28 and 29 Weeks

Ok, so I have no excuse today other than the fact that I'm just getting lazy...I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened earlier. Hoping I will get better and keep you up-to-date for the remaining 10-11 weeks! Did you get just as excited reading that as I did typing it?! Holy smokes! Less than 3 months to go!!!

28 Weeks:

This week, our baby weighs 2.25lbs (approximately), which is about as much as this Chinese cabbage and, let me tell you, it feels like a pretty heavy cabbage!! Baby measures about 14.8inches (specific, huh?!) from head to heel - starting to fill out! Not a whole lot of specific changes happening this week, just more growing and filling out. I can tell you that Baby has flipped into the head down position. I felt this wonderful (ahem) sensation towards the end of a night shift last week - holy pressure, Batman! When it happened, I wasn't sure what it was but at my doctor's appointment last week, the midwife confirmed that Baby was indeed head down and was actually able to show me exactly where the head was (I got to feel it by applying pressure on both sides of it - pretty awesome!). Speaking of my doctor appointment, everything is going well! Baby's heartbeat was 131bpm, which is a tad slow but nothing to be concerned about - probably just napping after a busy night shift with Mommy :)

29 Weeks:

Butternut squash - not a big fan of this vegetable, but apparently it weighs about 2.5lbs, which is the weight of our baby this week! Lengthwise, Baby measures about 15inches (or 1ft 3in) from head to heel (for you visual learners, about the length of a loaf of bread) - growing so fast! Unfortunately for Baby, he/she is pretty squished as there's not a whole lot of room left in the uterus, which he/she is protesting at the moment as I feel kicks and punches as I type. Baby has been so active in the past 2 weeks - it's been wonderful! So now that Baby's eyes are officially open, he/she has been practicing blinking and closing his/her eyes in response to bright lights. All of Baby's bones are starting to harden, with the exception of a few "soft spots" on the skull that will remain that way to allow for passage through the birth canal (gulp!) in a few short months. Baby's adding lots of fat in these next few months to keep him/her warm in the outside world. Also, all of the organs continue to mature and more specifically develop. Good news - Baby now has a 90% chance of survival if born this week! Baby could breathe on his/her own, but would more than likely tire out and need a little assistance, but not much. This is very exciting, however, we're going to keep praying Baby stays in for at least another 10 weeks :) Baby's brain is now developed enough to control breathing and maintain a stable core body temperature - two very important parts of survival for infants! Baby also has the ability to cough, and his/her sucking reflex is becoming perfected - hope he/she puts that to good use when it comes to feeding after birth! All in all, from here on out, it's mostly just specific development and maturation, adding of fat, and coming one step closer to making Baby's grand entrance to the world!

As for me, I'm definitely starting to feel all of those 2.5lbs - in my back! I've had pretty consistent backaches (thankfully, my wonderful hubby is able and willing to give me some great, much needed back massages after a long day at work) and heartburn (yay Tums!) this past week. I've also had some pretty sore hips and ankles - guessing it's all of those ligaments adjusting and simply just feeling some extra weight that they're not quite used to. Definitely not fitting into pre-pregnancy clothes anymore :( Slightly depressing, but I guess I'll just have a new and exciting wardrobe to come back to once Baby is here (and I'm able to work off all of this extra weight)! Noticing that I get tingly feet if I cross my legs for too long or lay on my back - all evidence of a growing uterus with a growing Baby! Although I'm not a huge fan of the back/hip pain, I'm glad that Baby is growing big and healthy :)

Looks a little cramped in there, doesn't it?!

Tyler has officially started work on our built-in shelves and mantle - hoping to be done by next weekend! It looks great - so thankful for such a talented husband! It's going to really add a homey touch to our place :) Also, we've put together our crib and all of our "toys" that we have for Baby thus far - swing (thanks Aunt Joyce and Jenn), bouncy seat (thanks Mary and Kaitlyn) and our travel system of carseat and stroller. We also received an AMAZING glider-rocker/ottoman combo from Tyler's boss - so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives who are willing to help us out! All in all, the nursery is definitely starting to come together and look very cozy - I promise to post pictures as soon as it's all together (we still have a few "storage" items to get rid of first!). Still looking for a dresser/changing table combo on Craigslist - hoping to find one soon, as I'm really itching to have it all set up!

Here's an adorable little 29 weeker! I actually admitted a baby this size last week and it was kind of fun to see about how big/small our baby was at the time. The baby I admitted is doing very well :)

I think that's all of the updates I have for you all at this time :) Please continue to pray for Baby as he/she grows and develops; also pray that God allows us to carry to term :) We are having a 3D ultrasound on Saturday Sept. 1 (eek!! - so excited!) - pray that God would allow us to see our sweet little Baby's facial features and that he/she wouldn't be as camera shy as last time ;) Still hoping to keep the gender a secret, though! I would appreciate prayers for the pain in my back and joints to ease and remain bearable for the rest of the pregnancy. Also continued prayers for Tyler and I as we get closer and closer to delivery - we're both starting to feel a little nervous along with all of the excitement...it's a big change and we want to make sure we're fully prepared to raise this child! Lastly, please pray that we're able to coordinate travel plans and visiting schedules for family coming out to see us when we deliver (still a ways away, but I know we'd all love to start planning!).

Thanks so much for all of your love, support and prayers - you all mean the world to us!
God Bless!