Week 26

Looking at the ticker, I realize we have less than 100 days to go until Bianca’s Big Arrival! Pretty amazing!

This was an exciting week for Harry and me. We found out that the contractor finally broke ground on our house. Which means in 8 to 12 weeks, we should have a home! Bianca is due to arrive in 14 weeks, so although we’re pushing it, I hope that means she will actually be able to come “home” instead of to an apartment. But either way, it will be a blessing just to have her with us.

On Monday, Harry and I went to Babies R Us and registered. We had planned on registering for the smaller stuff (wipes, bottles, bibs, etc.) at Walmart, but when we went into the store, they told us they didn’t have a registry machine. We ended up just zapping everything at BRU. Kris and Kim gave us some good ideas of what to get, so I think we did a good job. I just hope we didn’t forget anything!

I am still feeling great in general, although sleeping is becoming more and more difficult. On top of my frequent trips to the bathroom, I’m starting to become really uncomfortable at night. I think I have to turn over at least five times a night. Last night was particularly hard. I felt really hot and my leg got a horrible cramp in it. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who helped massage it until the pain went away – even if it was close to 1:00 in the morning.

Week 26 is a pretty exciting one for Bianca. At long last, she can see the womb! Her little eyelids have finally separated and she will probably be having her first moments of sight. In addition, she’s recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as she can now move her head back and forth. This is also the time where our Little Miracle’s head hair is starting to grow! Her toenails have grown in and she is continuing to slowly pile up fat beneath her still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing her (genius-level?) brain activity. I’m getting tired just thinking about it!

Week 25

Here we are...another week closer to the birth of our Little One. She will be here before we know it!

Harry and I have decided on a name for our Little Miracle: Bianca Ruth. Thank you so much for your votes! It was a tough decision, as we both also really liked Sophia, but Bianca just felt right. We can't wait to meet her and see if her spirit matches her unique, beautiful name.

On the growth front, Bianca's physical proportions are evening out at this point, and most of her remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if our daughter is born premature now, she’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma, as her lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week. Knowing this fact helps me breathe a huge sigh of relief. This week she'll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during birth. Her head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal.

Find Your Wings

I really love the song "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris. But as I listened to it this morning on the way to work, I couldn't help but tear up. It has whole new meaning now.

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the Truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly

Week 24

As Harry told me this morning, I am 60% of the way through this pregnancy. It really seems unbelievable that we will have a daughter in approximately 16 weeks. My hubby will then have two women to drive him crazy!

This has been quite an exciting week. On Sunday, my family received the wonderful news that my cousin Danny and his wife Kylene are expecting their own bundle of joy! Their baby is due on December 26th. It really couldn’t be more perfect. Danny and I were born four months apart, and now our children will be born three months apart! I really am ecstatic for them!

I also received word that my good friend Jackie gave birth to her Little One this week! Sarah Anne Piercey was born on May 11th, weighing 7lbs 8oz. I can’t wait to meet her!

Last night was Patterson’s Athletic Banquet. The rest of my week has been filled with nothing but work. I really need to work on finding balance, but for some reason, with this job, it’s a lot easier said than done. I really need to force myself to only work 8 hour days. It just never seems to happen.

As for what’s happening to our Little Miracle this week, she is approximately 8.4 inches long and weighs about 1.4 pounds. This is roughly the size of a corn cob. She will gain nearly 6 ounces this week as her body begins to fill out. This weight will mostly consist of muscle, bone mass, and the growing organs and tissues.

There is lots of other fetal development happening this week: Blood vessels in her lungs are developing; her eyelashes have almost fully come in; she is starting to produce white blood cells, which fight disease and infection; and her inner ear is now completely developed.

Follow-Up Ultrasound

I have been wanting to post this update all week, but work has been crazy as usual, so I didn't get a chance. I think everything went well with the second ultrasound. The doctor sent me back so that she could get another look at the baby's spine. Even though I expected this appointment to be shorter, it still took a good half hour for the ultrasound tech to get all the pictures she needed.

Our daughter must have been sleeping, because she would not move. I, on the other hand, was asked to move from my back to my side, to my other side and back again in hopes that a different position might give us a better picture. The ultrasound tech even poked my belly with the wand a few times, hoping to get her to move. At one point, I think our Little One got upset. I felt her kick. The ultrasound tech must have seen it on the screen because she said, "Did you feel that? She gave it to you good!" Guess like her mommy, our Little Miracle is a little cranky when someone wakes her up!

I asked the tech if everything looked ok, and she just responded, "I can't tell you that; I'm not a doctor." So far I haven't heard anything from the doctor's office. I'm hoping that no news means good news.

I also asked the tech to double-check the sex, as I was afraid of having a son born into a world of pink. Luckily, our Little One is definitely still a girl! (Sorry D-Man!)

Week 23

23 down....17 more to go! This picture is not of our Little One, just a random 23-week old fetus.

This has been an exciting week. I can definitely tell when the baby is moving now. She seems to have already developed a pattern of being awake and asleep. I usually feel her in the morning either right after breakfast or on the way to work. She moves again while I'm at work, usually in the early afternoon. She is most active in between 7 & 8 P.M. Though last night, around 10:30, she was moving around a lot. I think it's because I was half-laying on my stomach and she didn't like it. After I went completely on my side, she calmed down.

I've had a pretty stressful week at work, and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Babies R Us called Harry yesterday, and our furniture is in! We will be picking it up on Saturday morning. Damian has his playoffs in flag football Saturday afternoon. And on Sunday, we will be having a cookout at Mom's to celebrate both Mother's Day and Damian's birthday. The Our Lady of Hope Carnival also starts this weekend. I don't know if we'll get a chance to stop by, though.

I have my follow-up ultrasound scheduled for 8:30 on Monday morning. I am also going to lunch with Kim and Allison on Monday, which will be a nice treat! I rarely leave my desk, so it will be nice to have a little freedom.

As for what's happening to our Little Miracle this week, she has a while to go before her lungs will be ready for air, but she is practicing her "breathing" on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of her lungs. Her fat production is in overdrive at this point. She will basically double in weight over the next four weeks. (Hopefully the same won't happen to me!) Our Girl is starting to look more like a newborn as her skin becomes less see-through. Her body is looking more proportional now, although her head is still kinda big compared to her little body. She is approximately 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound.

Appointment Update

I had another doctor's appointment today. Luckily, everything looks good. I gained 3.5 pounds this month, putting me up to +8.5 this pregnancy. The doctor said that my weight gain looks fine. I also wasn't dehydrated this month, which is a good thing.

The baby's heart rate measured 145 bpm today, which is a little slower than it normally is. I asked the doctor if that was ok, and she said yes. She said that babies go through sleep patterns just like adults, and if she happened to be sleeping during the appointment, her heart rate may be down. Overall, anything between 120 & 160 is considered normal.

Apparently, my doctor's office did not have my ultrasound on file. The doctor called over to Advanced Radiology, who had a difficult time finding my record. The doctor let me leave while they looked for it and promised she would call me as soon as she reviewed the ultrasound results. Right before I got to the tunnel, she called.

According to the measurements taken during the ultrasound, our due date is remaining September 3rd. The doctor would like to get a better look at the baby's spine, though, so I have to go in for a follow-up ultrasound. I'm excited to see the baby again, but I'm a little worried that something may be wrong. After reading "Handle with Care," I'm a tad nervous.

My next OB appointment is on June 2nd. During that appointment, I will be receiving a referral for a glucose test.

Happy Birthday!!

I want to wish my precious nephew Damian a very happy 8th birthday!!!

We Bought Furniture!

Last night, Harry and I went to Babies R Us. The crib and dresser/changer combo we wanted weren't in stock, but we could order them. They should be delivered in 7 - 14 business days. Obviously, we don't have the house yet, so we can't really set them up for them a while. It's just nice to know that we've got most of the nursery furniture out of the way.

The collection we chose is called Sorelle Vicki in espresso. This is what it looks like: