Week 33

It is now week 33 and I am still amazed how fast the time is going. Seven more weeks to go so that mean only 49 more days left until B-C birthday! Yippy! We can’t wait…everyday we feel like we are more and more ready for D-Day to arrive. Hopefully we will be able to get the rest of the “nursery” set up soon and that will be one less things to worry about…not that we are really “worried”. Everything is coming together nicely.

This week our baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple…and it just so happens this is my favorite fruit!) and has passed the 17-inch mark. B-C's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his/her skeleton is hardening. The bones in the skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for the baby to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance...but not our baby…he/she will be perfect!) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as the brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. That is wild!
I continue to feel B-C move everyday. Some movements are bigger than others and these days I not only feel them but see them too…it is so crazy sometimes. It’s been fun because other people (besides just Mark and me) get to experience B-C in utero. We were in church this past Sunday and were sitting with our friends Marnie and Joel and Marnie actually got to see and feel B-C go wild and crazy during the praise and worship time. It was a neat experience. I really think the baby enjoys music. I find that when I am listening to loud music (like in church) or even quiet music at home B-C tends to move more than normal. I think that it is amazing that he/she can even hear the music from inside its comfy cushioned home. Another new movement experience this week has been the hiccups. The baby has had them twice this week and it is only Monday! It’s really cool at first but then after a while it is sort of distracting…especially at work today. I was trying to concentrate on writing an important email and I kept getting sidetracked by the constant jumping in my belly! It was precious though…

Mark and I had a good weekend. We actually took some time for ourselves and just he and I went out boating on Sunday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day with lots of sunshine. We just cruise around a lake and even had a picnic lunch on the boat. It was perfect. We went to another doctor’s visit today and we got to meet another one of the doctors in the practice. It was nice to meet Dr. Scott and to put a face with a name…just in case Dr. Thatcher is not on call the day we go into labor! We get to meet Dr. Snow in two weeks and that should cover every possibility. There is a good chance that our doctor will not be the one to deliver B-C and I say it is better to meet them all now than when I am in labor! Everything looked good at the appointment today. The baby measured about a week late but that just means that this week B-C is a tad bit small. I measured 32 centimeters and it should have been around 33cm. Dr. Scott said that anything plus or minus 4 cm is normal so we are not worried. He also said that it is better to fatten them up on the outside than on the inside…I totally agree! He was a little shocked to learn that I was a 10 lb and 24 inch long baby…it was not too encouraging when he said that B-C’s estimated weight is totally contingent on maternal birth weight…that is just SCARY!!!! Let’s just pray for a small but healthy baby shall we. I am counting on all of you guys to help me pray this VERY important prayer while we still have a chance!

The crazy thing is B-C just got the hiccups again while I am writing this post…Mark even got to come over and feel them. He/she must know that I am writing about him/her and just wanted to show off…B-C must take after Mark in that department! Here are some fun pictures of the first collegiate wear that B-C has recieved. Mark's grandmother picked out the adorable Gator outfit and she is not even a Gator fan! Mark's sister's boyfriend Tom (who is from Wyoming) sent us the really cute University of Wyoming tee-shirt, onesie and socks...I am not sure when B-C will sport these things but maybe just maybe there will be an opportunity...they are size 12 months! Thanks guys!