Week 34

Ok...I was officially 34 weeks yesterday but decided to wait until after my dr. appoinment today to post the baby's update. So here's all the info on us this week. I will get the pictures of my belly up eventually. Still haven't worked out the issue between my computer & my camera.
Have a great week!
Blessings,
Kim

This is day number 239 and I’m 34 weeks pregnant!
I have 41 days or 5 weeks left, and are 85.4% of the way there. (Until due date 12/04/07)
Baby's age since conception is 225 days or 32 weeks.
Delivery - three weeks from Thursday, October 24. 2007

Week Thirty-Four
• He is running out of room - I am so greatful that I do not have to go another 6 weeks. WOW...I am really not sure where he would go. I am wondering where he is gonna go in the next three weeks!
• Our little one's length is anywhere from 17.7 inches (45cm) – 19.8 inches and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g) – 5 pounds.
• He acts like a newborn, with his eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. He is also settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
• He has learned to blink. He 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 my blood are being tranferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breastmilk will add even more protection against disease.
• He has already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth.
• Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. He may scratch his face even before he is born!
• His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever.
• His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Baby Fact:
"Guess what color my eyes are now?" Regardless of the eye color your baby will end up with, right now his eyes are blue. The pigmentation process in his iris won't be complete until his eyes have been exposed to light for several weeks after birth. His final eye color may not be evident for years.

Today’s Dr. Appointment
Weight: 132 pounds
Waist: 39"
BP: 100/60 (very good)
Fundal Height: 34 cm (perfect)
Baby’s Heart Rate: 131 – 145 (good range)


Week 34 baby info taken from the following websites:babycenter.com, pampers.com, pregnancy.org, pregnancyweekly.com

Week 33

Only 4 weeks to go! I am getting anxious for "baby brudder" to arrive. I am really not sure where he is going to go in these next four weeks - it seems he is getting to big for his current housing.

My mom is coming into town to help with the girls while I am in the hospital and to help us after I come home. She will also be here over the Thanksgiving Holiday! Can't wait to see you, Mom!

Okie dokie - here is what little man is up to this week!

How our baby's growing:
• Our son is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm)
• "All of my senses are working now!" - Baby Boy LaBombard
• Our boy's brain is still developing rapidly as his five senses get ready for the world outside the womb. At this point, he can see the liquid world around him; feel sensation when he grabs a toe or sucks on a finger; taste the amniotic fluid he's swallowing; and hear my heartbeat, my voice, and the grumble of my stomach. Of course, there's no air in the amniotic sac to carry scent, but if there were, he could also smell his environment.
• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Our little man's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in our 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, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
• He is now taking intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since he gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages his lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• Since our 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.
(info taken from Pampers.com and pregnancy.com)

My latest pregnancy info:
Weight: 130 lbs.
Waist: 38"

My camera software is still missing in action - so no new pics yet. Hope to be able to update those soon.

I pray all is well with each of you! Hey, if you stop in and read a bit leave a comment so I know who is visiting.

Love & Blessings,
Kim

He's BAAAaaaack!

WAHOO! Jason is safely back home. He had a long day of travel and is still adjusting to our time zone but he is good and so are we!

We made it and with only a minimum of bites (bug bites that is), bruises, and scrapes.

I was able to surprise him last night by picking him up at the church. He wasn't expecting that as it was a little late and well into the girl's bedtime when he arrived back at the church - that was fun!

We are enjoying a quiet and beautiful day together as a family. The weather is perfect today - the sun is shining (as usual) and the temperature is cool and balmy. We are able to have the window in the kitchen open and the sliding glass doors open - this is great because the girls can go in & out as they please.

A great big thank you to all who were praying for us and for Jason. God has once again been gracious and answered the prayers of many.

Baby update coming tomorrow. Still no pictures...missing some software for my camera - hmmm can't imagine where it might be....maybe in a box somewhere! :-)

Love & Blessings,
Kim

Kinkle Ars & Peppa Oni

No I am not learning a new language...well, not exactly. I am learning girl speak and this is a phrase from Emma.

Each evening when we sit down to rock, Emma snuggles in and whispers the words "kinkle ars" to me. This is my signal that she is ready for me to sing her bedtime song - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. It is so sweet. Sometimes I ask her what she said just to hear her say it again - some day she'll be saying it the right way. :-(

In other girls speak news...
Last night I asked Sarah what she would like for dinner, her response was "grilled cheese with pepperoni". Interesting combination I thought - like pizza without the sauce. So I made her a grilled cheese sandwich with pepperoni and Emma plain grilled cheese. However, Emma decided she some wanted pepperoni too. I wasn't sure she would like it so I gave her a slice to try. Her response was "YUMMY, Peppa Oni". Emphasis on the ONI, with a breath in between the peppa & the ONI. I asked her if she liked it and she started dancing around singing "Yummy Peppa Oni"! I took that as a yes. Needless to say, the girls gobbled up this new found cheesy concoction.

I do believe that is all the updates on the girl speak front. I will certainly keep you posted as to new words and phrases that come up.

Blessings,
Kim

Baby boy's check up!

My appointment today was uneventful (always a good thing when the girls go with me)!

My weight is at 129#, blood pressue was 100/62 (very good), my waist is at 28", the baby is measuring right at 32 weeks - perfect, and his heart rate today was 145.

I still have not worked out the issue with my camera - software related I think. I'll be unistalling and re-installing. I will post Sarah's picture of mommy's belly later.

I am feeling a bit tired today so a nap seem to be on order. Emma is napping and Sarah is quietly coloring - seems like a good time to take one! :-)

Blessings,
Kim

32 weeks and counting!

This is day number 224 and I'm 32 weeks pregnant!
We have 56 days or 8 weeks left, and are 80.0% of the way there.
Baby's age since conception is 210 days or 30 weeks. My due date is 12/4/2007.

Only five weeks and two days left until our little guy arrives. I have a dr. appointment tomorrow so I will have the official details then (heartbeat, weight, bp, etc.)

Right now he is very active - rolling and stretching and kicking. He also has the hiccups right now. He had them the other night when I when to bed they lasted 15 minutes - 15 minutes!

Ok, here is the general update on where baby brudder (that is how Emma says it - so cute)is.

Our baby is approximatrly 18.9 inches long from head to toe, weighs almost 4 pounds and is taking up a lot of space in my uterus. :-) He will gain weight more quickly now. I'm gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. Just like a newborn, the baby sleeps a lot of the time. He even experiences rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the period of sleep when we dream!

Sarah is the photographer of mommy's belly at 32 weeks - ok...no picture tonight. I am experiencing technical difficulties with my camera. I will try to fix that problem tomorrow and get the picture uploaded. Thanks for waiting.

Blessings,
Kim

Nepali Facts

Here is another post for you tonight. I did a little searching and found some info on Kathmandu (aka: Katmandu), Nepal. I thought you might be interested in reading a little bit about where Jason is.

Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu is also known as Katmandu
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal

Local time
Kathmandu (Nepal) Monday, October 8, 2007 at 10:34:22 AM
Phoenix (Arizona) Sunday, October 7, 2007 at 9:49:22 PM

Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +5:45 hours

Current Weather: Kathmandu
Sunny
Low: 25.5C/78F
High: 30.2C/86F

Distance from Kathmandu to Phoenix
Distance is 12,988 kilometers, 8070 miles, or 7013 nautical miles

Distance from Kathmandu to Toronto
Distance is 11,950 kilometers, 7425 miles, or 6452 nautical miles.

Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal with a population of 800,000 and over. According to a 2001 census, when it comes to religious worship, Hindus constitute 80.6% of the population and Buddhists make up 10.7%, whereas Muslims only make up 4.2% and other religions are 0.9%. The differences between the two biggest religions here in Nepal, the Hindus and Buddhists, are very subtle and academic in nature, due to the mixture of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Both share common temples and worship common deities.
The national language in Nepal is Nepali with 47.8% of the population speaking it as their first language. There are another 20 languages divided into numerous dialects that are spoken in Nepal.

I wanted to share a sample of Nepali writing but I cannot figure out how to get it in here. Maybe Jason can help me with that after he gets home. I am sure there is a name for it but it reminds me of Japanese or Chinese. I am not sure how else to explain it.

Have a great night.

Blessings,
Kim

Word from Kathmandu

Just wanted to let you all know I heard from Jason. He says the food is good, the chia is great, and the accomodations are just under 'decent'. He also mentioned that the traffic is NUTS. So far, he is having a good trip. I am sure he will be posting lots after his return.

I want to thank each of you for the prayers you send heavenward on Jason's behalf and on mine and the girls. So far we are managing a bit better than I was expecting - God is so good! I am looking forward to Jason being home and seeing all his pictures and hearing the stories - it will be amazing. It is 8:33 p.m. here in AZ...approximately 8:33 a.m. Monday morning in Nepal.

We spent the first few days with friends playing, hanging out, eating, playing (did I mention that?). The last couple of days we have just spent here at the house - cleaning, playing outside in the sun, doing laundry (you know the exciting stuff).

Our weather here has been about as perfect as it can get. 65-70 in the morning, 80 by late afternoon, cool again in the evening. I have had the air off for two days now and the windows and doors open - refreshing!

Please continue to pray for Jason and the team. I will let you know if I hear anything else.

Blessings,
Kim

Week 31

I know, I know...I am a couple days late on the baby update! Nevertheless, here's the latest on Thomas Edward James Percy (Do you recognize any of those names? Hmmm, does Thomas the Train blow any whistles?) Seriously now, do not get too excited, this is NOT his name - we're still waiting for the verdict on that to come in. This is, however, the name Sarah is convinced her baby brother will have. Mommy & daddy think otherwise.

Pregnancy Progress:

Today is day number 220. I am 31 weeks pregnant! Weight = 128 pounds, waist = 37.5"
I have 61 days or 8 weeks left, and are 79.3% of the way there.
Baby's age since conception is 205 days or 29 weeks.
We are due on 12/04/2007.

Fetal Development:
Our baby now weighs approximately 3.5 pounds, measures about 18 inches from head to toe, and is heading into a growth spurt.

He is getting used to the world of light and dark by opening and closing its eyes.

His facial muscles continue to strengthen, and he can make different expressions.

Until now, he interpreted sounds as vibrations. However, this week he can hear actual sounds and will begin to recognize your voice or the music you play.

Bones and muscles are continuing to grow along with his organs and brain. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin.

He is moving a lot!

I hope each of you are doing well - we love you and miss you!
Blessings,
Kim

Belly Pic

I know it took me a little while to get it posted but here it is...my week 30 belly! Baby boy (nope...still no name)is definitely growing!
:-)