32+ Weeks & 4th of July

I had a great time in Portland this weekend. Auntie Sandy, Snookie & I went to Portland and stayed with Auntie DeeDee, had a great dinner and visit Friday night, framer's market on Sunday then got to go see the Lugnuts on Saturday night at the Corbett 4th of July Festival. It was a quick trip but a great weekend. Road trips are always so fun too, we had a great visit on the way down and back up!








And here is Justine riding the bull on the Kiddy Rides at the festival, I'm still learning how to use my camera so she has gone about 180degrees when the video starts!



Auntie DeeDee had another new outift for Earl, and a whole bag of Justine's clothes that she had held on to, as well as a couple blankets. Including one of my old jackets with Smurfette on it that she had made for me in Hong Kong, with Missy embroidered on it too. Very Cute!

Now at 32 weeks, there is no doubt my tummy is all baby. My Aunties were gigglling becuase they noticed I am waddling a little now...it is funny, but its not just the belly it's a chemcial released by my body now to start opening up my pelvis which causes the waddling. I think though I am still getting around and feeling good, of course the bathroom trips are more frequent, and sleeping at night is broken up between tossing and turning and getting up to potty, and I was the first person to bed saturday night, I just couldnt stay up and visit like usual. But another great, new thing happened this weekend, Saturday afternoon I was sitting back in a chair with my feet up and you could see Baby Earl moving through my shirt and tummy! It was amazing, to not just feel but see her move! I tried to get a video but of course I didnt, I will keep working on that though.

All in all I am feeling really great. I just cant beleive she will be here in about 50 days, this has gone by so fast. We have an appointment with Dr. Brown on wednesday, just a regular check up. My weight has been steady the last two weeks, which is great becuase I have been really watching what I eat and when, and the swelling has been down too so I hope my blood pressure is good when we see him. But it is supposed to be hot this week, so hopefully I can get Jace over to but my air conditioning unit in before the heat comes on Wednesday.

Just a couple weeks now until my last trip before baby comes, I will be flying over to Spokane for the Twins' 2nd birthday!

Doing Just Great & Love Our New OB!

I am so so so happy I switched to Dr. Brown. The nurse was great, he was caring, kind, funny and put me at ease. He is a great listener, took time for all my questions, and was just so positive - this is what I imagined OB appointments would be like, no wonder he is the number one choice of nurses who are preggers at VMC.

Health update: Me and Baby Earl are doing great...blood pressure good, kidneys good, her heartbeat is good and strong and all in all everything is just great! According to Dr. Brown my weight gain is within the range of what he would expect given my pre-pregnancy height, weight and build. Of course now we just need to make sure baby doesn't gain too much weight - so gotta stay on top of my sweets intake, no problem. All in all was a great appointment, and I feel so much better that I switched!



Now we start seeing him every 2 weeks! With an ultrasound at the end of July to check her weight, position, etc... Just 9 weeks to go! Plus he gave me the OK to fly home to Spokane for the twins birthday party in July! Yay!

Needless to say it's been a great day; the sun is shining, me and my baby are healthy, my mom comes in town tomorrow, friends and family are gathering for the baby shower on Saturday, and I get to see some high school friends on Sunday. Life is great, as my Grammie would say - God is good!

30 Weeks!

Baby Earl this week: lots to report. 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 my 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.) Baby Earl's brain is taking on characteristic grooves and indentations. In addition, her bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for Baby Earl, because it means she is better able to thrive on her own once born. Much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering Baby Earl's body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat and the brain are regulating her body temperature.

Baby Earl is still moving a lot. The last several nights she's been making moves that feel like something out of "The Matrix." I wish I could see inside my stomach to see what she's doing. It's funny. And with the cold I have had since Friday, she is the only thing I have been enjoying…cant breath though my nose, can’t sleep well, so extra tired on this Monday but hanging in there. I am super excited about mom being here on Friday, a whole weekend together! (My incredible shrinking mom hit the 60lb lost mark today, so proud of her!)

Baby Earl is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs just over 3 pounds (as much as a head of cabbage):



So other than the runny/stuffy red nose and being tired, I am super excited yet it is so hard to believe I am in my 30th week! I was chatting with Finney last night, and we were talking about how it has just gone by so fast…10 weeks or less to go! Exciting, and a little nerve-racking – so much to do before she is here, but mostly I just can’t wait to meet her!

Thursday we see Dr. Brown for the first time…Mom is in on Friday, Saturday is 31 weeks and the baby shower, Sunday I get to see Niki, so needless to say gotta kick this cold and quick!