Ultrasound

We just had another ultrasound, little Colin is weighing in just under 7 pounds, at 6 pounds 14 ounces. This means, by the time he is born he'll be right around 8 pounds. They measured everything from his head, to his belly, to his kidneys and all is looking great. Everything on me looked good as well, including the placenta and the amniotic fluid. Little Colin is still breech though. We got some really good photos, I'll post them as soon as I can. We're still trying to unpack.

1 Week Later...

We had our 35 week doctor's appointment last Friday and learned that Colin still has not turned, my blood pressure was also back up and therefor our doctor has decided to schedule a c-section a couple of weeks early. We aren't worried about him coming a little early, he's already pretty big. He actually was on course to be a 9 pound baby if we let him go full term, as it stands he'll probably be around 8 pounds on his birthday, December 5, 2007. It's a Wednesday and the surgery is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. And for the record, no one guessed the 5th, but Gramma Kathy was closest with the 7th.

My doctor also wants me to go in for weekly ultrasounds and to see me in his office weekly until the big day (which is only 2 weeks away!). I go in tomorrow for this week's ultrasound. Then my doctors appointments will be on Wednesdays.

We also moved in to our new home last Friday. The kitchen isn't done, and probably won't be until late December/early January, and there is still a couple of other rooms that need work, but we needed to get in. As it stands, I have 2 weeks to unpack and get as settled as possible before Colin gets here.

We took the weekend to unpack as much as possible and we managed to get the crib put together and the nursery almost done! I've been working on getting all of Colin's clothes and blankets washed and ready for him. Speaking of washing we also got a new washer and dryer, which I'm in love with, I've been wanting front loading machines for awhile and Brad finally caved in! We got the LG Front Loading SteamFresh washer and dryer.

As for me, I've finally started to swell a little in my hands and feet, I think it's from all the activity. I had to remove my wedding rings this morning, and almost couldn't get them off! I'm still off the nausea medication and doing well. The doc recommended a new medicine for the horrible heartburn, Prilosec, and I've been taking that for 3 days now and seem to be doing much better. Yay! My weight gain is just around 17 pounds now.

Time Off

Not much to report on right now. I think Colin may be dropping, but I don't think he's turned yet. We have an appointment on Friday, but until then we are going to be so busy moving to the new house, I'm going to be taking the next couple of days off from the Web site. Unless something big happens, I'll post Friday after our appointment.

Baby Shower #2

On Friday, Brad's co-workers threw a baby shower lunch for us. We had some yummy bar-b-que and even yummier cakes. They gave us the baby stroller and a couple of gift cards for Target and Babies R Us, so we can complete our gift registries now. Brad is very lucky, he works with a great group of people, they were very generous and are all genuinely excited to meet the newest Baker. They welcomed me with open arms last year when Brad and I became engaged and I know they'll be just (or even more!) welcoming for little Colin. It just reminds me how blessed our family is. So, thank you to the Smith Group family!

**this was Monday's post, but apparently it didn't publish, oops!**

Baby Products

In the past few days we've ordered a few new products we'd been meaning to order and just hadn't gotten to it. We got the baby book, it's by a company called Big Day Books, it's really neat, check out the Web site by clicking on the link above.

We also ordered the baby monitor. I did A LOT of research (which doesn't surprise any of you who know me really well) and this one seemed to be the best reviewed and what would really work for us, especially in the new (BIG) house. You can view more details about the Philips SCD 590 Baby Monitor here.

We still have to go and buy everything we didn't get, but need, from our registries, we've just been waiting until we get in the new house, so we don't have to move all of the products.

View from the recliner, part 3

As Rene keeps trying to remind me, we are possibly only a few weeks away from welcoming little Colin into the world. We had our Labor & Delivery and Breastfeeding classes last weekend and that really makes you realize how close the big event is. So far both classes we have taken have been great. They were both really informative but entertaining at the same time. We have one class left this Saturday, which is Baby Care & CPR. As someone who knows next to nothing about caring for babies, I'll really be paying close attention to this one. I'm hoping this class will help with some of the nervousness I've been feeling.

When we haven't been focused on Colin, we've been moving. I'm not sure why the universe allows two people to renovate a house and move just weeks before their first child is born, but somehow we are doing it (mostly with a lot of help from Mom & Dad - THANKS!). As stressful as it has been, we are just a week away from moving and will hopefully be able to start enjoying all the hard work. We're only about a month behind from Rene's original target move-in date, but at least we will (hopefully) make it through the process without killing each other (or anyone else) in the process.

So, bottom line, nothing new - we keep moving boxes and Rene keeps growing people - but at least we are getting closer to the finish lines!

Baker Update

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I was at the new house all day and really didn't have time. Things are moving faster now, we are moving in "officially" in 1 week. Yesterday the blinds were installed, the painting was finished, 2 new doors were installed, and the electrical got a lot of work done. Oh, and I got all the animal trains re-hung in Colin's nursery.

Last night Gramma and Grandpa Baker came over and helped us move 3 car loads of boxes into the new house. The plan is to move boxes and smaller furniture items every night this week and finish hanging all the light fixtures and smoke detectors. Then we're having the house cleaned next Wednesday and the movers will move all the bigger furniture items on Thursday, so we will spend our first night in the new house next Thursday. Don't worry, I'm not lifting anything over 5 pounds, my job is to feed the crew and guide the boxes to the right rooms. I'm also pretty busy during the days just keeping up with the last minute construction details going on at the house.

As for Colin, we've been doing our Breech exercises in hopes he'll turn. He's been really active and just generally getting bigger. I've been dealing with more and more heartburn, an aching back and my tiredness has come back in full force. I slept 12 hours last night! If I don't get a full nights sleep I've been taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoons. I've also stopped taking the medicine for the morning sickness (finally!) and have been okay so far.

Frank Breech

I wanted to talk a little more about the Frank Breech position. Brad and I attended our labor and delivery class this weekend, as well as a breastfeeding class. They gave us a manual to read and both instructors told me about some good exercises to do that could help Colin turn into the correct head down position. So I started them this morning, and at one point little Colin was COMPLETELY horizontal in my tummy! It felt really strange, but I'm hoping that it is a good sign that he will be able to turn. So I'm going to keep doing these exercises and hope for the best.

I found this diagram of a Frank Breech baby and thought I'd post it so you can get a visual image of how he is positioned. We found out this weekend that Frank Breech is actually the most common form of Breech baby.

33 Week Sonogram

Well, we had a great appointment today with the ultrasound doctor. Colin looks nice and strong and healthy. They checked each chamber of his heart, took measurements of nearly everything, checked my amniotic fluid level, the placenta, etc. Everything checked out "great." As the doctor said, "This kid looks great." He is measuring 5 pounds 6 ounces, so a little above average, but not too big. He is in the 63rd percentile for weight. He is also practicing breathing, which according to both doctors we saw today, is a very good sign. We even got to see that Colin has hair! We could actually see it floating around in the amniotic fluid.

The only downside to today's appointment is that Colin is still breech, meaning his head is still up. Not only is he breech, but he is what is called Frank Breech. This means his bottom is in my pelvis and he is basically in a "U-Shape," where his feet are directly in front of his face. Being 33 weeks and the size he is, the doctor said realistically he most likely will not be able to turn on his own and because of the position of my placenta, it would be dangerous for the doctors to try and turn him. Therefore, I will most likely end up having a C-section. Though this is disappointing, the only real thing that matters is that he and I are both healthy.

The picture below is a close up of Colin's face. You can see the brighter white spot in the middle is his nose, the shadows on each side of that white spot are his eyes, the shadow below it is his mouth and the two lighter patches of white are his chubby little cheeks, really chubby according to the doctor. The two little smudges below all that are his hands, which are tucked up under his chin. If you ask me, he looks just like his Daddy! He definitely has his nose I think!

We're so anxious, maybe only 1 more month if they end up getting him out early!

Poll 2

Alright, it is time for everyone out there to REALLY get involved! Now that we know that Colin MIGHT be coming a few weeks early, I'd like to hear from all of you when you think he might make his appearance. What day, and time, do you think he'll be born? Post it in the comments, or email me and I'll do it for you!