36 Week Ultrasound

Due to concerns that Baby was measuring small from the outside at my appointment last week, my OB requested that we have an ultrasound this morning to more closely monitor Baby's development. The findings were good overall. The ultrasound showed that baby has enough fluid around her and she's developing well - she's just on the small side. We got to see her sticking out her tongue and moving her hands and practicing breathing.

They estimated that she's about 4lbs 9 oz now (give or take 15%), which is probably about 1lb smaller than Taylor at the same point. Taylor was born at 38wks and weighed 6lbs 6oz. If this baby were born at 38wks (1.5wks from now), she'd probably weigh 5.5lbs. I weighed 5lbs 15oz when I was born at 39wks, so this is a perfectly normal size...just petite.

But because Baby is still measuring small the OB wants to run a non-stress test every week until birth, which means they sit me in a chair for 30min and hook up monitors to measure baby's heart rate and my contractions. Since I know baby moves around a LOT this seems kind of unnecessary to me, but I don't know yet if I'll try to get out of it or not.

The OB also said my cervix is 50% effaced and 1cm dilated, so my body is beginning to prepare for labor. However, the numbers don't function as a good indicator of when labor will happen so I'm not holding my breath that it'll be anytime soon. :)

Overall very good news...plus some good pictures from the ultrasound.

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Sticking out her tongue

3D face with finger

3D smile

Happy 30th Birthday (weekend), Mark!

Yesterday was Mark's 30th birthday, but he didn't really want a birthday party so instead we organized a Summer BBQ/potluck with our friends...which just happened to fall on his birthday. :)

We spent all day cleaning up the house and shopping for last minute ingredients, and managed to plop down on the couch (exhausted) just as people started to arrive.  We had a great time catching up and eating.  Everyone brought yummy foods and pitched in by decorating a cake for Mark, forming burger patties, and cooking on the grill (in 100 degree heat!).  Mark made 3 fabulous grilled pizzas, which were a hit as usual.

Then we sang to Mark, ate dessert, and headed outside to let the little kids swing at a burro pinata.  (More photos posted on Picasa.)

Needless to say, we're worn out from putting on such a big event (20 people in our little house!) and Mark said he wanted to "take the rest of his birthday" today.  So far, that has meant a leisurely morning of Tony's donuts, watching The Velveteen Rabbit, and making more Buffalo Chicken Dip (a hit from the party - Thanks, Katy!) to put on top of our leftover burgers.  I'm sure the rest of the afternoon and evening will involve more movies and some leftover pizza as well.

Then onto some nesting activities, I think.  Less than 4 weeks until the due date now and I figure I should probably put a hospital bag together and get clothes and diapers all set up for the little one. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Earrings!

On Sunday night we were relaxing on the couches after our drive back from Evansville. Taylor was playing with my hair and noticed I had earrings on. Knowing the rule that if she wants earrings she must ask Daddy (an agreement Mark and I had come to after she was born), she immediately went over to Mark and said, "Daddy, I want earrings."

Mark was not able to dissuade her, so he accepted her request as an earnest appeal for holes in her ears and declared, "Ok, you can get them tomorrow." Yippee!

After a little bit of online research (St. Louis Moms Like Me) for the best place to go for ear piercing, Taylor and I headed to Claire's at the Galleria on Monday after her gymnastics class.  We couldn't use the pearl earrings my mom had bought her when she was born because Claire's has their earrings preloaded in little single-use guns, so we picked out little amethyst studs for her - the February birthstone. 

The woman piercing Taylor's ears was the Assistant Manager and says she's been doing this for over 4yrs.  She drew little dots on Taylor's ears and we adjusted the placement until they looked just right.  Then she had Taylor hold onto a teddy bear and look to the side at an earring display.  Poke! - first earring in, no problem.  She had Taylor look the other direction.  Poke! - other one in and I don't think Taylor even blinked.  No fussing, no tears, nothing out of the ordinary.

We paid for the earrings and then popped out of the store for a quick iPhone photoshoot to share the fun news.  Taylor was so proud of her little accessories.

Within minutes her ears were red and swollen, but we had lunch and did some shopping and by the time we were out of the mall they looked almost normal again.  We just need to clean and rotate the earrings 3 times a day for the next 6 weeks.  Then we could change the earrings if we want.  Taylor knows the pearl earrings exist and has asked for them a few times already, but I told her she'll have to wait to wear them until after the baby is born.  They'll be kind of like her "Big Sister" earrings.

So far the fun of the earrings is still fresh.  Taylor loves the task of cleaning them (and then mine, and sometimes even Mark's ears after that) and she is pleased to tell people she has new earrings.

I tried to do a little photoshoot with her today to get better shots than the iPhone allows, but I was initially met with resistance.

Then I changed tactics and we took pictures of her "wearing sunglasses."  Bwahaha, mission accomplished.

More fun (non-earring-related) sunglasses shots:

Weekend in Evansville

Mark and Taylor are soaking up the rays while splashing around in the pool this morning.

Harvest Time!

We came home from our vacation to a garden overflowing with produce! We managed to fill several large bowls with tomatoes, zucchini, and other squash, despite the fact the many items had rotted over the week and our automatic watering system malfunctioned (the soil was parched). Our bok choy seems to have sprouted flowers (whoops, maybe we should have picked that earlier...), but the other crops are moving along well. I wish I knew better when to harvest some of them.

Here's just a glimpse of our gleanings tonight. Anybody want some fruits/veggies?

Mt. Shasta and Gilden Lodge

We made it to Mt. Shasta! The view is breathtaking and the weather is very nice - sunny, slightly breezy, and there are blue skies as far as the eye can see.

Our accommodation, Gilden Lodge, is amazing. There is room enough for all 11 of us to spread out and explore and relax. The lodge is equipped with a really nice kitchen and an array of amenities that make you feel like you're living in the lap of luxury.

We've already had a couple of nice homemade meals and this afternoon everyone (minus big, fat pregnant me) went on a hike up the mountain to find snow. They said it was 70 degrees up there while the girls rubbed snow all over themselves.

The guys are really looking forward to a trip to a local brewery sometime this week and I plan to do a little shopping around town. I'm sure there will be more hiking and outdoor activities as well...while I kick up my feet in the living room.
:)

4th of July with Family in Carson City

To kick off our big family vacation this July, we flew out to Carson City, NV to visit my dad's family.  We stayed at my grandmother's (Mammaw's) house and got to spend lots of time with other aunts and uncles and cousins.

On Saturday we had a big brunch, which included a parade of grandchildren and a long show of gymnastics stunts.

Then we went to Virginia City (an Old West historic-type place) where we walked around the shops, met a donkey and a prospector, saw some old buildings, and ate really good ice cream.

Dinner was at Aunt Mary & Uncle Jeff's house, where the cousins really spoiled Taylor with attention.

On Sunday (the 4th of July), we had a big buffet-style dinner at Mammaw's house, celebrated all the summer birthdays, and watched fireworks from the driveway.

It was a great time with the extended family!  Happy Independence Day, everyone!