby shops but we couldn't find anything.  Had a nice lunch (leftovers from our early Easter dinner last night), and then headed home in the early afternoon.  On the way back to Cypress, Derek and I passed fields and fields of bluebonnets, so after seeing a ton of people pulling over and taking pictures, we decided to follow suit.  We took a whole bunch so once we sort through them I'll post some on the blog - hopefully by tomorrow.  We'll also put up some pictures from golf on Saturday.

Enjoy your week!

Eggs = no good

Yesterday was an interesting day for the pregnant lady (first part may be graphic)...

Had another dr.'s appointment in the A.M., so I got up, showered and had peaches and an egg for breakfast (we had no soy milk for my cereal...boo). I was in the bathroom blow drying my hair and I had just finished when I suddenly up-chucked. No real warning. So obviously, I didn't quite make it to the toilet (ugh), but I did spend the next 3 minutes with my head in the bowl. Sorry, don't mean to gross you out. That was the first time I've thrown up since 1st trimester and let me tell you, Baby and my uterus did NOT like it. I started feeling crampy and getting Braxton Hicks right away, so that made me worry.

Anyway, I headed off for my appointment and we went through the regular routine; weighing, blood pressure, listening to Baby's heart rate - 143 bpm, nice and steady! When the doctor came in, she went to measure my fundal height as usual (height from pubic bone to top of uterus) and just as I was lifting my shirt up and lying back she goes "Wow, are you having a contraction right now?" (I was). She said she could see my tummy all balled up, so I explained about my morning escapade and she thinks that I am indeed having gall bladder issues. She told me to avoid fatty foods as much as possible, egg yolks included, and track my contractions for the next few days. If they are coming every 15 mins for a couple hours, I need to go to the hospital so they can monitor me. I am NOT letting this Baby come out early, Baby needs more time to cook in my belly. I ended up having contractions all of yesterday, but thankfully (?) they were irregular and not painful. It was just frustrating and worrisome. I'm feeling better today and have only had a few minor contractions so far. Thank Heavens! I guess I just needed a good long sleep to relax everything.

Oh ya, I meant to tell yall. This will sound really weird, but I've concluded that peanut butter gives me heart burn. Strange, right? Every time I have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, it's like I can't digest it properly and I get bad heartburn. So needless to say, I won't be eating PB samiches until Baby comes out. It is just weird.

Okay, on to more up-beat topics. I'm in College Station at my sister Kim's apartment at the moment. Derek and I drove up together this morning (yes, at 6:30am) and while he's at work today, I'll be at Kim's doing my research/thesis writing. After he gets off of work, Derek, my sisters and I are all going to Austin for the weekend to visit my parents. Derek and I haven't been back to Austin since New Years so I'm anxious to go visit. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend and we plan to play a round of golf on Saturday (by "we" I mean Derek and my parents, I just drive the golf cart! Hehe). I'll also be getting the diamond put back in my wedding band, so I can't wait for that. Yay for the weekend!

April Fools :)

We just couldn't resist playing a little April Fool's joke on y'all!! We hope you enjoyed it :)

We still don't know Baby Z's gender and we had actually never considered the name "Zane" (we just threw it out there), but apparently a few people like it!

Hope everyone had a great April Fool's Day!

We just couldn't wait any longer!!!

It looks like 9 out of 24 of you were correct...


BABY Z IS A BOY!!! We accidentally found out at our last ultrasound (saw "it" when the u/s tech was making measurements of the legs, so she printed out a shot for us to keep) and we wanted to keep it a surprise, but I couldn't wait any longer. We've even picked out a name! Please meet Zane Alexander Zivney :)

We are so excited we're having a baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!!