36 Weeks- OMG only 4 weeks left to go!

Only 4 weeks to go & I'm definitely starting to slow down. I'm getting achy, hips hurt, and it's quite an effort to turn from side to side in bed, as well as, bending down to pick anything up. I feel like I just can't get enough oxygen; resorting to deep breathing.

Anne, Corissa, and Leslie threw me a baby shower a few weeks ago at the Lakes Clubhouse. We had fun with baby Pictionary & I got so much great stuff off my registry, plus the cool Ubi. I had fun organizing everything when I got home. I'm intrigued by these new "slings" that weren't around 7 years ago when I last had a wee one. We even let Mark come to the shower; I think he had fun. I asked him to cruise by the hospital's maternity entrance today so we know where we are going later. He took the wrong exit & failed that test!

I go to the Dr. on Tuesday & will be considered "full term" at that point, but the baby knows she can't come until after Pat's Run.

"She" is very active and strong; had some strong kicks today. She likes the sound of the basketball gym/games. It is so cool to feel her moving.

Craving In & Out Burger now; I must have one!

Another shower in store for tomorrow, hosted by my good friends from Intel, Dede, Ger and Charlotte. Can't wait to celebrate with more friends I haven't seen in a while. I am so lucky to have such good friends.

31 1/2 weeks

Ok, today's weigh-in showed 30 lbs gained so far. Thank goodness the Girl Scout Cookies are gone now. Yesterday was one of those days where I could swear I can feel myself getting bigger. She is getting stronger and delivering more shocking jabs and kicks.

30 Weeks; She's on the move

I'm now at 30 weeks and experiencing all the not-so-fun 3rd trimester symptoms--swelling in the hands and ankles, constipation, fatigue, heartburn. At least these are offset by the joy of feeling her poke, flip, kick, and stretch in the womb. She's most active at about 10pm and 2am. The girls and Mark have felt her from the outside, too. Whenever I exert myself I get the Braxton-Hicks contractions. Of course, defining "exert" these days doesn't take much--walking up the stairs, getting out of bed.

It's almost 90 degrees here today; we're headed to the clubhouse pool. I'll spare everyone the bikini & try to squeeze into an old one piece.

I'm so lucky to have good friends like Amarilys and Stephanie who have donated tons of baby goods and clothes. My mothers-in-law, mom, and sister have aleady started sending gifts. Two baby showers to come from 2 groups of friends...what fun.

Madi and her friend, Maggie, are singing on PS2's Sing Star game in the other room. Madi just turned 10 yesterday. She wants a cellphone. Julia just wants to do whatever her sister does and gets pissed when the big girls leave her out. It will be interesting to re-live them growing up, starting school, etc. all over again with the "new one".

Getting Ready for Reddie #3

No, we don't have a name picked out yet. Mark and I like "Rachel", but Madison & Julia don't. We don't care much for any of the names they are picking. Guess we have some time to work on this.

Trying to carve out a space for this addition to our family. Looks like she's getting a corner in the mult-purpose room somewhere by the weight bench, scrapbooking table, and video game TV. No dedicated nursery for this one. I chose a Lady Bug theme for her crib. Check it out.
http://www.kidslineinc.com/products/infant/lady_bug.php.

Ultrasound Video

Here's the ultrasound from December. All looked good, and it was confirmed to be a girl. We saw her spine, heart beating, major organs, hands, feet. Grandpa Dave and Grandma Diane Reddie joined us for the ultrasound; it was the first one they had ever seen. The shaking you'll see is the technician's attempt to get her to move. The red & blue "rope" shows the blood flow in and out of the umbilical cord; the aqua graph reflects the heartbeat; at the end you will see a close up of her heart beating.

28 Weeks to go

I've just completed my 28th week of pregnancy. We know from the ultrasound that "it's" a girl. I've gained 27 pounds, mostly from blueberry Eggo waffles, I suspect. I'm starting this blog to track and share the remainder of the pregnancy, her birth, and growth through year 1.