33 Weeks: Pineapple

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. (Babycenter.com)

Nesting has set in. I surged with a new-found strength and ambition this week, and tore into the house. My desire to make room for the new baby was strong and urgent, and thus, I have been on a cleaning kick. Eliminating any object that is not useful has been exhilarating and relieving. So far, I have been doing a pretty decent job. The basement has a lot more space, and I feel a little more prepared to welcome another precious babe into the house. The thought that my due date could possibly be off by almost 2 whole weeks (which would put me at 35 weeks) is constantly looming in the back of my mind. I believe that could account for some of the urgency I've been feeling. Jared has been struck with the same urgency, (which I am so grateful for!) and we have been working together to get everything in line.

I have been feeling really good again this week! I am getting more and more uncomfortable now and it is getting somewhat difficult to move around a lot. It is especially difficult to get up off the floor, bend down to pick up Sophia, and turn over in bed. I am constantly letting out a little "oof" under my breath, without meaning to.

Poppy is a mover. Sophia is also a mover. I am going to have my hands FULL. Poppy is in constant motion, riddling my belly with kicks and squirms all day long. It is reassuring and wonderful to feel my baby move inside of me. I love every moment.

I must admit I am getting nervous about what the next few weeks are going to bring. Not the baby, just what it takes to get the baby here.

Labor.

This time I know what to expect. I know how much pain is coming my way. I am HOPING this knowledge helps me through labor, rather than makes me more scared of it. I like to think of it this way... You now how when you are going somewhere for the first time and you don't know the way, it always seems to take longer than the next time you go, and the path is familiar? I am really hoping that is what labor is like. Now that I know what to expect, I hope it seems shorter and a little easier than last time. I can feel my body preparing for it already. I have been getting several (8-10) braxton hicks contractions per day.

32 Weeks: Jicama

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.

My life is a roller coaster ride these days. From one day to the next, you never know which version of Naomi you're gonna get. Heck, I don't even know. I have been incredibly emotional this week and have spent about 1/3 of each day crying about something. It is to the point where I am annoying myself. I feel sad and overwhelmed much of the time and have a hard time handling the riggers our busy life. Jared has been incredible through all this. Sometimes I can hardly fathom the undying patience and support his gives me so freely. He always pulls me close when I need to cry, and just holds me until I'm done. Then invites me to come back anytime I need to cry some more. I know that soon we will be holding a precious new gift on our arms once again! In only a matter of weeks! As the end draws closer, I find my excitement growing with each passing day. Unfortunately, my stress levels are growing as well, as I attempt to figure out how we are going to fit another baby and everything that goes with it in this basement. I haven't pieced together that puzzle just yet. Baby might be sleeping in the living room. Or bathroom. Or kitchen.

I have had a horrible appetite this week. I am simply not interested in eating, and have, thus, lost a few pounds.Once again, Jared to the rescue. He has been keeping a close watch on me and making me eat more when he knows I haven't had as much as I should. (Such a good husband!)

I had my 32 week check up today. Everything is normal and well.
Heartrate: 144 bpm
BP: 104/62
Weight gain: 2 lbs.

Now I start going in every 2 weeks for a check up.

31 Weeks: Navel Oranges

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. (Babycenter.com)

I had a somewhat emotional week. I've been dealing with fluctuating hormones causing me a wide range of emotions, mainly focusing on frustration, sadness, and self-esteem issues. Not a stellar combination. I do have my happy moments too though-- like when I think about meeting Poppy for the first time, discovering whether we have a little boy, or a little girl, choosing a name for this precious life, and enjoying the tender first moments together in the hospital.

The wild pregnancy dreams have begun. Two nights ago, we were fighting for our lives against a monstrous tornado that would not leave us alone. Last night, I had to be hospitalized and have surgery (I'm not sure on what, they didn't tell me). I was terribly worried about having surgery so close to giving birth, but they went ahead with it anyway. When I woke up from the anesthesia, I had apparently given birth, naturally I might add, while I was out (yeah, I'm Wonder Women). Unfortunately, the baby was brought to me with the bottom half missing, but was still happy and alive. I turned to my mom and asked if it was a boy, since there were no genitalia to clue me in. She said, "Nope! You've got another little girl." (It looked very much like a boy. A 6-month-old boy.) Totally amazing what the mind comes up with while its in sleep mode.

I have been struggling with appetite again this week. Food just isn't appealing most of the time. One thing that I have been enjoying is a glass of homemade chocolate milk here and there. Vitamin D milk mixed with some chocolate syrup has been sitting quite nicely!

My Glider

A-MAZ-ING.

30 Weeks: Cabbage

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.)

Feeling great this week, but exhausted. I have been leading a crew of kindergarten boys this week at VBS! I have 5 of them, and they are ACTIVE! We have been having a blast each morning, but I am ready for a looooooong hard nap every afternoon. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Every. Single. Morning. That's hard on this heavy body! I think God has been supplying me with an extra shot of energy this week:)

Most exciting news of the week: I got a new Amish glider! It is FAB.UL.OUS!!! (I will post pictures tomorrow.) We drove to Nelson, WI this afternoon to pick it up and I am totally thrilled. It is sooooooo comfy, and it's the perfect nursing chair. I'll basically be living in it pretty soon;)

I am very pleased to have made it to 30 weeks. I feel like I'm in the home stretch now. I think the rest of the pregnancy will go quickly, and Poppy will be here before we know it.

Poppy is still moving as frequently as ever. Squirming and kicking all day. When I snuggle Jared, he often feels Poppy's kicks through my belly. Both Jared and I are very excited to meet our second precious gem. We've been working on narrowing our name list lately, but don't bother asking-- names are TOP SECRET this time.

Special Report

Here's a special treat for ya. A mid-week-middle-of-the-night update.

I can't sleep. My body feels worn out and tired, but I can't sleep.

I have no desire to eat. I get hungry, but I do not want to eat anything. Nothing sounds even remotely appealing. (Although, I have been dreaming about fresh, hand-squeezed lemonade. I'm supposing that doesn't count as food though.)

Water just gave me heartburn.


And my parting gift...

I got a message yesterday from a midwife who told me "they found something in my urine culture that I need to be treated for. You have a prescription waiting at your pharmacy." WHAT? Way to be vague.

A call to my beloved nurse, Patti, revealed that I am Group B Strep positive*, and need to take penicillin for 10 days, and be treated with antibiotics via IV during labor. I felt pools forming in my eyes. Before the waterworks could gush out, I squeezed out the one question pounding through my head "Can I still do a waterbirth?"

Yes. Phew.


*The group B streptococcus (GBS) bacteria is usually harmless in healthy adults, but it can cause a relatively rare but very serious infection in newborns, such as sepsis (an infection in the blood), pneumonia or meningitis. Between 10 and 30 percent of pregnant women carry GBS bacteria and may pass it to their babies during labor or birth. With proper treatment during labor, though, the risk is small (1 in 4,000).
(Babycenter.com)