because everyone should hear this one.

so i came downstairs and was lying on the couch with herschel......we're watching my belly move around and i say how i get really nervous about this whole labor thing sometimes and i feel like i'm going to throw up my butterflies and he says, seriously, "i know, i get that way right before i have to go to the dentist"
seriously. i don't have the energy to make this stuff up.

belly up.

belly pic from today: herschel has sympathy belly (with hair for added panache)



the month of wee showers:

it all began in bainbridge, georgia on 11/3......
i am having issues with pictures from this shower so these will have to do to show the massive bounty from our home town. i can't even describe it all. wee's presents filled my mom's suburban but don't underestimate the jetta (herschel) because everything made it back to athens in one trip - including me, my big bag and troublesome cub.




then....11/11......soybean shower time with herschel's lab..... i don't have any pictures but there was a big turnout and everybody pitched in for our super fine wee monitor
and, as if that wasn't enough, there were more gifts in addition to the monitor. hersch works with some generous people. it must be the soybeans.

since i don't have any pics, here's the image from the e-vite...


and finally 11/17...... the partay shower at charlie and erin's... shown here with corinn who was one of our shower gifts. we decided we would give her back to chris and cliff since they seemed kind of attached to her. that is a happy baby.
even maynard had a good time.
a baby plunger simply because of genes inherited from herschel

here's some people pics... including two of my vet school friends who traveled across state lines for some weebaby shenanigans... thanks emily (and ryan) and carrie












and, of course, pin the poo on the baby.


hersch and i feel so lucky to have such good friends and family. everyone's generosity has been a bit overwhelming and we can't thank everybody enough. we are set for baby gear... all we need now is wee.

thanks again everybody!

and now, two weeks worth of fetal development for your reading pleasure...

Week Thirty-Five

• The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
• Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
• Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
• Her hearing is fully developed.
• It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again
  
• Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).
• The testes have completed their descent in males.

Week Thirty-Six

Your baby is almost ready and most likely, so are you! The only organ still to mature is the lungs. While certainly you are both growing anxious to meet, remember that each day (up to 42 weeks), that your little one stays within your womb will multiply his chances to breathe on his own.

If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal. While breathing for mom becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labor.

Fat is dimpling your baby's elbows and knees, and forming creases in the neck and wrists. (fat dimples are a necessity in my book)

His skin is growing smooth and, shall we say it, "baby" soft.

His gums are very rigid. It won't be many months before you'll see his teeth.

She has a fully developed pair of kidneys and her liver has begun processing some waste products.

Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g). Between now and birth she will gain about an ounce a day!

cantaloupe? i think i'll wait.

wee stats:
heartrate: 140bpm
position: head down on wednesday at 8:30 a.m. but who knows by now?
activity level: nightowl

me stats:
hydrated
happy blood pressure
poundage: +1.5 (29.5 total)
emotional
cankle-free since that one incident
becoming a huffmaster since i get out of breath easily (and by easily i mean by turning over. yes. )


if wee were to be born now, he/she would be about the size of your average cantaloupe and would most likely do just as well a full term baby after a brief stint in the nicu. ahhhhh.
next week.....wee will move up to honeydew status (because, you know, that's larger than a cantaloupe - i swear, i don't make this stuff up -- everyone knows i don't eat fruit so i would have no idea about the relative sizes of cantaloupes and honeydews).

Week Thirty-Four

• Your baby acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
• She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized!
• Antibodies from your blood are being tranferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth.
• Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
• Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now.
  
• Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).

34 week ultrasound pic of some other baby. indicative of what wee probably does alot considering it has some of my genes.

7 more weeks...

Week Thirty-Three

• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth. yes. big head. we know.
  
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
• While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
• You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water. That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
• Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

another belly pic: 33 weeks.... channeling my inner behemoth.





here's the hubs trying out the baby bjorn.....with satchel... who is less than thrilled. i should also mention that herschel thinks that satchel's real name is probably dennis. when i told him we could not rename her dennis he decided to name the caterpillar dennis dillypod. i think that is a fine name and i will add mr. for that extra touch of class.

mr. dennis dillypod.....


and

my anti-feminist moment:

not only am i barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen....i am sewing/mending the hubs' workpants.... in the corner.......wow.




coming soon:
weebaby shower month has begun! pictures? yes. soon.

eight months... the beginning

you should call me melman.

Week Thirty-Two

• Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
• You might notice she's not moving around as much now. -- just running short on room.
  
• All five senses are working.
  
• Toenails are completely formed
• Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month.

wee stats:
heartrate: 130 bpm

me stats:
+3 more pounds (28 total). sigh.
super dehydrated - i got a "wow" from the nurse checking my urine.
was told i need to make sure that i am eating enough and frequently because i had a wee bit o' ketones in my urine. as if i needed to be told to eat.
my blood pressure is up. 120/80 which i think is kind of normal for most humans but high for me.
and then, for the final insult, they gave me a flu shot. i hate needles.