30 Weeks

30 Weeks!  That means we are 75% through with the pregnancy.  Some days it’s so odd to believe we’re this far along, but I am so excited that we are!

I have been amazed at the growth of my tummy.  Just when I think it couldn’t grow any bigger, it does so to accommodate the healthy baby inside. :)  You know how little kids draw pictures of people based on how they see the body—squiggly head with stick arms and legs sprouting out of it?  That’s because they look down at themselves and see their legs and arms sprouting out from them, and they forget to draw the torso.  I’m the same way when it comes to my tummy.  I sit at my desk and when I look straight down at my tummy, it seems to be the same size.  But then I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and I’m like “Whoa!  My belly is HUGE!”  I guess it’s all perspective. 

This past week, I have learned more about the perspective of different coworkers.  Several coworkers don’t think I’ll make it to August.  But others will say “Only 10 weeks away?!?  But you’re still so small!” 

One day while walking to my car, one coworker was walking alongside me.  She was talking about how different I look, but I couldn’t really understand everything she was saying.  I think she said “You look cute!” But she might have said “You look huge!” So I smiled because I didn’t know what else to do.  Then she asked “Do you feel cute?” or maybe she asked “Do you feel huge?”  So I just replied “Sometimes” and smiled again.  And it’s the truth—sometimes I feel cute, and sometimes I feel huge.  Usually I feel cute because I love being pregnant and love feeling our little boy kicking and flipping inside my belly.  But sometimes, I really do feel kind of huge and I wonder how big my belly is really gonna get.

I love that as each day goes by, we learn more about Michael’s patterns and personality.  He is most active right before and right after dinner.  On Monday night, he swiped his hand (or foot) down the side of the womb, which caused quite a painful tickle sensation.  Michael’s favorite place to rest his head is just to the right of my belly button.  I can feel the roundness of his little head, and I rub it when I see the tell-tale sign of my lopsided belly.  On Tuesday, I felt him kicking around, so I started rubbing my tummy.  He wiggled around until he got to his favorite position, and then he relaxed as I rubbed his little head.   You can see the lopsided shape of my belly as he rests his head to the right of my belly button.

He still gets the hiccups frequently and sometimes, if the hiccups are especially quick, I’ll say to him “It’s ok, Mommy’s here.”

We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday.  No ultrasound, but we got to listen to Michael’s heartbeat with the Doppler.  The doctor said again that it’s a “Perfect heartbeat” and that the heart rate was in the 140s. Michael was quite “kicky” while the doctor had the Doppler on my tummy.  The doctor said it’s always good to have “kicking action.”  This was the first appointment where the doctor measured my belly.  I was so excited to be at this stage that I forgot to ask what the measurement was.  He did say that I am measuring perfectly for being 30 weeks along.  I measured my belly at home and am holding steady at 18 inches.

As I took my FMLA paperwork to the receptionist yesterday to hold for the doctor to fill out, she asked me if I was still working.  I replied that I was and inside my mind I was thinking “Wow, who takes off work the last 10 weeks of their pregnancy?!?”  I can tell you that it won’t be me.  I’ll be at work til the end.  :)  It’s just the way the cookie crumbles since I’ve chosen to take FMLA leave as my maternity leave. 

Today, I was totally surprised at work.  I had my first BABY SHOWER!  :)  My supervisor called me to his cubicle to applaud me and the baby for hanging in there and doing a good job at work.  (Funny how you want to strive to do a better job when someone praises you for your work). He then wanted to show me where my “new cubicle” is going to be.  So, we’re walking down the aisle of cubicles and he says “There’s an empty cubicle back here in the corner.  I hope you don’t mind being in the corner.”  So I said “Oh no, I don’t mind.”  And as we rounded the corner, I saw all of my team mates waiting with huge grins on their faces!  I was totally shocked!!!  Apparently, they’ve been planning this shower for 3 months and they were all surprised that I was totally in the dark!  :) 

We had a white and blue sheet cake that said “Congratulations Reba and Aaron!”  How sweet is that?  We also had a wonderful orange punch with fresh orange slices, lime wedges, and kiwi slices.  The cake was very good and the punch was quite refreshing.  There was a myriad of gifts and cards.  Of course, I was made to wear a “party hat” made from a paper plate with ribbon on it.  :)  My coworkers took lots of pictures, and when they share them with me, I’ll post them here.  I took a picture of some of my “loot” when I got home and here are some of the photos. 

This is a wreath that one of my coworkers made!  She even put our last name (spelled correctly!) on a ribbon so we can hang this on our hospital door! 

The Luv-U-Zoo cradle 'n swing! 

When I picked up Aaron, he got in the driver’s seat and started on our way home.  He looked in the rear view mirror and saw the backseat full of gifts and said “Whoa!  What’s all this?!?”  He said later that he was surprised that I received this much stuff from a work shower.  I have really great coworkers :)  As hard as our job may be, we stick together and coworkers make work fun.

This Week:

-Michael’s brain develops folds and wrinkles.  This is due to the rapid growth of brain cells and it increases the surface area of the brain.  Remember that I’ve been saying all along that we’re gonna have one smart kid! :)

-Michael’s fingernails and toe nails are finished forming and are going to be ready for a trim shortly after he’s born!

-His bone marrow is in charge of red blood cell production.  This is how it should be, and a milestone!

-Little Baby P. starts to shed his lanugo—the downy-like hair that covered his skin to keep him warm.  Since he’s getting bigger by the day, he’s able to regulate his own body temperature and doesn’t need the extra fur coat anymore. :)

-When Michael is awake, his eyes are open and he’s peering around his dark home.  I think this is really cool.

-Most of his energy has been channeled toward his growing brain, so he hasn’t gained much weight or height this week.  He weighs about 3 pounds (which is also how much the doctor said he weighed), and he’s about 15 and a half inches long.  That’s about the size of a Yorkie terrier:

(Photo credit: blogspot.com)

My Craves:

-Salty stuff (like the snack that smiles back, Goldfish)

-Frozen yogurt (yoo-hoo, Costco!  It won’t be long until I make a journey to your food court and indulge in the chocolate frozen yogurt goodness that you offer.)

-Whopper  (Dad’s deer burgers suffice quite wonderfully) :)

-Fresh peaches and melons (I was able to satisfy both of these cravings last night at Mom’s.  They were soooo tasty!)

Thanks again for taking the time to read our blog and catch up on the most recent baby developments. :) My next doctor’s appointment will be in 2 weeks!  I’ve been waiting to get to this point and I can’t believe we’re here!  :)  Until next week, stay air-conditioned and satisfied in frozen yogurt and fresh fruit!  Love, Reba