Week 37

We are moving right along, 23 days to go.  For those of you who have not seen Sofia's latest ultrasound here it is.  She weighed in at 5 lb 14 oz.  Her head measured 31 cm in circumference and her pulse was 142.

This past weekend we got a few more things that we needed for her and got the nursery further along.  The crib has a mattress and it's dressed up and the drawers are stocked with diapers.  It is looking great now.

I have been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions.  They happen about every 3 minutes and last about 10 seconds, so I know they are not the real thing.  They do hurt though!  My back has been hurting a lot too the past two days and I have been getting a lot of cramps.  My feet have not been as swollen though.  This last three weeks will be interesting :)

I read an interesting fact, the uterus is now 1,000 times it's original size!  That's amazing.

Week 36 - She is done!

Sofia is officially "complete" by the end of this week.  All systems are in place and ready to go.  From now on it will just be adding a few pounds before the big day view.  I have started to get Braxton Hicks contractions and I'm keeping a record just to make sure they are not the real thing.  They kind of hurt!  but they also don't last too long.

I will really miss feeling her move around in my belly, it is one of the neatest things I've ever felt.  Though now it's more of a rolling around.  But I'm also ready to see her!!  33 days to go... though I ready only about 5% of babies make it by their due date.

We were busy this weekend.  We were having a nice calm breakfast at Starbucks while watching the rain when he got a phone call to go to the office.  We had a lot of rain (up to 6 inches in two hours) and the roof in Thomas' office leaked and flooded the whole building.  We spent Saturday morning trying to salvage letters and documentation.

Then on to the house because I got the nesting instinct big time!  We (more like Thomas) decided to live with the paint job and we went ahead and steam-cleaned the carpet and moved all the furniture into the room.  It is a bit crammed in there but it works.   Got all the clothing, diapers, and toys organized.  I still have a little more to do so I'm sure we'll be busy this weekend as well.

Sunday we took it easy.  Had breakfast, then to church, the movies, and a brief trip to the mall.  I am packed for the hospital, though I need a couple more things.  I tried to get all I need without over-packing.  I used a couple of checklists on line but if there was the one thing you definitely used that is not that obvious do share :)

Picture of the wall

Week 35

We are in the homestretch!  The due date is getting closer and closer.  40 days to go...

Last Friday I went to the doctor and she felt around my tummy to check her position.  Sofia is now upside down and ready to go.  I can feel her kicks in my ribs.  She also measured my tummy and said Sofia will probably be on the smaller side, but she ordered an ultrasound for the next visit to make sure.  We'll get measurements then and come up with a good weight estimate.  It will be on the 21st.  From then on we will be going to weekly visits.

My feet are still very swollen but my blood pressure looks great (97/64) so no worries for preeclamsia or anything of the sort.  So not much I can do until she's born.  Other than what I had to do a few days ago: buy size 10 shoes!!!  I really hope that's the end of the growth spurt and that they go back down to at least an 8...I can only hope.  At least Thomas has been great about giving me foot massages when they get really bad and I cannot complain about that :)

This weekend we chose some paint for her room.  Let's just say it didn't turn out the way we thought it would!  Or as Thomas put it: pepto biswall.  We'll have to experiment with some ideas and see what we can come up with.  But for now, it's pepto on top, and a darker pink at the bottom.  It looks like you just walked into Disney's sleeping beauty's quarters.

Week 33

We are well into the third trimester and it's almost go time.  7 weeks and 4 days to go!

I am getting a little nervous about labor.  I know I can do it, so have all the moms in the world... but I know it will hurt.  I also know I will survive it, but the though is still not such a pleasant one, though absolutely a worth it one.  I will definitely go with the epidural, and hope that everything goes well and I have time to have it.  My delivery date is a Saturday, and the day before is my Friday off, so hopefully I won't have any 'accidents" at work since I plan to work right up to the time to go to the hospital.

This week Sofia is working on gaining weight, about 1/2 pound a week.  The pupils of her eyes can now adjust to bright or dim light.   Her lungs continue to develop. The amniotic fluid has now reached the maximum level so as she grows, she's running out of space to move.  I can tell as her kicks are getting stronger and right into my lungs :)  Her immune system is also getting a boost with antibodies flowing from me to her.

I read somewhere that moms pregnant with girls are slightly more forgetful than moms pregnant with boys.  So I'm glad to hear this is the worst of it because this week I forgot my keys and wallet in Austin and my computer at home yesterday :)

The weekend in Dallas was very productive.  Mary Ann and I went shopping for a crib and a dresser and we got them.  Also on Sunday Ruth, Darlene, Andrew and I went shopping for a pack n play and some other gear for Sofia.  We are (almost) ready to go!

And the much awaited Maria is finally here.  She was born on the 14th and is doing very well.  Punky and Miguel are well and walking around like zombies these days :)

I got a special treat this week too as Ruth, Andrew, and Audrey are visiting us in Victoria this week.  I love to have them over and we're having lots of fun.

Week 31 - Wow

I can't believe I'm in week 31 already!  Time has flown by and she'll be here in 9 weeks.

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of Maria, Punky's daughter who should be here anytime this week.

This week Sofia's body and brain continue to make the connections that enable her systems to work as a whole. Her lungs are now more developed but are not completely mature.  Trillions of brain connections are developing and she is already using all five senses.  


I can definitely tell when she's awake and when she's not.  She has a pretty defined pattern by now.  She wakes up at about 9am to 10 am and then again in the afternoon from around 2pm to 3 pm.  At night she's also awake but I don't keep track of the time :)


I went to a breast feeding class last week, it was very helpful and full of great tips.  She recommended wiping the baby's mouth after every feeding to minimize ear infections and get them used to a cleaning routine after eating... I will need to remember that, makes sense.


This week we are going to take it easy.  Last weekend was pretty hectic with the neighbourhood clean up event we had with Keep Victoria Beautiful.  So we'll stay home this weekend and catch up on housekeeping and get Queso and Reese their shots.  Next one, we'll be in Dallas crib shopping.  I heard deliveries of cribs are up to 12 to 16 weeks so hopefully we can just pick one up and bring it back.  I also need to pick up some nursery bedding so we can paint the room and finish up that nursery :)

Week 30 - Sciatica

We are into the third trimester now and my belly is starting to get really heavy!  My feet are getting more tired and quicker and just yesterday I think I began to feel pressure on my sciatica nerve.  I will check with the doctor on my appointment on Wednesday but I'm pretty sure from what I read.  It's a sharp pain on my right side from my hips to my toes.  Hurts a lot when I walk.  Oh well, it's not that long until she's here :)

Ruth, Audrey, mom, grandma, and 3 of my aunts visited us this weekend and we had a great time.  I showed them Victoria (short tour) and then we went to Goliad which has a neat presidio from the Texas -Mexico independence time.  We had dinner at home and unfortunately they had to leave early to catch a plane in Houston.  I got to hold Audrey for some time until I think she got an allergy to Queso :(  So I had to give her back and keep Queso away until the blemishes went away.  She is such a good baby though, she barely cries and just likes to look around most of the time. She's very alert.

Sofia in the mean time is practicing breathing.  I can feel her getting hiccups at times, it feels like butterflies.  She weighs about 3 pounds or 1.3 kg and is around a foot long or roughly 30 cm.  She will be gaining 1/2 pound a week.  Her brain is continuing to expand and develop.  She can also now regulate her own temperature so she's beginning to loose some of the lanugo (that fine hair) that covered her for warmth.  She can open and close her eyelids.  Though most of the time they will be closed, when her eyes are open she can track light inside the womb.

She's a very active baby, when she kicks sometimes I can see my shirt move.  Thomas can feel her a lot more now when he puts his hand on my belly.  I love feeling her :)

Oh yes, and Thomas got a new truck.  We are happy and ready for Sofia to ride in it!