Monday, June 20, 2011

Baby Update - Week 35

Today, I am officially 35 weeks (plus two days) pregnant! Here's what's been going on over the past week...

Week 35 Highlights
On Tuesday, I went in for an OB check. Baby looks and sounds good, but this belly of mine is still measuring a little big - we are going to go ahead and get an ultrasound at my next appointment so we can measure Baby and get a good estimate of his size.

Thursday was my first day of orientation for residency! I am one of twelve new pediatric interns starting at Creighton, UNMC, and Children's Hospital on July 1st - wish me luck! :)

On Friday, I completed a two-day course called Pediatric Advanced Life Support. I am now PALS certified, which means that I've been trained in how to resuscitate a child or infant in cardiac arrest, respiratory distress/failure, or shock.

Saturday was our maternity photo session! We are so excited to show you our pictures, and they should be available to view before Baby arrives!

Sunday was Father's Day, and we got to see both dads, Joe's and mine! It was such a fun day, and would you believe that Baby got his daddy a Father's Day present? A toy hammer with a card that said, "Dad, you can play with this toy until it's my turn. Only because you are the best." :)

This week in development
Baby weighs as much as a honeydew melon (over five pounds now - we'll find out how much for sure on Friday!)

Fat accounts for about 15% of his weight now (compared to a few months ago when it was 2% of his weight)

His kidneys are fully developed now!

How's Mom doing?
I'm doing well! Going to residency orientation every day hasn't been too hard to adjust to, and I'm grateful for the transition into the real deal, even though I'm only expecting to work a few weeks before Baby arrives. I'm a little anxious to have this next ultrasound and find out if the doctor recommends an earlier delivery. One thing that I'm noticing lately (especially today) - this baby is getting long or he just likes to be all stretched out! He has been wedging himself under my rib cage which makes it difficult for me to sit or lean forward very much at all.

How's Dad doing?
"Good." Joe enjoyed spending some time at the lake this weekend, and he and his brothers were able to finish building a new dock for their parents. Tomorrow, he's looking forward to going to the College World Series!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Baby Update - Week 34

Today, I am officially 34 weeks (plus two days) pregnant! Here's what's been going on over the past week...

Week 34 Highlights
Dad and I toured the hospital where we're going to deliver - this is all starting to feel very real!

I spent Tuesday in Lincoln where I got to meet Baby's future buddy, Garret McGill, and spend time doing the summer thing with Grandma, Aunt Carly, and Aunt Kelsey (lunch at Olive Garden, shopping, and swimming).

On Friday, Dad, Baby and I went to an outdoor concert at Stir Concert Cove in Council Bluffs with Uncle Aaron, Aunt Amber, and our good friends Matt & Drea!

Saturday was a fun day - "Diapers & Beer" at our house (some friends came over to drink beer at our house, and the cover charge was diapers!).

Check out all the diapers and wipes we got! Thanks, everybody!

This week in development
Baby weighs as much as a cantaloupe (holy smokes, these are some big fruits we're talking about now!)

His testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to his scrotum (sorry, I know...)

He has reached an important benchmark now - babies born at 34 to 37 weeks, although early, may or may not require a short stay in the NICU and generally do as well as full-term babies provided that they don't have any other health problems

How's Mom doing?
Aside from a few mood swings and some occasional abdominal tightness/crampiness (can anyone tell me if this might be Braxton Hicks contractions?), I'm doing just fine! I am getting a little nervous about starting residency - orientation begins this Thursday, and my first official day is Friday, July 1st.

How's Dad doing?
He has been keeping busy with work! The diaper kegger was a lot of fun, and he wants to say a big "Thank you!" to everyone who came!

Uncle Pat, Joe, and Uncle Aaron

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Onesies for Baby

I have to share the game/activity from my recent baby shower! My sister-in-law Amber gets all the credit for this!

Onesies for Baby - What you will need:
  • Iron and ironing board (more than one of each, if they're available)
  • Lots of scissors
  • Onesies in a variety of colors and sizes (one per guest)
  • Fabric swatches in a variety of colors and patterns
  • Pens/pencils for drawing shapes on fabric
  • Iron-on adhesive tape
  • 1" Iron-on letters

Have your guests pick out a onesie and cut shapes from as many fabric swatches as they want. 

They can personalize their onesie even more by adding words and phrases using the iron-on letters. 

Once everything's ready, iron adhesive tape onto the back of the fabric shapes, then iron the shapes onto the onesies according to the adhesive tape's instructions. (Tip: It also works to iron the adhesive tape onto the fabric BEFORE cutting the shapes.)

Read the instructions before doing the iron-on letters. Most will have you press the letters for 10-15 seconds, press again from the inside (or the back) of the onesie, and then wait for the letters to cool before removing the paper backing.

It's a fun idea to hang all of the finished onesies on a clothesline for everyone to see!


Aunt Mandy ironing letters on a black tank top

Pressing again from the back

Aunt Amber and Aunt Mandy with the finished product!

Here are the other great onesies that were made:

Kay's fish onesie

Pat's polka dot onesie

Kate and Donovan's bowtie onesie

Shirley's "Cove Kid" onesie

Wilma's airplane onesie

Liz's funny face onesie

Aunt Kelsey's muscle man onesie

Erica and Dylan's "Mr. McG" onesie

Aunt Carly's music note onesie

Grandma Williams's "Son" onesie


Mary Ann's "Smile Mon" onesie

Grandma Judy's "Grandma's Boy" onesie

Look at all of the cute onesies!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Baby Update - Week 33

Today, I am officially 33 weeks (plus two days) pregnant! Here's what's been going on over the past week...

Week 33 Highlights
Aunt Kelsey came to visit! We spent some time just hanging out and running errands around town. We also planted some flowers and went shopping. On Thursday, Kelsey got to go to my doctor's appointment with me and hear Baby's heartbeat!

Uncle Aaron (Joe's brother) and Aunt Amber found out that they're having a BOY! We couldn't be happier for them, and we are also very excited for our sons to play together - it's going to be lots of fun! :)

These bellies are cousins!
Dad had a busy couple of days (Omaha Stormchasers game, Habitat for Humanity, and some plumbing business to attend to in our basement), so I spent some time with his family this weekend.

On Saturday, my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law threw me a baby shower! I owe them a big thank you - it was a lot of fun, the food was great, I got to spend time with good friends, and I got some really wonderful gifts! Thanks to everyone who came!

My mother-in-law (Judy) and I at the McGregor baby shower
Later that afternoon, I got to watch my nephew Pete play in his first ever tee-ball game! We got some fun pictures:

This is my nephew Pete (he is 6 years old)

Uncle Aaron coaching Pete on running the bases

Pete's first time at bat

He is a very helpful first baseman (notice the finger point)

Post-game Caprisun makes it all worth it!
Dad and I reunited on Sunday night and went on a date - it was nice!

This week in development
Baby weighs as much as a pineapple (more than 4 pounds now)

He's getting better at differentiating between night and day as the uterine walls are becoming thinner

His immune system is pretty much in working order now - with the help of antibodies from Mom, he should be able to protect himself against mild infections

How's Mom doing?
This week has been a little tougher, as I've started to realize that the fun and easy part of this pregnancy may be coming to an end. I still love being pregnant, but I am feeling bigger, more awkward, and less comfortable every day - I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel six weeks from now. This week, I have stopped counting forward and started counting backward - seven weeks to go!

How's Dad doing?
"Good." Dad spent a lot of time working outside in the heat, so he has been trying to get some rest when he can. He was very excited to find out that his brother is also expecting a baby boy!

Belly Pic - Week 33

Sorry about the lapse in belly pics! Here's the latest: