27 weeks

Here's some wall letters that I made for Jaxson this week

We only have 2 weeks left of summer and I'm quickly getting the blues! I'm trying not to think about it too much in hopes that it will just disappear :) The only good thing about starting back to work is knowing I will only have 8 weeks or less and will be off again for 3 months!

I'm still feeling great although I'm beginning to tire more easily and I'm not moving around as easily as I use to. Picking up Brody or bending over to pick up toys is becoming more challenging, cannot imagine what it will be like in 6-8 more weeks!

Brody loves to give his brother some love

27 week belly shot
Jaxson's 27 week development:
Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago. Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy foodyour baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

17 Months

On the 20th Brody was 17 months! Crazy how fast he's growing and how the months fly by!

New this month:
-Brody is getting his molars! I'm not sure if these are suppose to come in yet but he got his left top molar first and I just felt his right top molar barely popping through. These have been difficult for him and he's really getting frustrated. He now has 9 working on 10 teeth!

-He's hitting now! When he's mad or frustrated he will either hit whatever he's frustrated at or come over and hit mommy and daddy. This has required time outs and boy he does not like those! The cutest thing is when he hits and quickly realizes he's not suppose to do that so he will kiss the spot he hit, so sweet!

-He's a sponge! We have a fridge in the garage where we keep our waters and cold drinks. Anytime we go any place we always grab a bottled water. So Brody now will walk into the garage to leave and feels he needs a water as well!

He tries to plug in his play phone into our phone charger!

He LOVES momma's quilt (the extra soft but slightly tattered quilt that Nana absolutely hates:) Oh yea, the first thing he wants to snuggle up to!

-We've been trying to work with him on going to bed by himself because I realize I'm not gonna be able to do our 1-2 hour rountine that we've been doing with a new baby especially when I return to work. This has been the most difficult thing for both of us. He cries and cries for close to 45 minutes for the past week at bedtime! He will either call out for momma or dada or bed(meaning our bed!) It's so sad but I'm determined that he's ready and we can do it

- He's a monkey and will climb on anything and everything. We really have to watch him because he will find and use anything for a step to reach higher places!

-He's into helping and loves when daddy has a project that requires a hammer, screwdriver or drill. He's actually pretty good at helping and can put things in the correct spot or get you things that you might need.

26 weeks

I'm way behind in blogging and trying to catch up! Brandon was out of town for 3 days and that made me realize that I really need to get organized and ready for football/self parenting to begin! I'm not sure if a lot of people realize but being a coach means very long hours! During football season B is usually gone by 6 am and not home til 7 or 8 pm and later on game nights which is 3 nights a week! So we've been busy working around the house and getting everything ready while soaking up as much family time as we can before B goes back to work next week!

I got my FFN results and they were negative, thank goodness! I've been doing very well with minimal contractions. I'm hoping they stay away! Jaxson is definitely growing and moving a lot more. I think he's laying across my belly right now as I get punches and kicks on both sides and he's now up in my ribs more as well which reassures that he's growing away. I'll try and get a belly pic up with my 27 week update.

Here's Jaxson's 26th week development:

By this week, your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 9.2 inches. Remember, that is only from the top of his head to his bottom and does not include his leg measurements! Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is beginning to put on weight. Your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your bellybutton and you will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. If you have been eating a well-balanced diet, you probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far(I've gained 11 so far) Because your baby has moved further up, you may get occasional pain underneath your ribs.

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. Your growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time your baby is born, he will assume the typical newborn's plumpness. Your baby's skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out. Finger and toe nails continue to grow. Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus. Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Even though it is still way too soon for your baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital

24 Weeks & Doc Update

Doctor Update:
We had our 24 week appointment today and we were there from 3:30-6:30!! Whoa, the price you pay for an in-demand, excellent doctor. We first had our cervical check and biophysical ultrasound. This is to check to make sure my cervix isn't shortening(something it does before dilating) and then to check to make sure Jaxson is growing properly(due to complications that could arise from my Factor V). Thankfully, Jaxson is measuring right on and is estimated to weight 1.25 lbs. It was nerveracking though because as the tech was checking my cervical length he could see I was having a contraction and what it did to my cervix! I've never seen this on ultrasound so I was extremely nervous when I could see an opening on the inside of the cervix. Luckily, he said I was good to go and that it was normal as long as fluid did not get inside the opening and therefore causing an incompetent(sp?) uterus. None the less it put me on edge. My cervix is holding strong and although it shorten from 4.5cm a month ago to 3.9 today Dr. B said I have an extra long cervix and anything about 3 is considered good.

The further along we get the more nervous I get at these appointments. Mainly because I know if Jaxson doesn't grow and the ultrasounds that we receive show this our world is turned upside down and is changed. I'm thankful for the technology to constantly check on our baby but at the same time it can become stressful during the appointments. I know I'm lucky to have so many ultrasounds as most women only get one or two but sitting there waiting to see if your baby is growing ok isn't all that great and exciting. Each time I hold my breath during the measurments and quickly scan the numbers to make sure he's not behind.

We then waited to see Dr. B. I knew I had grown this month but boy have I!! I gained 7 pounds this month!!! SEVEN...I'm still right on track considering I had only gained 3 prior to this month so I've gained 10 total but I definitely don't want to continue this month's trend. So I will begin to start eating more fruits and less sweets! I also blame Gristmill for part of those 7 pounds :) My blood pressure was great and Dr. B got the FFN test and we should know the results of that Monday or Tuesday. This will be the decision maker on whether I stay up right or if I need to become horizontal. We also talked in depth about Brody and his transition to becoming a big brother. This struck emotions with me that I didn't realize were there. She brought up some very good points that his life will be changing a great deal when Jaxson comes and how important routine will be for him. I almost started crying when she began to talk about him being upset or mad or clingy towards me because of jealousy issues. Although I don't think we wil have these problems with Brody, I know it's a possibility and it will break my heart if he becomes upset with us or if he thinks in anyway we won't love him as much. I know this is probably my hormones talking and he won't even think this way but it's definitely makes me want to soak up as much time as I can with it just being us three right now.

I go back in 4 weeks for my glucose test and another biophysical ultrasound for growth.

Here's Jaxson's 24 week development:
This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, your growing baby is still tiny. Your uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above your bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as your pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter! Because your uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on your abdomen, you might get stretch marks. Your weight gain may also be taking a toll on your body at this point. Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. You might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds. Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his scalp and his eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

This week also marks VIABILITY! This means that if Jaxson were to come now he would have a 40% chance of survival. I'm so thankful this is not the case but thankful for the technology and skills of doctors and nurses who could give babies a chance if that were to happen!

I will update with the results of the FFN test when I hear from the doctor next week

23 Weeks

It seems Jaxson has "popped" this week as my belly has definitely grown quite a bit. We've had a great week being out of town and enjoying some family time together. We go back to the doctor on Thursday for my first FFN(preterm labor test) and a biophysical profile on lil Mac.

Here's Jaxson's 23 week development:
With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see his squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb. Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but your baby still looks red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. Your baby looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form. Your baby now can suck his thumb for real, where he was just sticking it in his mouth. Your baby will continue to swallow amniotic fluid and recycle it as urine. The liquids and sugars that the baby retracts from the fluid is a supplement to the nutrients that the placenta delivers. You might be able to feel small `jumps` inside of you when your baby gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid. The pancreas is developing and it will responsible for insulin production, to help break down sugars. Oily fish in your diet could help boost your baby's health. (Women who eat oily fish while pregnant have children with better visual development, a major study at Bristol University suggests.) As the baby continues to grow, it has less space to move around in the uterus. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily.