8 Weeks Left....

That's right, only 8 weeks until Baby Girl Schaab's due date! It seems that we have SO MUCH to do in the next 8 weeks!

Baby Girl Schaab weighs about 4 pounds and is about 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in Caroline's uterus. Baby Girl Schaab will gain about 1/2 a pound a week for the next 7 weeks. She'll gain about a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survial outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. About 80% of babies at this point have settled in a head-down position (vertex) by now, and most of the remaining 20% will do the same over the next 6+ weeks. Baby girl Schaab was head down last time we were at the doctor. When we go on Friday we'll have to check and see if that's where she still is!

Baby Girl Schaab's energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. Baby Girl Schaab is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though they don't necessarily coincide with Caroline's. Also, this month, all five senses are fully functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments (Thanks The Bump for the fabulous info!).

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes: yup - and I love them!

Sleep: I dream about the night I'll get a full night of sleep. It's hard getting comfortable in bed on top of having to get up a few times at night. Baby Schaab also seems to want to kick a lot when I'm up in the middle of the night, making it a little more challenging to fall back asleep.

Best Moment this Week: Soaking up the Marco Island Sun! I also enjoyed shopping with my mom for baby stuff as well as talking all things baby with her by the pool. Apparently, I was sleeping through the night by 6 weeks old! I only hope we are as lucky!

Movement: She loves to move around! It staring to increase more and more. My mom actually felt her move at the pool! My belly has also been moving around a ton... where you can see it from the outside!

Food Cravings: Moose Tracks Ice Cream - which sadly they don't sell in Florida. I also am craving gummi bears!

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: We are into single digits on weeks left until the baby comes!

What I'm looking forward to: Our first baby class is on Tuesday. The class is called Caring for Newborns. Although Mike and I are not idiots, we felt this would be a great class to soak up some newborn knowledge.

Here's the class description: This essential two-part series will help new parents gain confidence by focusing on the physical, emotional and developmental needs of newborns.

Session 1: "Baby Care Basics" is "a must" for first-time parents. In this hands-on class, you'll learn the basics of caring for your newborn including bathing, diaper-changing, cord care, circumcision care, temperature-taking and signs of illness.

Session 2: "Understanding Your Newborn," a registered nurse and/or physician will discuss behavior and appearance of the newborn. Topics include: infant development, normal sleep/wake patterns, promoting healthy sleep habits, temperament/normal newborn fussiness and soothing strategies. Typical hospital procedures and how to choose a pediatrician will also be discussed.

This will be our first visit to Evanston Hospital as well, and we are very excited! We'll be heading there a few times this month to prepare for Baby Schaab's arrival!

Just Add Baby...

My Mom took me to a fabulous baby store yesterday called All About April in Naples, FL. It was a pretty fancy store, and there were lots of super cute baby clothes. We picked out a beautiful coming home outfit that is just gorgeous!

I know it's hard to tell from the pictures, but there is some sparkle in the pink flowers and such and the fabric is so soft! It's hard to imagine that there will be a cute baby girl in there soon!

We also picked out another fun outfit...

Hopefully this super cute headband will fit her head! This is a super cute outfit for summer.

Thanks mom for a fun outing!

9 weeks left...

Some interesting things to think about this week... Baby Schaab will start kindergarten in 2015, be old enough to drive a car in 2026, finish high school in 2028, and will graduate from college with the class of 2032, give or take a year.

We had a successful doctor's appointment this Friday... first of all clearing Caroline to fly to Marco Island this week! Secondly, Caroline hasn't gained any weight since last time, which is okay because the baby is back to measuring on the big side - a little over a week ahead! They'll keep a close eye on this however the doctor's are not concerned. Baby Schaab's heartbeat was strong and right on track. She is currently in the head down position, which is good because it prepares her for birth and allows blood to flow to her developing brain. We went over signs of labor, as that is becoming a close reality! We also talked about my "birth plan" and what to expect at the hospital. I go to the doctor again on Good Friday, and we'll check to make sure everything is still going well! Once I hit week 36, I'll start visiting the OB every week, instead of every other week. I also found out that my favorite OB (who I haven't seen in FOREVER it seems (or December) is expecting a little boy 2 weeks after me... hopefully she'll still be around when Baby Girl Schaab is ready to come! If not, Dr. Dillon and Dr. Shaw are fine too and I've really enjoyed getting to know them. I've just known Dr. Ashby a lot longer!

This week Baby Girl Schaab is about 16 inches long and weighs between 3 1/2 - 4 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's moving a lot too, and sometimes the baby's kicks and somersaults wake Mommy Caroline awake! All of this moving is a sign is active and healthy. (Thanks Baby Center for the fabulous info!).

Baby Girl Schaab's energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. Baby Girl Schaab is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though they don't necessarily coincide with Caroline's. Also, this month, all five senses are fully functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments (Thanks The Bump for the fabulous info!).

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes: yup - and I love them! This week I'll be rocking the maternity swim suit...

Sleep: Still getting up a few times... but it's hard finding a comfortable position! It's hard to move the baby belly around on top of Baby Schaab likes to move a lot in the middle of the night.

Best Moment this Week: Booking our last trip to Marco Island before the baby comes - Mike and I are heading out this week! I'm leaving this morning and Mike's flying down after work on Wednesday night. Baby Schaab starts moving around and kicking any time I talk about it!

Movement: Baby Schaab is still a very active little girl, however her kicks are becoming a little less frequent, but a LOT harder... most likely because things are getting a little cramped in there. I also really enjoy feeling the hiccups that happen every so often. *KNOCK ON WOOD* - we haven't had any issues with hitting our kick counts on a daily basis, still in the morning and before bed. It seems like she likes to kick the most however in the middle of the night, making it hard to fall back asleep after going to the bathroom!

Food Cravings: Moose Tracks Ice Cream, Peaches, and Oranges. No worries - NOT AT THE SAME TIME. When I'm hungry, I'm having a hard time deciding what to eat... I just know that I want to eat - I might be driving Mike and anyone else I eat with nuts.

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions here and there...

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: We are into single digits on weeks left until the baby comes!

What I'm looking forward to: Going to Marco Island to meet up with my parents! I'm glad that I'll be able to relax in the sun for the week... and try to squeeze in some homework here and there too (I'm not looking forward to that part). I haven't seen my mom in about a month... I wonder if she'll notice a difference in my belly... especially since last week I was told that I look "really pregnant" now.

Week 30- EEK!

70 days and counting... We can hardly wait! One thing I don't mention below is something we started to do to get the dogs ready for baby... we bought a baby doll. You might be thinking - why or that sounds silly, however, we want the dogs to get used to us caring for a baby and start training them how to act around the baby. Our "pretend little girl" met the dogs for the first time on Saturday, however did not get to see her today. We are going to introduce her a little by little and see how they do... Summer was very interested on Saturday - especially when Mike was holding her. Wrigley took a sniff then went and chilled out across the room and watched. I'll keep you posted on training!

Another fabulous thing this week is a very generous yoga teacher who teaches the class after my Wednesday night class gave me a Graco travel system with two car seat bases. This will come in handy with our other travel system because they both work the same and have the same bases... That way we'll have an extra stroller for when the baby visits other people too! How exciting and THANK YOU JENNY GLICK!

This week Baby Girl Schaab is about 16 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but the volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in Caroline's uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond in changes in light but will have 20/400 vision - which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face (Thanks Baby Center for the fabulous info!).

Baby Girl Schaab's energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. Baby Girl Schaab is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though they don't necessarily coincide with Caroline's. Also, this month, all five senses are fully functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments (Thanks The Bump for the fabulous info!).

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: yup - and I love them!

Sleep: Still getting up a few times... but it's hard finding a comfortable position! It's hard to move the baby belly around!

Best Moment this Week: This week I had a few... First off, last Monday night, Baby Girl Schaab had the hiccups for over 1/2 an hour! I was lying down to do kick counts before bed, and all of the sudden I felt this dull constant "kicking feeling"... then I got a big kick on the other side of my belly... then I realized after this continued for a good five minutes that it must be hiccups! It lasted over a half an hour and was just too cool.

On Wednesday night at pre-natal yoga, we were doing our relaxation at the end of class where we are curled up on our left sides in the fetal position... once I got comfortable Baby Girl Schaab started doing "karate chops" where I was feeling sharp kicks/punches on both sides of my stomach while my stomach moved! It was the first time I really felt uncomfortable from a kick, however I couldn't believe how much my belly moved.

Saturday, playing with the Tefka twins and getting mommy advice from Karyn. I had a blast with Addison and Paige (Matt, Karyn, & Tauntie Elyse too) and can't get over how cute they are!

Movement: LOTS! Most in the morning when I wake up and right before I go to sleep. Some of them are pretty strong and my belly is moving more and more with some of these kicks. I also was instructed to do kick counts, where basically when I wake up and before I go to sleep, I need to lie down and count how many times the baby kicks in a hour. She needs to kick at least 10 times in an hour... usually it takes her less than 10 minutes (knock on wood) to get all of her kicks in. I haven't had to eat a snack and walk around because she's always made 10! Way to go Baby Girl Schaab.


Food Cravings: Moose Tracks Ice Cream - Baby Girl Schaab needs her calcium.

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions here and there...

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: The Hiccups! Read more above!

What I'm looking forward to: Mike and I's "meeting each other" anniversary on Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day. We also learn our fate on moving into the house on Walnut hopefully on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us! We would LOVE to bring our Baby Girl home to this wonderful house!!!

Week 29

Today marks the beginning of week 29! Time really seems to be flying by - only 77 days until Baby Girl Schaab's due date! We had a pretty low key week with a lot of kicking, a lot of heartburn, and a relaxing weekend. I also found out that I'll be able to finish my masters degree online with two classes left - one to get my administration certificate, and the other one to complete my second masters degree! I was really worried about missing class depending on when the baby comes so this option is going to be perfect... so as of last Thursday, I'm officially done going to class! :) Now I just need to finish the two classes from the comfort of my couch.

Here's what's going on this week according to www.babycenter.com:
Our baby now weighs between 2 1/2 -3 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, Mommy Caroline needs to eat plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, Mommy Caroline needs to drink lots of milk. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited into Baby Schaab's hardening skeleton each day.

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain: +18 pounds - however this I'm sure will go up as I have a doctor's appointment today.

Maternity Clothes: yup - and I love them!

Sleep: Getting up more frequently to try and get comfortable and the baby woke me up with some strong kicks this week! It's also becoming more difficult to get out of bed due to the size of my belly.

Best Moment this Week:

Movement: Oh yes, she is quite active, however has performance anxiety. Whenever we try to get her to move for someone to feel, she stays pretty stationary.

Food Cravings: Jarred Peaches and Moose Tracks Ice Cream - no, not together.Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: I had some Braxton Hicks contractions this week... which was an interesting feeling...

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Not having heartburn on a daily basis.

Milestones: Experiencing my first Braxton Hicks contractions.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing my buddy Dr. Ashby today and seeing how the baby is doing!

Week 28

Here is what Baby Girl Schaab is up to this week according to www.babycenter.com:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

If you're interested in what the dad's guide to pregnancy says about size this month click here.

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 18.0 lbs. - Mike and I have determined that our scale at home is broken, and I'll be going my the doctor's office scale until the end of the pregnancy - then we'll buy a new one. Since I have to go every other week, I feel like we'll be in good shape... I knew that I had gained more weight than my scale had let on...

Maternity clothes? Yes and loving them - however I'm not loving that I had to buy my third set of new bras this weekend due to the pregnancy... Thankfully, the ladies at Intimacy are so wonderful... otherwise I might cry.

Sleep: Getting up a few times a night... nothing too exciting. Naps were a must on both Saturday and Sunday... Wrigley loved the company!

Best moment this week: There were a lot! Seeing our little girl in 3D/4D was amazing... and watching her move around - just priceless! I'm so glad we did it. There are some pics at the bottom, or you can click on the pictures scrolling to the left to see the whole album. The DVD was in a weird format that we couldn't upload to You Tube or the blog, but Mike was able to put it on Facebook. If you click here, you can access it (if you have Facebook). It was also pretty funny yesterday, while I was lounging on the couch my belly started going nuts... which I could see from the outside! I also was relieved that I passed my gestational diabetes test... very exciting! Also, instead of going to the bar to T.G.I.F. this week, some of my buddies and I went to Oberweis for shakes... blissful!

Movement: Her movements are becoming more frequent now and stronger. When I was reading at church, of course the kicks started getting stronger in the middle of my reading... She must of liked my voice in the microphone.

Food cravings: Moose Tracks Ice Cream and Oberweis Milkshakes...

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: Not yet.

Belly Button in or out? In... getting more shallow ever day... Barb says it's not going to pop though after close examination.

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without feeling awkward... it's becoming a challenge

Milestones: I had to pre-register at the hospital this week as well as I received labor instructions at my doctor's appointment - a little scary to be quite honest. It makes it all the more real that the baby is coming! I also need to start seeing the doctor every other week now... I believe until 36 weeks, when I'll start going every week. We also found a great pediatrics practice for Baby Girl Schaab and enjoyed meeting some of the staff and doctors there.

What I am looking forward to:
Staring our baby classes. We signed up to take Infant Basics, Infant CPR, a hospital tour, & a breastfeeding class. We start these at the end of March, but I'm pretty excited about it.

Moving! I can't wait to get into the new house and set up the baby's nursery... which we visited yesterday. Sadly our closing is being delayed by the seller's, but keep your fingers crossed everything gets resolved this week and we set a new closing date. We've also had a few people come through our house... and we keep praying to St. Joseph who is buried outside our house. I just can't wait to get in there and make Baby Girl Schaab's house a home!