Baby Sprinkle!

Sunday was our Baby Sprinkle! The ladies did a wonderful job. 

The theme was "Apple of Mommy's eye" apples everywhere, Apple cider, apple cake, apple pie. The whole thing was adorable.

The cake was adorable - the very hungry catapiller was wrapped around the cake with yummy fondant apples. 

Thank you to everyone who attended. Thank you for all of your hard work Jane, Becky, Dana and Stephi! Love you! 

2 weeks to go!

Baby Girl

You're furniture has arrived! Now we just have to set it all up! Neeno and Poppy sold the house on Silverside today.  Now every room of the house has furniture, it's very exciting. 

Mommy is a klutz and she tripped going into a store yesterday. For lack of a better word, I did a belly flop on the floor. I was really worried about you so I went back to the doctors again today. (I was just there for a regular appointment yesterday!) They did an ultrasound to make sure you were ok and that mommy didn't squish you. You are fine, sleeping, practice breathing and your little heart beating away. What a wonderful sight! The bonus of being a klutz...more pictures of you!!! I'm so glad you are ok. I feel much better now. 

You currently have a case of the hiccups. What a fun feeling. 

Only 2 weeks until it's go time! I can't wait to meet you! 

Love

Mommy

Picture disclaimer - 3d picture. Aubrey's arm is across her mouth, you can see her nose and one eye. 

37 Weeks

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (about the size of a bunch of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36 Weeks

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

35 Weeks

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.