32 weeks

Today's date: April 24, 2012

How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain: 12 pounds



Heart Rate: 145 this week, we go back in to the doc in 2 weeks. Can't believe I am down to 2 week visits now.

Size and growth of the baby:
Baby's head will stay squashy and pliable until after she's born in order to help her pass safely through the birth canal, so if you deliver vaginally don't be surprised if your newborn looks more like Marge Simpson than a Gerber baby at first. Even after birth, she will have two soft spots called "fontanels"--one on the top of her head and one on the back--to allow her brain to continue its lightening-speed growth. The rest of Baby's skeleton is hardening up and, like you, she continues to put on weight. Though still very small, she has toenails, fingernails, eyelashes, eyebrows, and a beautiful little face that you'll soon be gazing at lovingly.

Gender: we don't know, Elijah insists is a grill baby (Girl)

Maternity clothes: Getting a limited supply of shirts that are long enough and are comfortable to wear...

Sleep: Its getting hard to find comfortable ways to sleep. I wake up sore way to much

Best moment(s) of the week: We seen a friends baby boy after church and I said to Eli "Isn't he cute! Our baby will be little like that too!" and Eli replied..."No I want a girl baby." And we also celebrated Zekes 2nd birthday!

Movement: All the time everywhere!

Food cravings/aversions: strawberry banana smoothies and fried mozzarella sticks....

Morning sickness: as long as I don't smell Zekes morning diaper I can do pretty good!

Labor signs: nope

What I miss: moving without being so sore. I am getting more aches here and there and can tell my hips are getting softer and spreading apart even though baby won't come out that way.

What I'm looking forward to: 8 weeks to go!  I was able to find a couple of nursing nighties and bras and a tank top so that was exciting. Slowly writing up some lists of things that I will need to get ready for once we get down to the last month

31 Weeks

Today's date: April 17, 2012

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain: 10 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:Though you may feel like Baby head butts your ribs all the time now, he's actually spending the vast majority of his time sleeping. Gaining all that fat we talked about last week is tiring work! And just like adults, Baby experiences rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as well as deep sleep. He also experiences another, unique state of consciousness: an undefined sleep-like state that is unlike an infant's or a grownup's and comes from the immature state of his brain. As his lungs continue to mature, his chances of surviving outside the womb get better every day (though if your baby were born this week he would still be small enough to fit into a large man's hand). It's good that he's sleeping, even if you're not, as the baby is heading into a period of tremendous internal and external growth.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: Getting a limited supply of shirts that are long enough and are comfortable to wear...

Sleep: Starting to need a pillow between my knees while sleeping on my side otherwise I get sore. Getting sore in some spots when I wake up in the morning.

Best moment(s) of the week: Listening to Elijah talk about the baby. Its always referred to as a girl, her, she, sister, etc. So cute...not sure what he will think if its a bot!

Movement: Kicks, punches, rotations, its all happening!

Food cravings/aversions: strawberry banana smoothies are so good, and anything with cheese.

Morning sickness: hit or miss still

Labor signs: nope

What I miss: not being tired all the time after doing easy things. And I miss my good feeling back. I think baby is sitting on some nerves and is really hurting my lower back giving me some sharp pains/ spasm when I move a certain way.

What I'm looking forward to: 9 weeks to go!! This weekend we have The Art of Marriage at church and my sisters 30th birthday party! Busy weekend

30 weeks

Today's date: April 10, 2012

How far along: 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 10 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:This week--and in the weeks to come--Baby is busy plumping up. She's laying down two kinds of fat beneath her skin: brown adipose tissue (known as "brown fat"), which she'll need at birth to generate body heat, and white adipose tissue (you guessed it: "white fat"), which is an energy source and helps an infant maintain her body temperature. By the end of this week Baby will have made about 2 ounces of fat, which is about 3.5 percent of her body weight. But by the time she is born fat will account for 15 percent of her body weight, which means a major growth spurt is coming! While the baby is still kicking and jabbing like crazy, some babies at 30 weeks have already settled into a head-down position to prepare for birth.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: of course! Stuff is getting tight and short though

Sleep: Starting to need a pillow between my knees while sleeping on my side otherwise I get sore.

Best moment(s) of the week: Feeling the babys foot kicking and pushing out my stomach. Didn't feel the greatest but it was cool. David was able to feel the baby as well doing this.

Movement: Kicks, punches, rotations, its all happening!

Food cravings/aversions: chocolate peanut butter combo as well as goldfish, pretzels and cheezits are nasty! Can't stand the smell of the boys favorite snacks and then they come and blow it in your face...gross.

Morning sickness: yeah still lingering on some days not on others...

Labor signs: I might be having some braxton hicks now and again.

What I miss: bending over, its getting harder to shave and pick up stuff off the floor. I miss (not doing dishes) but being able to reach the sink comfortably while doing them, my stomach hurts when I am facing the sink so I have to turn just so and bend over just a tad to reach and that just causes my back to hurt!

What I'm looking forward to: SINGLE DIGIT WEEKS! we are getting there!

29 weeks

Today's date: April 3, 2012

How far along: 29 weeks

Total weight gain: 8 ish pounds...

Size and growth of the baby:Your baby has tiny eyelashes, fine eyebrows, and ever-lengthening fingernails, but his internal organs are doing the most work this week. His brain is growing rapidly, adding millions of brain cells, and his head is also getting bigger to accommodate all that brilliance. But the biggest news this week is about the baby's defenses: with help from the placenta, Baby is developing an immune system, which gets stronger by the day. The placenta actually begins taking up some of the antibodies from your blood stream and transferring them to the baby in order to prepare for the onslaught of germ exposure once the baby comes out into the world. As the baby builds up his defenses, he is also putting on weight, so much so that you can no longer see the web of blood vessels beneath his skin.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes, some shirts are getting to short though

Sleep: It's nice when it happens. And if I do get woken up I have to pee like crazy!

Best moment(s) of the week: hum...I got a coupon for a $20 gift card when you create a registry so even though I don't need one I made one to get the gift card! lol

Movement: more than kicks now. I can feel baby turning around in there too.

Food cravings/aversions: I could use some real chocolate milk...any brown cows around? Should have bought some at the store today.

Morning sickness: hit or miss...driving me nuts

Labor signs: none

What I miss: not having leg, and toe cramps...

What I'm looking forward to: getting to single digits in a couple weeks!

28 Weeks

So okay yeah I am a little behind but with the unexpected gorgeous weather we have had over the last couple of weeks who is to blame right?

So here we go...

Zeke had a new love...bike rides, he loves to wear his helmet so we had to start keeping it in the garage...last night when he woke up at who knows what time he asked for a bike ride...seriously?


We have also made lots of trips to the park, see what Eli and Nyla are wearing...in March? Yeah that is why the delay of posts happened...loved the nice weather and was able to get rid of some of our cabin fever. Oh did I mention how nice it was outside? Thats Eli...running through the sprinkler in MARCH! Wow!
At the park with the Blaauw Cousins
On one of the cooler days while Zeke was napping Daddy took Eli down to the river behind the house to do some 'fishing.'
And all the nice weather wears a boy out...He decided sleeping under his bed rather than on it was the way to go.
And Zeke also has a new favorite...CowBoots! And the good part is he can take them off and put them on all by himself so I don't have to go crazy doing it for him! YAY!
Zeke also had to have his tubes replaced. His were blocked with fluid that had crystallized and was causing some hearing loss and had the tubes completely blocked so no fluid could drain from behind the ear drum. We have to go back in in 6 months for a recheck.
And some water table fun with Elijah...he was dunking his head in the water and catching the water dripping off his hair.

Now on to the next part:
Today's date: March 27, 2012

How far along: 28 weeks

Total weight gain: not sure but go to Dr next week...I'm guessing maybe 7-8 pounds?

Size and growth of the baby:This week Baby can actually smell! Though olfactory neurons (the cells that sense smell) have been developing all along, these cells do not specialize enough to detect odors until around this week. A protective plug of tissue in the baby's nose has also kept chemicals from reaching the receptors inside. But throughout the third trimester, the baby will be able to smell almost everything that you inhale or eat (liverwurst, anyone?), since amniotic fluid actually conducts scent. The baby's taste buds are also continuing to develop and at this gestational age baby will already show a marked preference for sweet tastes.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes, some shirts are getting to short though

Sleep: If the boys are not waking me up then I am waking up to go to the bathroom...things are getting squished in there.

Best moment(s) of the week:Trying to get Eli to feel the baby...he looks at me like I'm crazy and is wondering what I am trying to do!

Movement: more than kicks now. I can feel baby turning around in there too.

Food cravings/aversions: chocolate?

Morning sickness: hit or miss...driving me nuts

Labor signs: none

What I miss: not having to pee all the time!

What I'm looking forward to: 12 weeks to go! YAY



Does anyone actually read this blog?

Birth Order

A friend and I were discussing how similar our children are when it comes to the order they were born in. Here is what we found...

Our oldest children are dependent. They like/need almost constant attention from us, they rely on who ever is around them to help entertain them. They need a companion for playing with, snacking with or just chilling with.

Our second children are very independent. They love to sit and play alone by themselves. Read by themselves and have no problems finding ways of entertaining their minds alone. They do enjoy playing with the older sibling but can get along just fine with out.

So what is the point of all this? I just found that it was so interesting to relate our children to each other and see so many similarities between the birth orders of the kids. Eli always needs someone paying attention to him and we came to the conclusion that it might possibly be because of the fact that they were 'only children' for some time. Granted Eli was only 1 1/2 when Zeke was born but I did notice that he had issues with jealousy and I had to make sure I gave him special time and attention before and after doing things with Zeke (like nursing) otherwise Eli would get really naughty. And then that kind of led to our second child. Who never had mommy to themselves and had to wait for their turn finding their own ways to entertain themselves while waiting. Zeke is very big on going into his room and finding some books or toys to play with with out the interruption of anyone else. He enjoys playing alone and does so well with it unlike Eli who always has to have someone to play with.

Anyways, I just find this interesting and had fun comparing birth order of our children with my friend and seeing so many similarities between the children in each place of birth order. It will be interesting to see how our 3rd babies are!

25 weeks

Today's date: March 6

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain: 4 1/2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:Your baby is a hefty 1 1/2-pounder now and it's steadily putting on weight. The fat under the skin helps make baby look less like a mousling wearing a seal skin and more like a real live baby, which means the skin isn't as baggy as it has been. In the next few weeks baby's nostrils will open and baby will practice breathing even more. Small air sacs ("alveoli," rhymes with ravioli) are developing in the lungs. The hair that has sprouted on baby's head is probably long enough that, if you could see it, you could tell its color, and in the next couple of weeks the fused eyes will open. Baby can hear even better now, so you can try hooking up the headphones to play baby your favorite music.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep:I am trying to remember what that is! I can sleep pretty comfy and if I was allowed a full nights sleep I could probably get tons of it! But Zeke and Eli are both sick and up extra making it hard to do.

Best moment(s) of the week:David got to feel the baby kick

Movement: All over the place!

Food cravings/aversions: non really

Morning sickness: this last week has been horrible. I hope its not planning on sicking around and its just bad again do to little sleep.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: energy and being able to breath normally. I can tell that things are getting squished in there!

What I'm looking forward to: Third trimester!

24 Weeks

Today's date: Feb 28, 2012

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: 4? pounds

Size and Growth of Baby:Your baby is now so fully formed that he would be capable of living outside the womb if an emergency arose. His lungs, though still very immature, could breathe air if need be. Though the brain is much more formed now, the cerebral cortex--the place in the brain responsible for the most sophisticated mental activity (thoughts, consciousness, memory, language)--is not yet functional. The complex human brain, which makes us so different from other primates and mammals, takes much longer to come out of the embryonic stage than any other part of the fetus. In fact, a baby's brain will not be fully formed until after cooking for nine months in the womb and living outside the womb for about a year, during which time it will nearly triple in size!

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: I find side sleeping and back sleeping where I am usually the most comfortable. With a couple pillows tucked around my side.

Best moment(s) of the week: Watching the boys play in the snow!

Movement: Baby likes orange juice. :) Moving a lot now and kicking in all directions.

Food cravings/aversions: Cheese sticks

Morning sickness: I swear its going the wrong way! and I can't eat cereal for breakfast or we will be revisiting in no time!

Labor signs: none

What I miss: sleep, but that is more from the other boys than this baby

What I'm looking forward to: Dr appointment on Tuesday (next week) again to hear baby heart beat.

22 Weeks

Today's date: Feb 14, 2012

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:Baby can hear now: the gurgle of your digestion, the muffled, watery sound of your voice, and your strong and reassuring heartbeat that has been its constant companion. There are teeth buds under the gums, and hair sprouting on baby's head. Baby's tiny fingers are strong enough to grip things now, and fetuses at this age are often spotted holding the umbilical cord. Though baby practices breathing movements all the time now, the lungs aren't mature enough to breathe on their own. The complicated brain-to-eye wiring that will allow the baby to see is working like crazy this week, though it may be more than a month before its fused eyelids open.

Your baby is... 10.94 inches long 15.17 ounces about the size of a sweet potato

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: I find side sleeping and back sleeping where I am usually the most comfortable. With a couple pillows tucked around my side.

Best moment(s) of the week: Planing games for a baby shower and looking through my baby stuff. So cute how tiny everything is!

Movement: Getting stronger, baby likes to kick down low and on my bladder.

Food cravings/aversions: chocolate this week

Morning sickness: dwindling! YAY! But still present every few days.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: not having to pee every 30 seconds...hopefully the baby moves away from my bladder soon! Its not a trampoline!

What I'm looking forward to: feeling the baby being more active, and for a good friend to have her baby very soon!

Week 21

Today's date: Feb 7, 2012

How far along: 21 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:A lot is going on for Baby this week. Fat, for one thing. The little one is finally putting on some chub, a process that will continue for the rest of gestation. With fat underneath it, its skin no longer looks so translucent. Baby's fingernails cover the nail beds completely (and may even need cutting when it's born!) and baby's eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed. But it's brain development that's really taking off: This week, the sensory neurons (the nerves that communicate the sense of touch) are starting to connect to the brain, so the baby is beginning to feel touch. Touch is one of the most important senses at birth and the sensory neurons will continue to hook up to the brain for the rest of the pregnancy. Researchers believe that those nonstop kicks and all that squirming help to program the brain.

Our little baby at 20 weeks (taken Jan 31, 2012)

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: On the side starting more on the back...this is no fun! I'm a tummy sleeper!

Best moment(s) of the week: ...Eli Can't decide what the baby is...its either a boy baby or a grill baby! lol

Movement: Getting stronger.

Food cravings/aversions: Carrots and dip! yumm

Morning sickness: only about 2-3 times a week!

Labor signs: none

What I miss: energy

What I'm looking forward to: feeling the baby being more active.