Voting Day

Get out and Rock the Vote!

Good things to know...

Nope...no baby yet

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while...and no it is not because I've had our little one early :-) It was my break week from school and took much needed r & r.

As to how things are going:

• My blood pressure is down, nearly to a normal range
• We had our last sonogram, and the kiddo looks great
• Our little guy seems to be big (7lbs, 4 oz.) and has a full head of hair already...unfortunately the radar is in black-and-white, so we don't know what color of hair.
• My weight is holding steady...but my ankles are swelling again if I stand or sit too long.
• The baby is dropping. I feel way more lower back aches and his hiccups seem to be coming from near my pelvic bone.
• If he doesn't make an appearance on his own, my ob/gyn is planning to induce around November 14, my 39th week.
• Brian has begun "nesting" and not me. He managed to build a bench and bookcases this weekend, as well as clean the basement. Me...my only urge is to sit on the couch with my feet up :-)

So...let's start taking bets on when he'll be out to say hello to everyone!

Another great doctor visit :-)

We had our weekly dr. visit and second NST this past Wednesday. Not too much new to report on the baby front. I've stopped drinking that soda and eating those silly peeps...so my weight is back down and my feet aren't swelling quite as much. My blood pressure is creeping upward, but not high enough to require meds or permanent bed rest. Otherwise, my vitals are great. The baby is doing well from what they can tell from the outside :-o

Our second NST went similar to the first. Our little guy just doesn't perform on demand! He definitely wants his nap time between 8-10 in the morning. (Which is precisely when I have time free at work to schedule these appointments.) The nurses have this funny gizmo that vibrates the outside of my belly...supposedly it stimulates the baby and wakes him up to get him moving. Nope. Our son seems to be a sound sleeper like his mom; he comfortably ignored the vibrations, though it made me laugh my head off because it tickled AND looked funny to see my belly shaking! In the end, this meant I was "plugged-in" for a longer time (about 45min) until he moved several times on his own.

While waiting for the movements, we got to ask the doc some questions about the upcoming birth. She also thinks she might induce a bit early, and definitely not let me run later than 40 weeks. We haggled a bit as to when I should leave work and go on rest. She told me if I decide to violate the bed rest with teaching a class or two, just don't tell her about it :-) Right now, I've tentatively decided to work through the end of October...and maybe just teach my Botany class in November. Mostly because I don't know if the other faculty here can do it/or feel confident they can teach about plants. But, like all else, we'll play it by ear!

All in all, the doc says I need to start taking things easier and trying to get off my feet more. I'm about ready to agree. There are some nights I know I feel little feet pushing against my diaphragm and making me short of breath!

Month 8 = Honeydew!

I can see the finish line! I'm in the home-stretch now with a little under 7 weeks to go until I'm at full term of 40 weeks. If the baby feels like being born any time now, he has an pretty great chance of survival. Hmmm...Maybe I should put up a calendar and take bets as to when he's leaving the womb :-)

Here's what's happening this month with baby growth: Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

Grand Haven

Last weekend we headed west to the Lake for the day. I had pregnancy random desire to walk on the beach and feel the sand between my toes. Thankfully, Brian was perfectly willing to humor me in this outing. Grand Haven is a 30minute-ish drive from Grand Rapids; its pretty-much a touristy town on the water with a long canal into the boat harbor.

It was an overcast day, so the temperature was cool and good walking weather. Also, there weren't too many people out that day because of the threat of rain. We parked on the Main st. and walked along the canal toward the open water. My guess is it was about 1 mile out to the lighthouse and

a mile back to the car.

I got to play in the lake water, which was surprisingly still warmish. We then walked on out the boardwalk to the lighthouse. Brian

was really good at seeing huge carp along the pier; there were even a few people fishing out there. At the very end the wind was definitely more noticeable and I was not surprised to see some of the small boats heading back into the harbor.

The walk was slow going for me, since I'm closer to waddling than striding these days. Poor Brian had to shorten his stride so he wouldn't get too far ahead of me. It was a great time to just chill and talk and enjoy one of the last days of the summer. I didn't feel tired until near the end on the way

back to the car...but my stubbornness prevailed and

I made it. The reward was an excellent meal in a local Italian restaurant.