And Then There Were Three: 31 Weeks

Woohoo! We're in the single digits (weekly countdown, that is)...only 9 weeks/2mos to go! Baby's weighing in at approximately 3.3lbs, the equivalent of 4 navel oranges - that's a lot of weight! - and is measuring approximately 16 inches from head to heel. Not a lot of space left to stretch! The scary thing is this - Baby is going to be more than doubling his/her weight in the next 9 weeks - eek!! Get ready for some serious growth! One website put it this way - Baby will gain approximately 0.5lbs per week from here on out; grow, Baby, grow! Exciting news on the development front - all of Baby's systems/organs are mature except for the lungs - so crazy to think about! This means that Baby would have a very good chance of survival outside the womb, but would definitely still need some respiratory help. Also, all of Baby's senses are mature now so he/she can taste (yummy amniotic fluid!), smell (what does it smell like in there? Probably not pleasant...anyways...), see (eyes are open most of the time and able to visualize things that are close to his/her face), touch (pulling on that umbilical cord and playing with his/her face!), and hear (all of those lovely sounds inside Mommy, along with mine and Daddy's voices, and who can forget Samson and Delilah?!). Baby's skin is almost completely smooth now as more fat has settled into place around the body. Lastly, because Baby is running out of room (and rather quickly, I might add), his/her arms and legs are tucked in close to the body (or in the fetal position - of course!) and will more than likely stay that way until birth. That's not to say that I'm not feeling Baby move as much - he/she's moving more than ever! We definitely have a very active little one :)

If you haven't seen our Facebook album of Baby's pictures, check it out! We had the awesome experience of having a 3D/4D ultrasound done last Saturday - so cool!! Got a sneek-peak of what Baby will look like (facial features, hands, feet, etc) when he/she graces us with their presence in a few months; I think Baby definitely has my lips/mouth, nose could be mine or Tyler's...we'll see! Unfortunately, like last ultrasound, Baby was feeling a bit camera shy and didn't want to move around much (could be due to the fact that he/she was up all night long with Mommy at work the night before), but it allowed us to get some pretty awesome close-ups of the face (and I mean REALLY close up - face was smashed up against the side of my uterus! Is there some cuddling in our future?!). I'll try to remember to post the pictures on here when I get home from work tomorrow :)

As for me, I'm growing too :) I've found the first (evil!) stretch marks on my legs - sigh, just a sign of things to come I assume. Still feeling pretty good, overall. The heartburn has increased and is becoming unbearable at times - may need to look into some Zantac or something a little longer-lasting than the Tums I've been popping like candy. I find it's worse on night shift, possibly because Baby is moving so much then and pushing those sweet little legs/feet up into my guts and lungs :) Backaches have also gotten a bit more unpleasant - that uterus needs to stretch with Baby's growth, and I have a feeling it's attached to my back close to my sciatic nerve which means lots and lots of pain in my bottom and legs - not fun! Thankfully a good night's rest and staying off of my feet for a while gives it time to relax and feel better. I keep reading about Braxton-Hicks contractions (practice contractions for actual labor - not harmful or painful at this point, just the uterus stretching and getting ready for the big day), but I don't feel like I've noticed any at this point. Guess we'll see :)

Cute little baby born at 31 weeks :)

Tomorrow marks the half-way point through our child birth class - there are six or seven other couples in the class with us, and the teacher seems to do a good job of keeping us entertained and providing good information. Not really learning a whole heck of a lot (on my end), but it's all been a good reminder and helping us focus on the things that are to come (signs of impending doom, ahem I mean labor :), when to come into the hospital, stages of labor, etc). Although it's not what we'd call "fun" and how we like to spend our Wednesday nights, it has been enjoyable enough.

Tyler has officially finished the mantle/built-in bookshelves and it looks great! I will, again, try to remember to post some pictures on here tomorrow so you can see it - I love to brag about him :) Also have gotten rid of some furniture from the past (tear) and have started to re-arrange, getting our house more settled and ready for Baby. Finally broke down and bought some really cute Holiday outfits for our little own (gender neutral, of course) - I couldn't help it! Carter's was having a huge sale, plus I had a coupon and I just had to ;) Our Baby is gonna be looking stylish for his/her tour around the Fort come Christmas time :)

I like to add these pictures - it's so much more real when you see an actual baby the size of ours! So cute :) And as much as I want to meet our little one, I do not want it to spend the first several weeks of it's life in the hospital - so stay in, little one!

I think that's all for now - I realize I've typed a lot...can you tell I'm a little bored at work tonight?! Thanks again for all of your prayers - please continue to pray for Baby/mom's health through the end of the pregnancy, preparation on our end for Baby's arrival (finances, supplies, childcare, timing of relatives visiting, etc), and that we would be making the most of our time together (just the two of us) as it won't be that way for very much longer :) We love and appreciate all of you, thanks so much for all of your support and love. Have a fantastic week!

Update - 9/5/12 - Pictures, as promised!