Full Term

Yeah we made it! the baby can come anytime now. At my last OB appointment it was confirmed that the baby's head is down & should stay that way. The OB I saw yesterday was covering for my regular OB, he doesn't see a problem with the size of the baby at all. Next week he will confirm with an ultrasound, but he is sure the baby is small because of my body size. He also thinks my measurements are fine & within the normal range.
I still love being pregnant & I'm feeling well, but we are excited to meet this baby. Hopefully soon!

1st Non-stress test

We passed the non-stress test after a scary failed first test, when the baby thought it would be hilarious & sleep instead of move around. I was starting to get worried when the nurse mentioned that if the baby didn't move a few times in the next twenty minutes I would be sent for an ultrasound. In the last few minutes of the test the baby finally woke up!
Tomorrow I have an O.B appointment, & next week another NST, ultrasound & O.B appointment. With all of these last minute appointments I am so happy to be finished work on thursday. We are counting the days until this little one makes his or her appearance!

36 week baby update

The doctor thinks the baby is measuring small for the gestational age. Starting next week I have to go to the hospital weekly for Non Stress Tests , & I also have my O.B appointments weekly (that is expected around 37 weeks). I am also being sent for another ultrasound on February 4th to check the growth of the baby. This does not change the due date, they just want to make sure that things are within the normal range. It is expected that things will be fine with the baby, that the baby is likely smaller than average because I am quite small as well. It has us a little worried, but we are hopeful that things will turn out fine. We will know more in the coming week or two.

Braxton Hicks contractions are increasing in frequency this week & I have also been nesting. It is driving me crazy that I don't have the time to clean my house ( I REALLY want to clean out closets & cupboards), but I am focusing on getting some much needed rest. As of the end of the month I will be starting vacation, & I will have more time to get some things done around here. I have a strong suspicion this baby will arrive earlier than the 19th of February. I just hope I didn't jinx myself & will now end up going overdue. Of course it is most important that the baby is healthy.

36w2d

First Forever Family Day

One year ago today we had our Giving & Receiving ceremony in Hai Duong Vietnam. Those first nights were so difficult when we adopted Owen, I remember his grieving cry so well. There was nothing you could do to console him but let him cry it out. I've never heard such a sad baby. Plus he was suffering from bronchitis, an ear infection, a cold, & he was teething, he definitely put us to the parent test right away.

One year later he is a smiling, happy, energetic child. He has made such improvement with attachment. Of course there will be some long term attachment issues that surface periodically, but for the most part I think he is doing very well. We are amazed by how far he has come in the past year.

We made Owen's adoption video after we arrived home from Vietnam. I've shared it before, but it brings back so many memories from our first weeks together that I thought I'd share it again.

Enjoy!

Quick post

I had a Dr. appointment today. I thought I was having some braxton hicks contractions for the past couple of weeks, last couple of evenings they were more evident. Anyway the Dr. says that it is likely braxton hicks, but if contractions are 5 minutes apart or less to go to the hospital. The braxton hicks contractions starting are a good sign that things are progressing well at this stage. The Dr. suggested more rest during the day then took one look at Owen and said " you should try & get more rest, but that isn't likely to happen" :)

Yeah. Glad he's realistic.

34 weeks

The countdown is on! I've handed in my maternity leave letter & I'm anticipating my last day of work to be January 31st. I will then be on vacation until mid february, then start maternity leave after that. I'm really looking forward to being off, I've noticed that I have been more tired this trimester.

Things continue to be well with the pregnancy. Everything seems to be on track even though the doctor says I am measuring about 1.5 weeks behind. He is not concerned, anything within 2 weeks is within the normal range. He also mentioned that he would be surprised if the baby weighs 12 pounds! i am happy to hear that ;)

This past week I started drinking red raspberry leaf tea. I've known people that drank it during the last weeks of pregnancy & they swear by it. Our prenatal instructor really believes in it as well. I've started drinking one cup in the evening, & next week I will try & drink 2-3 cups a day. In my opinion it tastes awful, but it is drinkable with lots of honey added to it.

I've started to collect some things for my hospital bag & I'm guessing that by the end of the week I will be packed just in case.
Today we purchased a few newborn outfits, 3 pink & 3 blue. I'll leave the baby clothes at home & when the baby is born I will have someone wash the ones we need & bring them to the hospital. The only big purchase left to get is a double stroller. We are having trouble finding the perfect stroller, they all seem to have something about them we don't like. Right now it looks like the phil&teds might be the one we are leaning towards. I just really wish that it had cup holders & was suitable for an infant car seat. The reason we are thinking about this one is because we can continue to use it after Owen has outgrown the stroller stage.

Here are some recent belly pictures.

32 weeks


34weeks2d

Big Boy

We weren't going to start potty training Owen until the summer, mostly because he still seems so young & he hasn't really been bothered by being wet. Last night he started saying "pee pee" so we thought we'd get out his potty so that he could get use to having it around. This afternoon I asked him if he wanted to try to pee in his potty, he said "okay" & with that sat down & peed! I couldn't believe it, I thought it was a fluke. He's gone 3 times since this afternoon & all we have to do is ask him if he wants to try to pee. He's gone every time we've asked.
His potty plays a song when there is success & he does this little dance when he hears the music.
Seriously this kid surprises me everyday.



Admiring his liquid gold