Monday, April 26, 2010

28 days to go!

It's been a REALLY BUSY WEEK PACKING!!! I don't have a ton to say this week, as I'm exhausted. Therefore, I promise to write more next week and post pictures of Baby Schaab's new digs!

So what is going on with Baby Girl Schaab
? According to Baby Center Baby Girl Schaab is still packing on the pounds - at the rate of about an ounce a day. She know weights about 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine- month amniotic bath. She swallows both of the substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, which will form contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Baby Girl Schaab will be considered full term!

The Bump says... Baby Girl Schaab’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through Mommy Caroline's (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies (she loves ROCKABYE BABY )! Growth (at least inside Caroline's womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month (and she is).
How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain: 28 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes... and some of those are getting iffy! This belly is huge!

Sleep: Lots of getting up ... My heavy belly makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep in a comfortable position. That baby also loves kicking and punching my bladder.

Best Moment this Week: Finding out that my blood pressure has come back down a little - but I still need to take it easy.

Movement: LOTS! More of the baby nudging and shifting... then some random violent kicks!

Food Cravings: CULVERS! I love the frozen custard - whatever the flavor of the day is! :) I'm also still hooked on smooties.

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs:
A LOT more Braxton Hicks contractions - these are coming more frequently... which means my body is getting ready for the baby to come out! These were especially active today when I was trying to help pack - and only stopped when I did. The baby's head is also still facing down.

Belly Button in or out? In - which is where I think it is staying.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably. Luckily the swelling hasn't been too bad.

Milestones: I went to a breastfeeding class and learned different "techniques" for feeding once the baby arrives. We also moved in with Mimi Barb and Pop Pop Len. We'll start really setting up the nursery this week which is really exiting. It's hard to believe that as of Tuesday, Church St. will no longer be ours. Mike and I are excited to be "home" where they baby will come. We're going to continue looking for houses, as our Walnut deal is officially off. Everything happens for a reason and our dream house is out there! :)

What I'm looking forward to: Moving and setting up the nursery!

Monday, April 19, 2010

35 weeks pregnant... 5 weeks to go... 35 days left...

So we're getting in the "home stretch" here... good thing that there is no lack of activity going on preparing for our little girl to arrive! This past Saturday Mommy to be Caroline had a very busy day. First, I visited my buddy Dr. Ashby for my bi-weekly check-up. Weight looked good, baby's heartbeat was strong (she was not too happy a first since Dr. Ashby was poking her so she started moving around - which was reflected in her heartbeat), but my blood pressure was higher than Dr. Ashby would like to see it. As I tried to defend myself, we have a lot going on, which I'm sure is contributing to my high blood pressure...

Mike and I are officially moving next weekend, however we are not moving into a new house, we're moving in with Len and Barb! The super nice man who is buying our house, takes possession a week from tomorrow... so we're working on getting our house all packed up in a PODS that's being delivered tomorrow. We are going to continue on the house hunt, but at least we won't be homeless!

I also took my principal's certification test on Saturday. This 125 question test was the last thing I wanted to do, however, I figured it would be better to get it done before the baby comes. Sadly, I had an interesting gentleman behind me who loved to talk, sing, whistle, tap... and I thought the most distracting thing was going to be the baby lying on/punching my bladder! Hopefully I passed so I don't have to sit through it again!

This week, with packing and my final internship meeting with my University Supervisor and my principal - I have plenty to keep us busy. I'm exited to be moving, but even more excited to get a room ready for Baby Girl Schaab! We cleaned one out this weekend at my mom's house, so now it's just time to set it up and put all of her stuff away... I can't wait!

So what is going on with Baby Girl Schaab? According to Baby Center our baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/2 pounds. Because it's she's snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

The Bump says... Baby Girl Schaab’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through Mommy Caroline's (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies (she loves ROCKABYE BABY - COLDPLAY)! Growth (at least inside Caroline's womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.
How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain: 26 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes... and I purchased two nursing bras this week!

Sleep: Lots of getting up and lots of kicking baby... My heavy belly makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep in a comfortable position.

Best Moment this Week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat and how it changed when we were moving her! I also enjoyed another shower this weekend given by some of my team mates from school - amazing food! Also, Mike set up the Pack and Play Bassinette, which helps us visualize where the baby will sleep once she's born. It was a challenge getting all of the pieced together but Mike did a fabulous job!

Movement: Yup - she loves my ribs and the left side of my body.

Food Cravings: Smoothies!

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs:
A LOT more Braxton Hicks contractions - these are coming more frequently... which means my body is getting ready for the baby to come out! I think we might have to start timing them... The baby's head is also facing down, which Dr. Ashby says is a great sign!

Belly Button in or out? In - which is where I think it is staying.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably and having ankles at the end of the day. Luckily, my "cankles" only come sometimes, however they are really nasty.... I hope I don't have the swollen looking feet too much in the next five weeks. I'm sure to put my feet up and ice my ankles at nighttime.

Milestones: Caroline learned about infant safety and how to do CPR on an infant. Mike had to deal with a "minor gas emergency" after our inspection, so he'll make up this class with Mimi Barb in June after the baby arrives.

What I'm looking forward to: Moving and setting up the nursery!

Monday, April 12, 2010

6 weeks to go!

Cupcakes made by one of my students and milk! YUM!

6 weeks to go...

It's hard to believe that time keeps ticking faster and faster, and that we'll be meeting our little girl before we know it! This week was a super busy week for us as we had lots going on with our house and getting ready for the baby. On Saturday, we went to tour Evanston Hospital and learn where the baby will be delivered and the process once we get to the hospital. We also go to see the nursery and where we'll be staying once the baby is born. It was lots of fun! We also had our baby shower yesterday. I can't even believe to tell you how blessed we (Baby Girl Schaab included) are. We received so many fabulous gifts, I think the baby can come now! Looking around at the shower to see just a fraction of how many people care about our daughter is really moving. Thank you to everyone who helped out with the shower to make it a fabulous success!





Well... What's going on with the baby?
Baby Center says... This week Baby Girl Schaab almost weighs 5 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers - which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born - are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

The Bump says... Baby Girl Schaab’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through Mommy Caroline's (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside Caroline's womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.
How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes... now I'm starting to look at nursing clothes, bras, and P.J.s

Sleep: Lots of getting up and lots of kicking baby... My heavy belly makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep in a comfortable position.

Best Moment this Week: Our baby shower was simply fabulous as I mentioned above. Mike and I were equally excited to attend (no joke) and it was so amazing how generous our family and friends are. Baby Girl Schaab is going to be one spoiled little princess! I also enjoyed all of my favorite foods at the shower!

Movement: She is one active little girl! She's been doing a lot more moving/nudging in addition to her kicking.

Food Cravings: Smoothies!

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs:
A LOT more Braxton Hicks contractions - these are coming more frequently... which means my body is getting ready for the baby to come out! I think we might have to start timing them...

Belly Button in or out? In - which is where I think it is staying.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: We had our first baby shower and went on our hospital tour.

What I'm looking forward to: I am hoping this week we might find out where Baby Girl Schaab might be calling home! We are trying to stay positive with all of the real estate madness... however, as my attorney pointed out, "The greatest Man that ever lived was born in a manger". So I guess getting a nursery set up isn't as important as my nesting instinct is telling me it is! :) We are also taking Infant CPR this week and visiting Dr. Ashby on Saturday. I'm pretty excited about all of these exciting things happening!

Monday, April 5, 2010

7 weeks to go... That's only 49 days!

Three generations... Grandpa, me, Baby Girl Schaab, & GrandmaSo week 33... only 7 weeks to go! This week was a pretty busy baby week for Mike & I! We went to our first baby class on Tuesday night at Evanston hospital. What a beautiful place!


In our Baby Basics class we learned some very basic things like diapering, swaddling, taking care of the umbilical cord, bathing, etc. We practice on our baby boy above. We also learned some important information about SIDS as well as signs of illnesses in a newborn. This 2 1/2 hour first session was very informative and Mike and I left feeling a little more confident as parents... we're excited for the next session of this class which is at the end of the month. We went on the mad hunt for onesies with mittens attached after this class, and luckily Mimi Barb found them at Target after Mike & I struck out online.

I didn't have to work on Friday, which worked out nice because I had to visit the doctor. We talked a little more about my birth plan as well as how the baby was doing. Heartbeat is good and her head is still down. Everything is still looking nice and healthy and our little girl is still measuring a little on the bigger side... we see Dr. Ashby in two weeks to make sure everything's still on track.

My mom and I ventured to Lazar's Juvenille Furniture on Friday after having some issues with the Pottery Barn Crib and delivery... We picked out a beautiful set (no worries - Mike's opinion was available due to picture texting). The set came with a crib and a dresser that we'll also use as a changing table. Of course, we have different bedding (Daisy Garden from Pottery Barn). We also choose not to buy the second dresser on the right... for now at least! :) I'm really excited about this beautifully made sturdy furniture that will sleep Baby Girl Schaab! I also LOVED Lazar's and hope to visit there again! We'll have it delivered as soon as we figure out where we'll be setting up the nursery...


Yesterday, Mike & I (with the helpful observations and help of Mimi & Pop Pop) installed the car seat. The next step is going to get it checked at the police department to make sure we installed it correctly. It's kind of crazy driving around with it in the back knowing that in not too long there will be a baby in there! Mike also put the stroller together, which is also now traveling in my trunk. Check out the process...


Mike found that his beer fit perfect in the cup holder! :) He and my dad were joking there was room for each of the beers and then room on the bottom for a cooler and empties. Those boys are so funny...


Since so many people love Baby Girl Schaab already, I decided it was time to start washing some baby clothes... mainly just the onesies. After I detagged and destickered everything, I realized that the Dreft I had was not for HD washing machines (Wrigley used to get his stuff washed in the special detergent - clearly we hadn't used it in awhile). :( I'll be running to Target after work today to pick some up.

Well... What's going on with the baby?

Baby Center says... This week Baby Girl Schaab is a little over 4 1/2 pounds and has passed the 17 inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

The Bump says... Baby Girl Schaab’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through Mommy Caroline's (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside Caroline's womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.
How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: yup - and I love them! I wore a new Target Easter dress today too! Check out the pic with Grandma & Grandpa!

Sleep: Lots of getting up and lots of kicking baby...

Best Moment this Week: There were so many to choose from! I loved baby class, loved picking out furniture in person, and was excited that we got the car seat installed! We may not have a nursery yet, however, at least we can bring the baby home!

Movement: Libby got kicked finally! Baby Girl Schaab kicked her ear and then her hand on Friday. She's still pretty active, however she's discovered my ribs... not a feeling that is very comfortable.

Food Cravings: Pancake House Skillets and Smoothies!

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs:
Braxton Hicks contractions - these are coming more frequently... which means my body is getting ready for the baby to come out! Her head is also down, which is a good thing too!

Belly Button in or out? In - which is where I think it is staying.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Milestones: Car seat installed! Laundry almost started...

What I'm looking forward to: We are going on a tour of Evanston Hospital's Labor and Delivery unit on Saturday. I'm also so excited for my baby shower this Sunday! It will be great to see all the friends and family that care about Baby Girl Schaab!