30 Weeks and a 4D Ultrasound

30 weeks down and only a few to go...can't believe it!!! This week, the baby continues to grow, get stronger, and lay down fat to make him plump. He has started to mimick breathing and it causes him to have the hiccups. I never remember the girls having those, but we had a long bout of tiny, rhythmic movements last night that logically seem to be the hiccups. He weighs about 3 pounds and is 11 inches from the top of his head to his rump.

This morning we had our much anticipated 3D/4D ultrasound appointment. And, following suit of both girls, little Jackson decided to hide until the last 5 minutes of the ultrasound. He has turned and is head down and ready to go. We got to see and hear the heart beat. And, for most of the appointment, we watched the tech manauver the magic wand to try and get a good face shot of the baby. Unfortunately, Mr. Limber had one knee bent and in front of his face and the other leg was extended straight up, over, and behind his head. He was sleeping most of the time even though mom drank an ENTIRE mocha frappucino from Startbucks just a few short minutes before the appointment. Apparently caffeine doesn't phase this child. While he was sleeping, we could see the chest rise and fall to mimick the breathing that causes the hiccups. The tech sais that's how she knew he was sleeping...most babies "practice" their breathing while they are sleeping. And...while he continued to sleep, we got the very easily attainable money shot with the position of his legs being so crazy. Then finally, after I got up, moved around, and squeezed at my stomach for a minute, we got a better view of his face, even though he still had those legs right in the way. He has Kelsey's nose for sure. And it even looks like his cheeks are plump and ready for pinching. Enjoy the pictures!!

Sweet, Sleepy Baby Boy!!

Can you see me trying to wave to you? My hand is to the left of the picture beside my face.

Look at those crazy legs all over the place. I might as well be eating my knee!!

Daddy can finally rest assured that I am a boy. Look at the size of that...foot!!

28 Weeks

It is official...we have hit the third trimester and the doctors are happy with my progress. On Friday we had our last monthly appointment. From here on out we go every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then we go every week. All that means this baby is coming sooner than we can believe. Once the holidays are over, we really need to get on the ball here and create some type of nursery for this precious baby boy.

As for now Andrew Lee is still the name, but we're going to go with Drew. At 28 weeks, this little booger is 2 and a quarter pounds and is about 15 inches long from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. His eyes continue to open and close and they even have beautiful, long lashes at this point. I gained a whopping 6 pounds this last month and we are going to chalk that up to a yummy Thanksgiving. If I follow a normal pattern, I should gain about 11 more pounds before this pregnancy is over and that means I will probably outweigh Bo...do you know what a depressing thought that is??? My glucose test was also on Friday and that came back normal as well.

And finally, we are looking forward to a 4D ultrasound in 2 weeks. We were fortunate to hit the early technology when I was pregnant with Ally. Then, we opted to have it done with Kelsey. So...why not have it done with little Drew? We are looking forward to seeing our baby boy growing big. It was truly amazing to see it with Kelsey and I imagine, after several years of progress, the ultrasounds are even more detailed and more amazing then they used to be. We'll be sure to post all the fun pictures on our blog when we get home.

26 Weeks and a name...really???

This is a big week for baby Jackson. For the first time since they were formed and sealed shut, his eyes will open and close. He is about 14 inches long, 9 inches from crown to rump and weighs roughly 2 pounds. His skin is becoming less translucent thanks to all the baby fat that is starting to be deposited. And finally, all the nerves in his ear are finishing their development. We have another doctor appointment on the 12th to hear the heart beat and get some measurements...fairly routine at this point. And then we go every 2 weeks. Considering both girls came about 2 weeks early, we are looking at the final stretch almost. Should this little bundle arrive 2 weeks early as well, we have about 12 weeks left. I hit the 3rd trimester next week and it is hard to believe how fast this is flying by. After the holidays, he will be here in the blink of an eye. And there is still so much to do...most importantly the nursery. All of the bedding and fun room decor is here, but we are waiting until after the holiday rush to get the room ready. It shouldn't take too long...a few hours of painting and a few more for hanging things on the wall and voila...it's ready.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Bo was a HUGE sport and went shopping with me at midnight on Thanksgiving to the Carter's outlet. And we got tons of new clothes for our baby boy. I have to admit, they certainly are not as cute as little girl clothes, but it was lots of fun picking out something different this time. Trucks, dinosaurs, and bugs can be cute in their own way.

And it was nice to kind of put a name with the clothes we were buying. A name...really??? After much deliberation and not finding anything we both really liked, we have finally found one we can agree on and like. With a last name like Jackson, there are lots of options already vetoed for us...Samuel, Michael, Alan, and Tito to name a few. We ran in to this same problem with Kelsey. I really liked Kendall, but Kendall Jackson is a popular brand of wine. Even so, there are times I regret not giving her the name I really liked, even though Kelsey is a perfect fit for our little sweetie. So...this time I was bound to give this kid a name we liked, regardless of the potential for irony. So...for now...we have settled on Andrew Lee...and we will call him Drew. We are well aware that Andrew Jackson was a President. However, he is not the first and will not be the last Andrew Jackson in this world following the President. And I REALLY like the name Drew. It was one of my first choices and we kind of sidelined it because of the President thing. But, after going through numerous baby books and not having anything jump out at me, it really wasn't worth the worry to find a name that we liked better. So...there it is. For now. Who knows what tomorrow brings.

Assume the Position

Well...for a solid week now I have been battling a sore back. I attributed most of the problem to lugging around some extra baby weight and taking 3 kids all over town to 4 or 5 different stores last week in a matter of 3 hours. By the time I got home from that adventure, my back was tired and a little stiff. When I got up the following morning, it had hardened and I knew I was in for a few days of stiffness. There's only so much Tylenol can do and muscle relaxation is not on the top of its list. For the first time yesterday morning I could get up and move around without a 10 minute stretch session just out of bed...which I happily welcomed. I spent most of the day doing the daily things I do, including the endless cleaning up of the playroom and various toys scattered around the house from 3 happily playing children. In doing so, I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees. And by night's end, I realized I had not felt the baby move much that day. What I did notice was that I felt every bit of 9 months pregnant at a mere 24 weeks and if my stomach could have popped last night, it would have. Everything was so tight and hard. When I finally layed down to rest..I was anxiously awaiting all the fun kicks and prods I usually have on the sides of my stomach from this little being inside of me (which we still have no name for!!). And to my surprise, they were no longer on the sides of my stomach. I was getting kicked in the ribs. And, when I woke up this morning there wasn't one twinge of any pain whatsoever. So...in my professional, pregnancy opinion, I think the baby has finally decided he needed more room and chose to turn himself south. And that I am quite thankful for...it has given me some much needed relief. Now, I realize it is still very early and the baby could choose to flip and move however much he wants to between now and whenever he arrives, but I am thankful for the time being that I have some relief of the pain I had. And maybe now he'll have a little more room to wiggle.

A Doctor's Appointment and 24 weeks

Well...this has been an eventful week. 24 weeks is a big one...VIABILITY!!! Yeah!!! That's always good news to hear. If the baby should decide to come early, the chances of survival increases greatly after this week and continue to climb steadily as the pregnancy continues. The baby has gained about 4 ounces in one week and is about 12 inches long...the length of an ear of corn. He is still very skinny and his skin is translucent, but that will all be changing over the next several weeks as he begins to put on the weight and fill in with all that baby fat. He face is fully developed and looks like it will at birth. His eyes are still tightly closed, but they will open soon.

As for the doctor visit, it was very quick and simple...just a measure and a heart rate. My belly is measuring right on track...23 cm and the heart rate has dropped significantly. He was down to 140 beats per minute this week...which is typical for a baby boy. This was the first appointment the girls got to go to. They really enjoyed hearing the heartbeat. And because Kelsey is having a baby girl when we have our baby boy, she asked if she could hear her baby's heart beat. So, the doctor willingly obliged. Kelsey layed on the table and pulled up her shirt. The doctor put some of that cold cream on her belly and put the doppler on her tummy. So cute...but not something we want to see again for a LONG TIME!!! Kelsey got to hear her baby's heartbeat (her own, really) and she was all smiles.

As for me, I am still nursing a sore back. I tweaked it last Wednesday while I was out running errands with all the kids. I'm sure it's just from being tired, carrying extra weight (which I have not gained a lot of!!) and doing some extra lifting to help get Jackie's house ready for her baby. I thought it would be gone by now as it usually only takes a day or 2 to work itself out. But, with no meds to help relax the muscles and the baby laying on my back all the time, I guess it takes a little longer. I just hope it goes away soon. I don't like waking up in the morning and not being able to move how I want, as quickly as I'd like. After an hour or so, it's still there, but it's loose enough to move, so I ignore it and go on. If nothing else...it will go away once this baby arrives...only 112 days left!!

23 Weeks

The baby is getting bigger and bigger...and so am I. I am ready for a record breaking weight gain this week at the Dr.'s office on Friday. I think the most I ever gained in 4 weeks was 8 lbs. with the girls. And, I am sure I am close with this one.

This week the baby is the size of a large mango and weighs a little more than a pound. He is about 11 inches long and he can hear all the different things going on in the outside world. He can hear the dog barking and the vacuum cleaner. He can even hear music and feel me sway with the beat. The baby is squirming all over the place and it is lots of fun to feel him move around.

It's hard to believe that after our appointment this week, we'll start setting up appointments for every 2 weeks. Can't believe we've almost reached that milestone already. This baby is coming faster than I had imagined and there is so much left to do...paint the room, bring up all the baby stuff from the basement and get it cleaned up and ready for number 3, find lots of cute clothes and blankets for our sweet boy to stay warm in, and, of course, prepare the girls for the shock of their life. Either way...it's getting closer and we get more excited with every day!!

Registering for Baby Jackson

I think yesterday was one of the first times it hit me that we are going to have a boy instead of a girl. We spent the afternoon at Babies R Us registering for our little arrival and all I could see was BLUE!!! And, it's been so long since we've had to do this, that there are so many things we forgot about. We forgot how overwhelming it can be to go to a huge store filled with baby stuff and try to figure out what you need. We forgot how long it takes to actually do it...even with a list. We learned that, even with a list, there are still tons of things on the shelves that you see and forget you need. And more times than not, I found myself going back to the same sections I'm used to shopping in...the pink sections!! After realizing I wasn't in the right section, I found my way to the boys' section and was really quite disappointed. The clothes for boys are NOWHERE near as cute as the things for girls. So...I'm going to have to find a way to keep our little one cute as a button some other way.

The fun part of registering was bringing the girls. They really enjoyed using the UPC gun to register for stuff for their new baby brother. After it was all said and done, I had some deleting to do. Anyone who had seen the registry last night might have thought we were having triplets because we registered for 3 cribs!! After the newness wore off, Bo did a fabulous job keeping them entertained while I finished up. And, really, with the limited time we had, there was very little we forgot about. It's still amazing to me all the things newborns need and all the stuff that has changed since we have last done this. At the end of it all, the girls each left with a toy for the baby and we got the Baby's First Year Calendar to hang in the room.