DR. Appointment

Today was the day that I had my glucose tolerance test. I have read that the orange drink tastes like flat orange pop, it wasn't too far off. I was surprised by how much I had to drink & how quickly. It didn't taste that bad ( I suppose if you hate orange flavour, then you wouldn't want to drink it), also it was a chilled drink so it went down easier. I am guessing that I won't hear anything about the test results unless there is a problem.

I was able to go to my OB appointment and not have to wait around for the hour before getting my blood taken. We heard the baby's heartbeat again, it sounded "nice & strong" according to the nurse. The heartbeat is so clear, loud & easy to find. I was weighed again & measured & everything looks good. My weight is up another 4 pounds, I've been gaining steadily so far. I am guessing that during this final trimester I will gain approx 10 more pounds. Bringing the total weight gain up to 30 pounds. We shall see, I likely just jinxed myself. We were also advised to start monitoring the fetal movements this week. Apparently I am to feel the baby move at least six times in a two hour time frame. If I notice a decrease in movement we are to go to the hospital, so that the baby can be monitored. So far it is quite obvious that the baby moves more often than that.

I had a few questions this time for the Dr. Mostly my questions were work related. It appears that I am free to work as long as I'd like, or until it is too uncomfortable, or until my water breaks, whichever comes first. I was worried about the heavy lifting & all of the bending that I have to do. The Dr. assured me that my body is use to that type of work now & that I should be safe to continue working.

We received a package of paperwork to be filled out for the next appointment in three weeks. The paperwork is all of the hospital pre-admission forms, including pain management, number of people in the delivery room etc. I suppose it is time to start thinking about all of that. After 30 weeks, we will see the Dr bi-weekly.

Thursday marks 28 weeks, 7th month, third trimester. However you say it, it means we are getting close.

Baby #2 Update

We are now 26 weeks pregnant and nearing the third trimester. I was shocked when I pasted the ticker on the blog & saw that there were less than 100 days to go! Time is speeding by, & we are no where near prepared. Gavin & I have decided that we will focus on getting everything ready for the baby early in the new year. That way, we can concentrate on preparing for Christmas with Owen & try to keep relaxed through the remainder of the year. Of course that plan may change in less than a month because we start our birth classes early December. How's that for a reality check!
Belly baby is growing right on target, as am I. Total weight increase so far has been 15 pounds, & I'm definitely getting "rounder". The baby is laying in a transverse position (across the belly). There is still lots of time for it to move head down, but so far it seems to like that position. Apparently 1% of babies are in this position making a vaginal birth impossible. However, after 32 weeks it is possible for a health care professional to try & turn the baby. Obviously we are hoping the baby clues into the fact that it is NOT coming out like that & needs to move around.
At 26 weeks, the baby's eyelids are opening, he or she responds to touch & sounds & is in the most active phase of movement. You can clearly see my belly move when the baby kicks or hiccups, & you can easily feel the movements from outside the body. Gavin can now hear the heartbeat just by putting his ear to my belly. It has been a really great experience for us.

Here are a few belly pictures to see the changes that are happening.

20 weeks



22 weeks


26 weeks

My Little Monkey

It was so hard to get good pictures of Owen in his halloween costume. Once he puts on that monkey suit he starts running! He loved his first halloween. He was quiet and shy trick or treating, but sure loved his chocolate when he got home. His favourite part of the evening was helping to answer the door for the other trick or treaters, and pass out candy to them.