29 Weeks

Peanut's the size of an acorn squash!

At week 29, baby is getting plumper. Begin to prepare yourself for the absolute cuteness you'll soon experience every day! Right now, she measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds. She still has a long way to go, and will be tripling her weight before birth! While your belly has grown bigger than you probably ever thought possible, there's still only so much it can stretch, so baby's accommodations at Hotel Bump have gotten a little tight these days. With the squirmer inside of you, you probably already realized that. And if you feel a subtle twitch, baby might actually be hiccupping!

Not much going on this week for us.  Just chilling and letting baby grow.  11 weeks until Peanut comes, give or take a few days.  Peanut's room was painted last night and second coat/touch ups are going up tonight after Patrick goes to bed.  Wanted to hang up the curtains, mobil, canvas pictures, and baby quilt today but need to wait for the paint to dry tonight obviously.  Still need to figure out which scripture to paint over the crib.  I'm leaning toward Deuteronomy 31:8  "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."  I'll probably just start with the "For the LORD. . ." and drop the very first part.  Otherwise I'm worried it will be too long.

28 Weeks

Peanut's the size of an eggplant!

At week 28, baby is putting on layers of fat and weighs in around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, measuring about 13.6 to 14.8 inches. Her skin has a smoother and less wrinkled appearance too. And her lungs are mature enough that she could probably breathe on her own if she were born prematurely. Plus, her eyes, which can open and close now, can sense changes to light as well.  Baby can see? Well, the groundwork for vision has been laid, but baby's sight will actually continue to develop during infancy after she's born. Still, those blinking peepers are still something to get excited over!

Doing very well.  Biggest news, I'm in the third trimester.  Had my appointment yesterday and I'm measuring right one and Peanut's heart rate is always right around 145-150.  Got my Rhogam shot as my blood type is A- and Michael's blood type is +.  I double checked with my OB about my glucose test results and she said I got 105 which is easy passing.  Still a little unreal to me as my chances of having it were like 50%.  I've gained a whooping 4.6 lbs so far.  After all the sweets I've had lately I was expecting to have gained 4 lbs just the last couple of weeks not over the whole 28 weeks.  Blessed by God I guess.  I'd rather keep it this way.

St. Patrick's Week

I love Ireland and most/anything Irish.  Michael and I were planning to go to Ireland for our honeymoon but opted for some place a little warm because of the time of year we were going.  We're planning to go to Ireland for our 25 anniversary God willing.

This week for daycare we are learning all about Ireland and all things Irish since St. Patrick's Day is on Sunday.  We learned a little bit about the country, Shamrocks, Fairies, Leprechauns, and St. Patrick.  We did a lot of painting this week and they loved it.  I don't do a lot of painting normally because it can be enormously messy; ie Patrick paints everything but what he is suppose to be painting (the wall, the table, himself).  Here are our projects from this week along with pictures for future use.

Paint chip Ireland

You will need:
Outline of Ireland
Glue
Green paint color samples
Scissors

Print off outlines of Ireland.  Cut the paint samples into different shapes.  Glue the paint chips in the outline to make Ireland green.



Shamrock Cupcakes

You will need:
Frosting/decorations             Cake mix
Three marbles a cupcake   Cupcake wrappers

Mix cake mix like normal.  Place the paper cup in the muffin tin.  Place three marbles between the paper cup and the muffin tin to make a shamrock shape.  Pour in batter, bake, and decorate.

Toilet Paper Leprechaun (2 day project)

You will need:
Toilet paper roll                      Paint: Green, orange, and flesh
Green craft foam                    3 Orange and 1 black pipe cleaner
Hot glue gun and sticks

Paint a orange stripe about 1 inch around the roll about 1 inch from the top.  Paint the rest of the roll green.  Cut out a 2 inch circle from green foam with 3/4 inch circle cut from the middle.  Also cut a 4.5 inch by .5 inch rectangle from the green foam.  Curl 3 pipe cleaners around a pencil, they should be about 3-4 inches long.  Paint an oval for the face in the orange hair area and two small ovals for hands in the middle of the body.  Use one black pipe (I used 1/2 of one) to make feet, make two ovals.  Draw a face and add the foam rectangle to make arms.  Glue two curly pipe cleaners around the back in the orange hair area.  Add the last curly pipe cleaner to the face to make a beard and add the circle foam to the top for the brim of the Leprechauns had.  Add one black pipe cleaner to the bottom for feet.

Fairy Wings

You will need:
Cardboard              Paint
Tissue paper          Glitter/spangles
Glue                            Elastic

Trace and cut out wings from cardboard.  Cut out various shapes from inside the wings.  Paint the cardboard and allow to dry.  Add tissue paper behind each cut out and decorate with glitter and spangles.  Add elastic for arm to go through.

Pot of Gold

You will need:
Wood dowel ends "pot"      Black paint
Scrape tissue paper              Glue
Glitter                                       Gold spangles
Green ribbon or paint

Tightly pack the tissue paper into the wooden "pot".  Paint the pot black including the tissue paper at the top.  Add glue to the entire top and add glitter.  Once glitter is mostly dry add a few gold spangles to the top.  Decorate the pot with a ribbon or paint a shamrock on the side of the pot.

New Nursery Idea

I get to redo the nursery.  I know I planed to just reuse everything from Patrick and that is why the nursery is gender neutral in color scheme and theme but I have a fun idea and Michael said I could.

I still like the beach theme but I've found these wonderful boardbooks, BabyLit, and thought they would make a great nursery.  I have four of them already and three more are coming.  I have Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, and Alice in Wonderland.  Sense and Sensibility, Wuthering Heights, and Moby-Dick are on their way next week.

I'd basically just put up different pictures and change the mobile.  The pictures I could print off on our computer; wouldn't cost much to do.  And for the mobile, I'd need to get the transfers for T-Shirts and use the white fabric I already have along with the stuffing I already have. 

The bedding would be the same as it is solid colors and I'd just have to switch out the bottom of the curtains, but I already have the fabric for it.  I'm just worried it might seem "girly" but I guess it will depend on the pictures I use.  The redo should only cost about $20-$30.

27 Weeks Down, 13 To Go

Peanut's the size of a rutabaga!

Your baby is now 13.6 to 14.8 inches long and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds! And she's not just getting larger, she's becoming a complex little human being. This is the earliest she could survive outside of Mommy if delivered prematurely. Her brainstem, which controls most of her vital functions (such as heart rate, breathing and blood pressure) is nearly fully developed by this point, and her cerebral cortex (which forms consciousness and allows us to think, feel and perform voluntary actions) is growing more and more, maturing and becoming more complex during the last trimester. So don't be surprised by baby's karate kicks in your belly. She can stretch and make grasping motions now too!

Peanut has a favorite side and seems to be my left.  I swear there are times Peanut is stretching out to his full length.  I can also feel him moving side to side now.  I have a doctors appointment on Monday.  Nothing big, just a normal visit and rhogame shot, but I have this lingering though/fear that my Dr will ask by I didn't take my 3 hour glucose test because the nurse gave me wrong info.  Best news, Peanut has reached viability.  If baby comes now he has a 90% chance of surviving.  I've voting he stays put but at least he'll survive if born now.

Video

Just a quick video of Patrick singing.  Hope it brightens your day.

Patrick sings Alice the Camel

Weather Week

We are learning all about weather this week.

So far we have talked about sunshine, clouds, and the wind.  Tomorrow rain and then the four seasons to finish the week.  We've had a lot of fun with the topics and our art projects.  We even made a cloud in a jar.

Monday we made Lion/Lamb faces, Tuesday we made a weather mobil, and today we make windsocks.  They were running around upstairs with the windsocks to make them move since there isn't any wind today.  Patrick was very upset when one of his fringes ripped off.  A little tape and he was back to running.  Here's a quick video I took of them running around.

26 Weeks, 98 days

Peanut's the size of a head of lettuce!

Baby is still growing in the 13.6 to 14.8-inch and 1.5 to 2.5-pound range, and while her eyes are still forming during week 26, they’ll open soon. Hello, baby! Her eyelashes have grown in, too, and she's getting her immune system ready for the outside world by getting antibodies from you. Plus, baby’s little lungs are starting to produce surfactant, the fatty substance that coats the inside lining of the lungs’ tiny air sacs, helping them to expand during breathing. And her skin has developed its color as well, because her body is now making melanin.

I'm doing well but seem to have more heartburn now.  I'll feel fine until about 1 hour after eating.  Old wives tales says that heartburn equals hair at birth.  I'm also starting feel uncomfortable when bending down to pick thing off the floor.  Guess it's time to start squatting.  I also bought a dress for my brother's wedding this May.  The only dress that would have room for baby isn't a maternity one and is starting to ride a little in the front.  I got this dress instead for the wedding.