Baby is now about the size of a durian fruit (yeah, I have no idea what that even is), which is about 17 inches and 4.25 pounds. Over the next four weeks baby will put on another half pound per week. This rapid weight gain will slow by next month though. No wonder why I'm so hungry all the time!!! The skeleton is also hardening although the bones in the skull will not fuse together completely, but will overlap allowing for continued growth all the way up until early adulthood.
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| Hmmmm... so that's what a durian looks like. Kind of scary looking. |
The Oven
The oven is ummmm... bigger??? Haha! I'm running out of updates on my belly progress. I just feel like I'm complaining now. I'm still not at that "kill me now" stage, so that's good. I think I have a few more weeks till I hit that point, but getting out of bed is definitely getting a bit harder without lots of strategic body positioning and if baby gets in just the right... or maybe the wrong position, then just walking to get a drink of water puts me out of breadth. I'm also getting lots of braxton-hicks contractions, but they don't bother me in the least. I actually enjoy working through them and get excited that the big day is just around the corner.
The Happenings In the Kitchen
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| The belly getting some sun and cooling off at the water park. |
The Happenings In the Kitchen
After a slow week last week, we made up for it again this week and will continue to be busy for the next few weeks. I don't mind though. I like being busy. Yes, it's nice to breath once in awhile, but I'm the type that has to go go go, or I just don't know what to do with myself. Haha! I'm sure I drive my husband crazy with all the stuff I do.
Well, we started off the week with my parents and brother visiting from Southern California. Do you know it's been YEARS since they've been up here to visit! Needless to say, it was great to see them and spend some time together. They picked the perfect time to come up and visit too. Tuesday was the girls last softball game of the season, and they also got to see them at gymnastics class on Wednesday. My mom also got to go with me to my prenatal appointment on Wednesday. It was kind of nice since she never got to attend any of my appointments with the kids since they live so far. I hope we can do this again soon. We'll have to plan a trip to see some of the local sights, like the beach or the mountains next time. But for now, it was nice just hanging out.
Like I said above, this past Wednesday was our 32 week OB appointment. Looks like everything is right on track and looking great! I only gained 1 pound since our last appointment (now up to 141 pounds), and belly is still measuring 3 weeks ahead which is pretty much on track for how my belly measured with all my kids. The doctor did have a bit of trouble finding baby's heartbeat at first, but after some persistence, we found that all was well and beating strong. Overall, a great appointment! We'll be back in 2 weeks.
I had been pondering the idea, but finally decided that I would like to try the Hypnobabies labor & birth hypnosis program. It's a program that takes lots of dedication listening to 2 thirty minute CD tracks each day, but I think I can squeeze in some quiet me time each day to do it. It's actually pretty nice taking out time for me. With all my kids I did the Bradley labor & birth method and it worked great for me, but since I'm planning on becoming a doula, I thought I'd try something new just so I'd have the experience in the back of my head. What it does, is re-trains your mind to view labor and birth as a beautiful and natural experience that will not hurt. It teaches you to relax and come into a self-hypnosis state that you control while in labor and birth. You aren't asleep, but you are less focused on your surroundings I would say. You're just thinking about your body and the "birthing waves" you're going through to bring baby out. I guess this is really how I normally think while I'm in labor, so it really won't be that hard to re-train my mind. Let's hope it works and I have a pain free birth! Wouldn't that be nice.
This weekend was also packed with lots of fun! They opened a race track at our local mall, so we decided to go check it out. It's actually pretty awesome and the cars go really fast. They also have kids cars that go a bit slower and my oldest decided to give it a go. She was nervous at first, but once she put the peddle to the metal, she was hooked. She now asks us to go everyday. Brian and I also went to a wedding for a friend and client of his. I didn't know a lot of people there, but who doesn't love a wedding with lots of great food and cake? Yum! Then Sunday we hit up the water park. This was my belly's debut appearance to the sun and water for the year. It actually went really well. I didn't burn, the water was relaxing, and I even got a few compliments which made me feel great! Later that night I met up with some local surrogates. This was my first time meeting most of them in person, but once we all got talking it was like I had known them forever. So nice to talk to others that know exactly what you're going through right now and I can't wait for us all to meet up again soon.
Oh!!!!! And I totally forgot to mention last week that Belle received a gift in the mail from Stephanie of Calgary Fluff. Stephanie is a work at home mom from Canada who specializes in super cute, custom made cloth diapers and baby accessories. What she's really known for though, is her detailed character designs on cloth diapers. You have to check out some of the stuff that she has created!!! I especially love the R2D2 that she recently created on her page and of course this cute little minion that she created just for Belle and her little one. Can't wait to see how it looks on the bum!!! Originally we had hoped it would get here in time for the baby shower, but it's here now and waiting for when Belle gets here in a little less than a month. Eeeek!
Speaking of gifts... I received an awesome gift from Belle this past weekend. I admit that I originally thought it was a shawl when I first opened it up, but it's actually a Rebozo Shawl. I had to Google how to use it, but it's basically a multi-purpose tool used to assist the mother in various labor positions and relaxation. So perfect for my doula labor kit and for the big day to come as well!!!! Thanks so much Belle!!! So very thoughtful of you. You can read more about Rebozo Shawls and their purpose on Birthing Naturally's website as well as The Peaceful Birth Project website.
Well, we started off the week with my parents and brother visiting from Southern California. Do you know it's been YEARS since they've been up here to visit! Needless to say, it was great to see them and spend some time together. They picked the perfect time to come up and visit too. Tuesday was the girls last softball game of the season, and they also got to see them at gymnastics class on Wednesday. My mom also got to go with me to my prenatal appointment on Wednesday. It was kind of nice since she never got to attend any of my appointments with the kids since they live so far. I hope we can do this again soon. We'll have to plan a trip to see some of the local sights, like the beach or the mountains next time. But for now, it was nice just hanging out.
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| My Family ... well some of them. |
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| The girls last softball game |
Like I said above, this past Wednesday was our 32 week OB appointment. Looks like everything is right on track and looking great! I only gained 1 pound since our last appointment (now up to 141 pounds), and belly is still measuring 3 weeks ahead which is pretty much on track for how my belly measured with all my kids. The doctor did have a bit of trouble finding baby's heartbeat at first, but after some persistence, we found that all was well and beating strong. Overall, a great appointment! We'll be back in 2 weeks.
I had been pondering the idea, but finally decided that I would like to try the Hypnobabies labor & birth hypnosis program. It's a program that takes lots of dedication listening to 2 thirty minute CD tracks each day, but I think I can squeeze in some quiet me time each day to do it. It's actually pretty nice taking out time for me. With all my kids I did the Bradley labor & birth method and it worked great for me, but since I'm planning on becoming a doula, I thought I'd try something new just so I'd have the experience in the back of my head. What it does, is re-trains your mind to view labor and birth as a beautiful and natural experience that will not hurt. It teaches you to relax and come into a self-hypnosis state that you control while in labor and birth. You aren't asleep, but you are less focused on your surroundings I would say. You're just thinking about your body and the "birthing waves" you're going through to bring baby out. I guess this is really how I normally think while I'm in labor, so it really won't be that hard to re-train my mind. Let's hope it works and I have a pain free birth! Wouldn't that be nice.
This weekend was also packed with lots of fun! They opened a race track at our local mall, so we decided to go check it out. It's actually pretty awesome and the cars go really fast. They also have kids cars that go a bit slower and my oldest decided to give it a go. She was nervous at first, but once she put the peddle to the metal, she was hooked. She now asks us to go everyday. Brian and I also went to a wedding for a friend and client of his. I didn't know a lot of people there, but who doesn't love a wedding with lots of great food and cake? Yum! Then Sunday we hit up the water park. This was my belly's debut appearance to the sun and water for the year. It actually went really well. I didn't burn, the water was relaxing, and I even got a few compliments which made me feel great! Later that night I met up with some local surrogates. This was my first time meeting most of them in person, but once we all got talking it was like I had known them forever. So nice to talk to others that know exactly what you're going through right now and I can't wait for us all to meet up again soon.
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| Checking out the new hot spot to race |
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| Keeping cool at the water park |
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| Meeting up with some other awesome local Surrogates |
Oh!!!!! And I totally forgot to mention last week that Belle received a gift in the mail from Stephanie of Calgary Fluff. Stephanie is a work at home mom from Canada who specializes in super cute, custom made cloth diapers and baby accessories. What she's really known for though, is her detailed character designs on cloth diapers. You have to check out some of the stuff that she has created!!! I especially love the R2D2 that she recently created on her page and of course this cute little minion that she created just for Belle and her little one. Can't wait to see how it looks on the bum!!! Originally we had hoped it would get here in time for the baby shower, but it's here now and waiting for when Belle gets here in a little less than a month. Eeeek!
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| Belle's cute Minion diaper from Calgary Fluff |
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| Rebozo Shawl gift from Belle |
The Chefs (an update from Belle)
"This
week has been busy! Visiting with friends and family, a full house! We also
managed to sort out some of the logistics for after the Due Date: passports,
travel, accommodation, etc... Everything sounds much more complicated with a
newborn, but we both look forward to the challenge! Im getting very excited
that my suitcase is now fully packed, and ready to go! Still debating packing a
whole extra suitcase, for all the little items you think you might need...Less
than one month now I will be back visiting Chana and her family; counting the
days!" - Belle
Coming Soon !!!
May 27th - Doula Meeting - Meeting at the house to talk more about the big day.
June 5th - 34 week OB Appt. - Just a routine visit.
June 25th - Belle Gets Here - Belle gets here to wait it out for the big day. Lots of stuff to do!
July 2nd - Adam Gets Here - Adam gets here to wait it out for the big day. We're all ready to go!
June 5th - 34 week OB Appt. - Just a routine visit.
June 25th - Belle Gets Here - Belle gets here to wait it out for the big day. Lots of stuff to do!
July 2nd - Adam Gets Here - Adam gets here to wait it out for the big day. We're all ready to go!
Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed
*Some of the names in this post have been changed and faces blocked out to protect the identities of those involved in this journey*
i lover eading your updates!
ReplyDeleteHow is Belle doing with her lactation? I used to keep up with her blog as well, but she must have changed her settings.
Thanks! As far as I know it sounds like her lactation protocol is going great! She's definitely producing, but she hasn't decided if she's going to pump before the baby gets here or not. Maybe she can give an update on that next week. I'm really excited to see how it all goes.
DeleteAnd yes, she did close down her blog due to getting a bit busy trying to get everything ready, but she does do updates on here when she can. :)