32 Weeks

Written by Shannon Leigh
Last week was week 32.
I am enjoying getting things ready for Peanut but I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by it too. I make things much harder on myself (and my mom) by wanting to make everything instead of just buying it, especially when I don't have the time. But alas, my creative endeavors will not be squelched, so help me God.

I'm feeling pretty insecure about actually HAVING a newborn at home too. I don't have a CLUE about what I am doing and it still amazes me that they'll let me take this little creature home without taking some sort of test. I mean shouldn't I have to prove to somebody that I know what I'm doing? Guess not, since clearly I don't.

In other news...I was unaware that my lungs, stomach, and heart could feels so smooshed together. Eating a full meal is pretty much impossible but yet I am soooooo hungry. I've decided that this little girl is going to take after her father and be an absolute tank, which was his nickname for the first few years of his life.

I had my 32 week appointment and the doctor said she was head down... WAY DOWN. Her words, not mine. This concerns me a bit since her feet are so comfortable up in my ribs. Does that mean she is super long? It sure feels like it if she's not. She did predict (just a prediction) that the baby won't be very big, just based on my measurements. I'm measuring a little small (not enough to raise a concern) and based on my size she doesn't foresee a 9 pounder. phew.

Last week Peanut was supposed to be 3.75 pounds and approximately 17 inches long. Her main job for the next 7 weeks is to put on the poundage... probably about double what she is at right now. All that means to me is "ouch."

Keagan Gabriel

Written by Shannon Leigh

Take a look at this sweet little boy.

His baby blues make me melt!

I might be a little partial since this little guy is in my blood line:)

His aunt brought back this adorable hat from Peru and we just had to photograph him in it.

31 weeks

Written by Shannon Leigh

Due to the Christmas holiday, week 31 flew! I wish there was a major holiday every week for the next 8...that would really make things go fast. At least this week we have New Years to celebrate.

I am still feeling pretty good. If i'm not trying to tie my shoes or put socks on, I can even forget that I'm pregnant, although my belly is really protruding now. It really gets in the way. :)

Peanut weighed about 3.4 pounds and was about 16 inches long last week. She's rolling around like crazy and wakes me up at night. I'm hoping she'll be head down at the next appointment but I'm skeptical since I am pretty sure I can feel her head in my ribs. Hopefully I'm wrong.

We celebrated Christmas at my parents this week and Peanut got lots of sweet little gifts. My mom made her a girlie sock monkey out of Grandad's socks. I can't wait to display her in the babies room.

Merry Christmas!!

Written by Shannon Leigh

Matt and I are headed out of town for the holiday to a place that doesn't have internet (or at least the kind that works).

But before I leave... just wanted to say...

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is magical!

Christmas, 1956

Grandma Dudley 8 days before giving birth to my dad.

Week 30

Written by Shannon Leigh

Last week was week 30 and let me tell you... I am starting to feel LARGE and in charge.
She has really gone through a growth spurt recently and all of that growing has made me tired!
In fact, I feel almost as tired as I did in the first trimester. Around 9 pm my eyes start rolling back in my head and on most nights I am in bed by 9:30. Pathetic, I know.

Even though I am getting to bed much earlier than usual, the amount of quality sleep I am getting is slim. I wake up every couple of hours to an aching back and sore belly. I can't really complain because as long as I pee and switch sides I can usually go back to sleep pretty quickly. I hear this gets far worse as the pregnancy progresses. Oh joy.

According to babycenter.com, Peanut was 3 pounds and 15.7 inches long last week. She's running out of room in there and her movements have changed quite a bit. Instead of kicks I am feeling more "nudges" and rolls.

I had another doctor's appointment this week and everything still looks good. We are measuring right on track with no foreseeable problems! She said the baby is laying sideways, which is still fine at this point. She expects her to turn head-down in the next few weeks and isn't at all concerned.

All of the books warned me that clumsiness starts to take over in these last weeks. I didn't really believe them until last week. Holy cow, I didn't think it was possible for me to get MORE clumsy, but me at 30 weeks pregnant is just plain ridiculous. I feel like I am walking on a tight rope all day long. I guess it's true that my center of gravity is just off. Here's to hoping I don't seriously injure myself in the next 9 weeks.

Week 29

Written by Shannon Leigh

Well I am officially out of the 20s and into the 30s (weeks that is) and boy does that feel good. I can't decide if that is a really LONG time or if that is a really SHORT time. I change my mind about it every other minute. Knowing all that I have to get done before the baby arrives makes me panic a little. The nice thing is (and the thing I'm trying to remember) is that the baby doesn't care if her room isn't ready and things aren't in order so maybe I shouldn't either. I'm running out of free weekends in the next 10 weeks so the chances I get everything finished before Peanut comes is unlikely.

Originally my contract with the University was up on December 31st which meant that I would be staying home for 8 weeks before the baby came. I knew 8 weeks was a long time but I was kind of looking forward to the break. Anyway, they decided to extend me all the way to my due date. I was pretty excited since that was 2 extra months of paychecks that we weren't counting on. It enabled us to buy a new car since mine was... janky. At this point though I really wish I had a few weeks off before the baby's arrival. Sitting at a desk for an extra 8 weeks doesn't sound too appealing to me. Bleh. Oh well, I am very grateful and thankful since we now have a safe vehicle to tote around Peanut.

Anyway, last week was week 29. Peanut weighed approximately 2 3/4 pounds and was over 15 inches long. She's getting pretty hefty these days and I can't imagine that she could gain 4 or 5 more pounds in the next 10 weeks. Oh my aching belly. They say she could be having dreams in the womb at this point which would explain the periodic kicks to the ribs. My doctor said she was head down at the last appointment which is good but could change.

After PAINSTAKING research, we finally ordered and received a bunch of cloth diapers this week. Hopefully it's enough to get started. We aren't really concerned about trying them out the first few weeks but after about a month I would like to be mostly cloth diapering. A decent goal but we'll see. I am now on the search for detergent/water combinations that will work in our high efficiency washer. I will let you know what I find...

1/4 of the pregnancy left to go...

A MUST See....

Written by Shannon Leigh