Week 29 and 30

Let me start off by saying that I apologize for being late on week 29.  But in my defense it was the first week of school, the last week to get all of our house cleared out, and the second week without my hubby.  It was CRAZY to say the least!  I was not ready for school to start in that my room was not really ready, my plans were not really ready, nor was my brain or body really ready.  I did have some AMAZING help in the house department though.  My mom and mom-in-law spent an entire day finishing up the packing and cleaning in the house while my dad-in-law and then bro-in-law made several trips to the storage unit...all while I was at school.  I'm still not ready for school to start; not sure I'll ever be ready. 

I did go to the doctor again this week.  She said my weight, glucose test, iron levels and belly size (30 cm) all looked really good.  I also mentioned that my heartburn was getting worse so she wanted me to do some blood work for a liver scan.  Apparently there is some liver condition that can develop at this stage in pregnancy and one of the symptoms is increased heartburn.  That's all she really told me about it because she said she didn't want to scare me and we would talk about it if that turned out to be the case.  My doctor's office goes by the "no news is good news" policy and I have not heard anything yet so I'm guessing I'm good.  I have also noticed a little bit of swelling in my feet at the end of the day but I'm sure that is due to more being on my feet than usual.  Little Miss has still been quite active and switching from sitting high to sitting low day by day. 

Week 29 (last week)
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Week 30 (this week)
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.)

I'm sure there are all kinds of things I am forgetting to tell you all but...until next time!

Weeks 27 & 28 and Another Move

Well this has been a crazy week.  Well actually the past few weeks have been a bit nuts.  Where to start?...  Let's see; the last week of July Levi was called by an aviation company in Midland to do a contract trip for them.  That was a Monday.  Wednesday of that week they called again to see if he would come interview for a job.  Thursday he went to the interview where they offered on the spot and he accepted on the spot.  Friday we went back to do paper work and check out the town.  Now all we had to do was figure out all the logistics.  Because of several factors we decided that I will stay in here and teach the whole year (minus my 12 + 2 bonus weeks of maternity leave) while living with my mom and step-dad.  Levi will go on to Midland and will come back when he can.  Once all of his training and stuff if finished he will be on a 4 week on/ 1 week off schedule.  It's going to be a long year but we will make it work.  The job is an awesome opportunity with incredible benefits and though we do have to move at least it's only about 2 hours away.  Plus both of my grandmothers live in Odessa so family already travels that way pretty often. 

So, the past few weeks have been filled with a hurried start to a move, Levi still working for his current employer (he did 2 long trips in the past 2 weeks), and me trying to get my classroom back in order because in case you've forgotten it's BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!  Only my busiest time of year.  On top of all that being preggo with no motivation and when it does come I'm so scared I'm going to over-do it, I feel like I get nothing done.  I feel like we don't have time to get it all done as it is much less for me to be laid up on the couch for a day or two because I pulled a muscle or something.  I am SO grateful that we have amazing family and friends who are more than willing to help out.  We are packing up this weekend and Levi and his brother are moving as much of the big stuff as they can into storage while I am packing up the stuff I will need at my mom's.  We don't have to be out of the house until the end of the month so we will have time to come in and pack up the smaller stuff later.  And did I mention that is RAINING on this moving day?  The second day of rain we've gotten in like a million years.  But, listen, I don't mind one single bit holding off the loading of the trailer for a couple hours if it means we are getting rain. 

Now on to more exciting stuff!  Last Wednesday I had my 3D sonogram!  It was AMAZING!  There really are no other words for it.  The ultrasound tech had to first get some regular pictures of all of Lydia's body parts and get some of her measurements and then we got to the good stuff.  By the way, she is now measuring 5 days early but still they have not changed my due date.  Anyway, the good stuff- we got to see Little Miss in all her cuteness.  Her nose, her little lips, her cheekies, her hands and her little feet crossed politely at the ankle.  We were supposed to get pictures and a video but they had gotten a new machine and I think the tech thought she was taking still pictures but what we actually got was 2 or 3 second videos and a running video of the whole thing.  Because I have no spare time to try to figure out how to splice a video and all that jazz I just played the videos on the computer and paused where I wanted, took a picture of the screen with my terrible camera on my phone and that is what you will see below.  They are not wonderful but you can see them just fine.

I will try to eventually get better quality pictures but I just couldn't wait to show her off!  She's the one I feel bouncing around inside of me all the time!  Simply amazing.

Here is one of the videos.  I've never done a video on blogger and my laptop needs a flash update so I have no idea if this is going to work.  This is my favorite video because it's like she waves at us at the end.  Oh my goodness I love her so!

Everything else at the appointment went well.  I did my glucose test and I have not heard anything back but my doctor uses the no news is good news policy when it comes to test results so I guess it's good news.  My appetite has pretty much completely returned.  I'm not so picky when it comes to what I feel like eating.  I know that is a huge relief on Levi who never knew what was safe to cook for dinner.  Overall I am feeling pretty good- like they say I'm supposed to in the 2nd trimester, although I am about to start my 3rd.  Oh well, I'll take it when I get it.  She is still kicking like crazy and getting stronger all the time.  It's gotten quite amusing on a couple of occasions to just sit and watch my belly move.

Week 27

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. (I'm wondering how true this is for Lydia) She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. (I'm pretty sure she's had a few bouts of these) Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Week 28 (starts Monday the 15th)
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Until next time friends!

Week 26

Not much new to report this week.  Other than being super emotional a couple of days ago, everything is about the same.  The closer school gets the more tired I get and I think it just from THINKING about  the dreaded "back to school".  I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when I actually start working in my room and planning lessons and trying to mold the minds of 15-20 seven and eight year olds.  Sunday I think it was, I had quite the combination of lack of sleep and crazy hormones and I think I cried about 5 times for not real reason.  Yeesh.  Levi is good at handling these moments....he says "are we crying about this?" and then we both just start laughing.

Here's Lydia's goings on:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.