Thursday, August 6, 2009

Birthdays and Cankles

Hello everyone! Hope you are doing well. We are great! In our new apartment making great progress with the unpacking, Chris has started his new job, and Bear is getting ready to make his entrance into the world. So many blessings!

"Week 37: Here's some exciting news: If your baby were born today, he or she would be considered full term. Mind you, that doesn't mean he or she is finished growing- or getting ready for life on the outside. Still gaining weight at about a half pound a week, the average fetus this age weighs about 6 1/2 pounds (though size varies quite a bit from fetus to fetus, as it does from newborn to newborn). Fat continues to accumulate on your baby, forming kissable dimples in those cute elbows, knees, and shoulders, and adorable creases and folds in the neck and wrists. To keep busy until the big debut, your baby is practicing to make perfect: inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking on his or her thumb (to prepare for that first suckle), blinking, and pivoting from side to side (which explains why yesterday yuo felt that sweet little butt on the left side and today it's taken a turn to the right)." -What to Expect

I've been reading up again on what my body is doing to prepare for "the end times" and it is right on track! I am pretty sure he has dropped (I don't see how he can get any lower than he already is), my weight gain has slowed down (thank goodness!), I'm definitely getting achy in some places (I walk like an arthritic grandma), and I won't go into the rest. Bear doesn't quick quite as much as he used to but he sure does move around. It's like there is a big alien blob moving across my stomach. I can actually feel and see his foot poking out every once and awhile. I love it!

We've had a busy week so far! Saturday we moved into the apartment with the help of my mom, Scott, Josh, and Dana (THANK YOU!). Mom and Scott stayed until Sunday evening to help us get a head start on placing furniture and unpacking. Monday I dropped Chris off at work, met my parents in Austin for a birthday lunch (I'm 25 now!), and went to my doctor appt. (more about that below). Tuesday and yesterday I've just been unpacking and organizing what is left. I am enjoying this quiet time to myself before the baby comes.

The doctor appt. this past Monday went well. The doctor was out of the office that day so we met with the nurse. My blood pressure was back to normal for the second week in a row (yay!) and when we were listening to his heart beat we also got to hear the blood moving through the placenta which was really cool. My parents took me to the appointment since Chris was at work. Mom was hoping to get to see Bear on the sonogram but they didn't do that this time around since Dr. Love was out of the office.

I don't know if it was all the driving I did on Monday or what, but by the time Monday evening rolled around I had developed some definite cankles. For those unfamiliar with the term "cankle", it's when your feet and ankles have puffed up so much that there is no bone sticking out and no definition between the bottom of your calf and your ankle. For someone who normally has bony ankles and feet this was a new experience. I could roll my ankles and flex my feet and feel all the fluid that had built up. Very weird and very cool all at the same time.

This week is birthday week. Mine was Monday and my mom's is today (By the way, Happy Birthday mom! I won't say how old she is, but I will say that Bear and I will be 25 years apart just like my mom and I are 25 years apart. (; ). Next week Chris and I will have our 3 year anniversary! It feels like we've been married much longer...and I mean that in a good way!

We've had some people ask if we will keep doing the blog after Bear is born. I've thought it would be nice to keep it going so I will definitely try, but I am not promising it will happen with the same consistency. I've noticed with different friends that have had babies recently that you kind of disappear from the internet world for a while after the baby is born. We may have to content ourselves with once-a-month postings. :)

Anyway, I need to go and get started on my work for the day. Have a wonderful weekend and God bless you!

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