Personality Test

I've always loved hearing from my friends how their newborn baby's personality is similar to the baby's behavior in utero.  I've heard stories that it feels like the baby is trying to kick his/her way out of the stomach to stories about how calm the baby was in utero.  I've been trying to determine what kind of personality our Baby Girl is going to have and I had intended to write this post 2 weeks ago but have stalled and delayed this because she changed.

I think Ryan and I are both already aware of her stubborness.  During our 3D ultrasound in McAllen, she ended the show by turning sideways and covering her ear with her hand.  Despite my position changes, she refused to move out of that position.  Then 1 1/2 weeks later, Ryan's aunt was so sweet and invited us to stop at her clinic for a 3D ultrasound for more pictures.  This second attempt, Baby Girl was completely uncooperative!  She was sleeping, head down and face down, with her back sticking out at us.  The technician had me change positions, jump up and down, poke at her but all was to no avail.  She was bound and determined to stay in her comfortable position and to stay asleep!  I teased Ryan that she gets the stubborness from his side, but I'll admit, I'm probably more stubborn than Ryan.

Fast forward four weeks from those ultrasounds and I was leaning towards labeling her as a calm, easy-going baby.  She would increase her movements to remind me that it was time to eat again, then she'd stay active for a short time after I ate before lt she settled in for a nap.  However, that evening became her most active night where she spent all night moving, changing positions, and keeping me awake.  Since that night 2 weeks ago, she has stayed fairly consistent with her strong movements at night.  I haven't been woken up by her movements yet but she sure takes her time getting comfortable before letting me go to sleep.

So far the only consistencies to her patterns is she is calm in the mornings and afternoons/evenings are her active times of day.  When she is really stretching out those arms, I enjoy putting some counterpressure back at her and she tries to find another spot to poke.  Generally speaking, she is calmed when I 'touch' her or rub my stomach when she can't seem to get comfortable.  I still think she will be more on the laidback, easy going side as loud noises, the dogs barking, my patient's crying, etc. doesn't seem to bother her.  In fact, she has only jumped one time in response to the dogs barking.

This post seems to be me rambling because I really can't seem to make an educated guess as to how her little personality if going to be once she arrives.  Maybe it'll be easier the next time around! Lol...

B.G.L.

Exciting news on our front, we have decided on Baby Girl Larson's name!  We are still planning on waiting until she is born to announce her name, but we can definately say that she will not have the initials BGL :)  The name we have selected has significance to us for the meaning behind the name.  Our journey to parenthood was longer than expected so we were looking for a name with a meaning that would always remind her how much we wanted and eagerly waited for her to enter our lives.  I fell in love with the name back in January when we were just beginning the name hunt and added it to our list.  Over the last several months, our list of names has been updated and modified but this name has remained.  Now it is Ryan who loves the name and felt certain this was to become her name while I was dragging my feet to commit to a name.  But alas, Baby Girl has a name!  And now that we are saying it around the house, the name feels right :)


Pregnancy Sidenote: Over the course of the past 2 weeks, I have been trying to deny the fact that my feet are growing.  The evening swelling that occurs from sitting at the computer is one thing.  But, waking up in the morning to sore feet, where the bones are tender on the hard floors...tells me that the weight of the pregnancy and the laxity of the joints has officially traveled to my feet!  I feel they are getting stretched longer and wider :(  Ryan asked me the other night where my ankle bones disappeared too!  Oh well, only a few more weeks!

Also, we hope to post completed nursery pictures this weekend as the final accessories should be on the walls.  We are eager to see the room all put-together and can't wait to share the pictures.

35 weeks...5 more to go for her official due date...but only 2 more weeks until Baby Girl is considered full-term!  I told Ryan this is our last week without a doctor's appt as beginning next week, we have weekly appointments until Baby Girl decides she is ready to make her arrival.  Change is coming!!!

34 wk update

We had our 34-week appt this afternoon with our doctor and the 34-week ultrasound.  I gained another 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks (total of 24 pounds now).  Baby Girl measured in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces (which was in the 47th percentile)!  Fetal heart rate of 130 bpm.  Thigh bone length of 6.65 cm (technician said she'll have long legs).  Amniotic fluid levels are normal.  Head circumference, heart, kidneys, and bladder all look good.  The doctor guesses that she'll weigh about 7 pounds at birth, if she goes full term.  Ryan weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and I weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces at birth so she'll be between our birth weights.

On Saturday, we toured the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital where we'll be delivering Baby Girl.  The room for labor and delivery is nice and big but the post-partum room is about half the size.  One nice thing is that they are all private rooms.  The nurse that gave us our tour said that after birth, as long as Baby Girl is stable, she stays in our room for about an hour for kangaroo care and breastfeeding before going to the nursery for her weight and bath.  She then is returned to us once she stabilizes her body temperature after her bath.  Ryan can follow her to the nursery but he can't go into the nursery, just watch through the windows which was disappointing for me to hear.  Before she leaves our room, the 3 of us will all be given ID bracelets so she will safely return to us!  In the event of a C-section, the operating room is on the same floor and the NICU is also on the same floor so everything is close.

Baby Girl's bag is packed and my bag is basically packed, just need to decide what I'll wear at the hospital that'll be comfortable.

Baby Girl continues to get stronger each day as her movements are very noticeable day and night.  She still moves the most after I eat pasta or an apple.  I brought some rhubarb back from our Midwest trip and she also moves quite a bit after I eat something that I've baked with the rhubarb. 

I've told Ryan that I'm loving her movements and it seems that this is the easy part of the pregnancy as I have constant reassurance that she is healthy and active and safe.  I know that once she is born there will be so much more to be excited about and focused on but right now I feel I'm not ready for the pregnancy to end.  I know these final weeks will go by fast and our excitement to meet her will continue to grow.  Hoping that these final weeks are just as smooth as the pregnancy has been!  With that said, I'm eager to enjoy this next month as she continues to grow and we finish our final preparations for her arrival.

Pillow Fights

So many things change during pregnancy, including sleep habits!  I was always a one-pillow belly sleeper and was able to continue belly sleeping to at least the 20-week mark, just slightly propped by a leg in a figure-4 position.  After a bathroom run, I'd reposition on the other side.  Sleep was still good...

However...these past 3-4 weeks, purely sleeping one side or the other has caused aches and pains.  In came the extra pillows...I am now up to 4 pillows, but most nights, I think about grabbing an extra pillow.  1 under the hip that is being laid on, 1 under the top leg for balance, and 2 under the trunk/head.  With this 3rd trimester growth of the baby combined with being engulfed by pillows, covers are no longer needed!  When I wake up at night, it makes me laugh to see Ryan all snuggled under the covers and the dogs passed out sleeping on their sides...completely oblivious to my restlessness!  I don't want to resort to sleeping on the recliner...yet.  I figure I'll wait until Baby Girl is bigger and/or heartburn becomes an issue.

3-4 bathroom runs are now the norm at night.  Ryan likes to joke that my best sleep is from 6-7 in the morning, but I think he is correct.  But, I know we are on the homestretch...only 4-6 weeks to go until we meet this little girl :) And then we will be losing sleep for other reasons!

So, to all my experienced pregnancy friends.......How many pillows are too many?

Babymoon - Door County, WI

While Amy and Jeff and the kids were at work/school during our week in Poynette, we used that time to go to Door County, WI with Tim and Linda.  Neither Ryan nor I had ever been to Door County and it had been a few years for Tim and Linda.  We tried to pack as much as we could into the 4 days and it was still relaxing.  Ryan and Tim even had time to play golf one morning at the Peninsula State Park course. 
We drove up the Lake Michigan side and drove down the Green Bay side of the Peninsula.  Weather was quite cool for us Texans, I believe the highest temp was had was 58 degrees.


Just for fun, we took an 8-month picture at Whitefish Dunes State Park.  Baby Girl has been a good traveler this pregnancy, she has flown to FL, flown to South Bend, driven to Austin/San Antonio, driven to Granger/Poynette/Door County.  Hopefully she will be just as good of a traveler out of utero! 





At Cave Point, a really fun little area with rocks and cliffs that have been cut out from the waves.



On top of Cana Island Lighthouse overlooking Lake Michigan.



Schoolhouse Beach on Washington Island.  Very cool flat rocks.  There are reportedly only 3 beaches in the world with these rocks, 2 on Door County and 1 in France.

  

At the top of the Lookout Tower at Mountain Park on Washington Island.  184 steps to the top and breathtaking views!  I told Ryan it was the views that made my heart race, not the climb!  But I think we both know the extra pregnancy weight sure didn't help!



Sunset overlooking Sister Bay, our last night in Door County.

 We stayed at the Nordic Lodge in Sister Bay, ate at Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant for the Swedish pancakes, and did plenty of shopping within the many small towns.  It was a great time of year to visit Door County as the summer tourists primarily come only weekends in June and we were there during the week.  We were told the 4th of July is when it gets really crowded day after day.

It was a great way to end our vacation to the Midwest.  Next time we drive up, it'll be the 3 of us!

32 Weeks :)

I can't believe we have hit the 8 month mark already!  Baby Girl has done a lot of growing this past month, movements continue to get even stronger and we can both visibly see my belly changing shapes.  Yesterday morning at breakfast, Ryan and I could both see she was positioned on my lower right side as it was unbelievable the difference between right and left belly protruding.  I feel that Baby Girl continues to be positioned low which means I haven't felt strong rib kicks yet, but frequent bathroom visits continue to be required.  I suppose I'll take the ability to breathe for the inconvenience of peeing so often!

We had our 32-week appointment this afternoon.  Baby heartrate at 148 bpm, fundal height measures right on schedule for 32 weeks.  I gained 5 pounds these past 3 weeks!  Total weight gain to date 22 pounds.  I attribute the extra pounds from our Midwest vacation and enjoying Culver's custard :)  I was alittle disappointed in myself for gaining more than the 1 pound per week but that's what vacation is for, right?  Now, time to get back to work and eating right.  I did receive several complements from the Midwife today, including my good stomach muscle tone :)  Ryan just smirked at the comments but it was nicer to hear than the frequent, "You're too small to be so far along!"

New Symptoms:
1. Greater Trochanter (hip) pain from sleeping on my sides and low back pain in the mornings when starting the day.  Luckily, a morning walk helps soothe the aches from sleeping.  A must-do these final weeks, add more pillows to the bed to help with the aches.  Midwife said that the hip pains are due to the hormone released to relax my joints in prep for labor and delivery.
2. Itchiness of toes and feet.  Midwife said this is common towards the end of pregnancy because the weight of the uterus is compressing the vessels and affecting circulation.  She recommended keeping my feet elevated.
3. My walk has become what I consider a waddle.  Wider base of support and minimal rotation of trunk but I'm still happy to go for my morning walks.  I told the Midwife often while walking I feel a tightening of my stomach, but it feels that Baby Girl is sticking her butt out and then she relaxes back into position.  I still have the green light to continue walking as if they are Braxton Hicks contractions, it's just practice for the real thing!

Our next appt. is in 2 weeks where the doctor will do the 34-week ultrasound and we'll take it from there!  Ryan and I have several projects and goals to complete around the house by July 4th...just in case she makes an early arrival!  We can't believe how fast the time is going by!

We're still trying to catch up on sleep from vacation and our 24-hour drive back to TX.  I'll get a post about vacation up soon, after we go through pictures and organize the house. 

Til next time!