31 weeks...and a name reveal!!!

Hey everyone! So we only had to wait 3 weeks from the last appointment to have another one--that's why I am posting at 31 weeks (kind of random) instead of 32. And we are now on a schedule to see Dr. New every 2 weeks--so our next couple of posts will be on ODD weeks. The appointment went well--nothing too exciting to report! But I will update anyway-this is where we are at 31 weeks (and a few days):



Baby's stats: So as of today, I am 31 weeks and 4 days along--so we have 8 weeks and 3 days (technically) left. The baby could be up to 19 inches long (by now you my theory on how "long" our baby will be) and weigh up to 3.9 pounds. I feel gigantic, so maybe he does weigh that much!! He's a "head of lettuce" this week. According to Dr. New, his femur measured at 32 weeks the day of our appointment which was 31 weeks and 2 days. So for two appointments in a row, his femur has measured about 5 days ahead (I hope that means he wants to come a few days earlier than his due date!!).

Development: His digestive system is getting close to being ready for something other than sucking up amniotic fluid! He's also depositing more and more fat under his skin, so he'll be nice and "fluffy" at birth! Something that's exciting to me, is that the neural pathways in his brain are developing more and more quickly these days (I'm such a nerd), and he can now perceive information from ALL 5 SENSES!!! He could also be sucking his thumb (or fist), though we haven't caught him doing that on a sonogram yet.

Weight Gain: I'm thinking somewhere around 20-21 pounds at this point. And let me tell you something, I feel EVERY pound of it!!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Nothing super new these days. Still having lots of back pain!! I wake up almost every night because of my heartburn/reflux--but Dr. New told me to start taking Zantac to help with that, so we'll see! It is getting a little more challenging to get up and down from the floor each day at work! And the worst part of my back pain is that it is at its worst when I'm sitting down (in ANY position), which makes trying to sit down and get ahead on my documentation REALLY challenging! The newest thing, is that I have to pee ALLLLLL of the time these days--like seriously, I lose count around 8-10x/day. UGH!!! But, good news is that my sinuses have cleared up a little bit-which is a huge answer to prayer!! Oh, I just remembered one other symptom: I HAVE CANKLES!!! OMG--they are ridiculous!! Some days are better than others (ie. if I actually prop them up and drink an appropriate amount of water), but seriously--it hurts to take the first few steps in the morning because there is just too much fluid down there!

Cravings: Nothing new in the past couple of weeks! Milk, Rainbow Sherbet, Blueberries, Pretzels and Dr. Pepper---what an assortment!!

Belly Button: So long innie, HELLO outtie!! My little belly button is officially NOT little and NOT an innie these days! Startling fact I learned this past week: I can push my outtie in and it will disappear for a few seconds--I have to push out really hard and it eventually pops back out! WEIRD!

Baby's position: This is a new topic and one that I am requesting prayer over: our sweet little boy is currently breeched! Good news is: this explains part of the reason why I have to pee all of the time and why I can't ever seem to catch my breath. On our sonogram, his head was tucked right under my ribs and he was sitting square on top of my bladder! Dr. New said that at this point 1/3 of all babies are still sitting in the breeched position, so not to worry yet!! He said it isn't a big deal until we get about 4 weeks out! I am not worried at all right now, because I feel him moving around so much, but I definitely would prefer him head-down before it gets to the point of worry! So I am asking for prayer that sometime in the next 2-4 weeks, our little man will flip himself over!

And the finale: NAME!! We are excited to announce that our sweet little boy finally has an official name! It took a lot of thought, and a lot of prayer, and a lot of talking it out but we are proud to say that our son's name will be.............................

Jonah Porter Forbess

Porter is a family name: it's David's dad's middle name. The tradition in his family is that the boys are named after their grandfather! Jonah came partly because we just really like the name! I also have always liked the story of Jonah. I think that we almost ALL have a time when we know what the Lord is calling us to do and choose to run in the opposite direction. How sweet it is to know that God doesn't just let us run, but loves us enough to throw us into the belly of a whale until we figure out that his plan is better than ours!! So that is his name!!

And I will leave you with a picture from 31 weeks (and 3 days):

Please take time to note the size of my ankles--they're huge! And this is NOT at their worst! It's a pride issue with me (I used to think I had cute feet--sigh). Anyway, thanks for reading! If you can, post any comments on the actual blog instead of on facebook--I think it would be fun to be able to look back and see what people said along the way!! Thanks!!

28 Weeks

Here is a quick update from 28 weeks (ok, more like 29.5 weeks):

At our 28 week appointment, I had to undergo the infamous "glucose test" and have some blood work done! Good news is that I passed my glucose test with flying colors!! But I was a little on the anemic side, so I have to start taking an iron supplement every day--No Biggie!! My blood pressure was fine, and he said my weight was fine. So here's an update on the baby:

Stats: He could be up to 17 inches tall (again, I'm not getting my hopes up for an NBA star) and could weight up to 3 pounds. I will say, that Dr. New measured his femur to be 29 weeks when he was 28 weeks 2 days--so at least so far, he's not vertically challenged?? His heart rate has come down a little and was about 155 bpm this time.

Development: He is starting to deposit more fat underneath his skin, which means we're getting rid of that saggy skin and he's starting to look less like a scary skeleton, and more like a baby! He's big enough that his kicks, karate chops, and flips are much more apparent; and he's not big enough to have limited space...yet. Baby is also starting to actually hit the REM cycle during sleep, so maybe he's dreaming about how sweet and happy he's going to be?!?! Finally, it's important to note that if our sweet little boy were to be born from this point forward, he's got a really great chance of doing just fine!!

Weight Gain: my oh my...again, I can't say for sure because Dr. New and his nurse don't tell me how much I've gained, but I think I'm somewhere in the realm of 18 pounds??

Pregnancy Symptoms: Ok, keep in mind that I'm writing this a couple of weeks late--I'm just a couple of days away from being 30 weeks. But seriously, I am NOT one of those people who enjoys being pregnant!! I am DYING OVER HERE!!! Sometimes I think our sweet baby boy is trying to kill me from the inside out! I haven't been able to breathe out of my nose for basically 6.5 months. I wake up all of the time during the night because I can't breathe or I'm tangled up in that silly body pillow, my back hurts so bad that no position is comfortable AT ALL, and I have heartburn like no other. I've been on two rounds of antiobiotics for sinus infections and I am currently so stopped up, my ears pop when I swallow; if my ears aren't popping, then they are so stopped up that I can hear the swooshing of my pulse in my left ear; and I'm coughing up a lung. It's disgusting, really--miserable!!!! And I'm having to take a lot of different OTC meds which really stresses me out. BUT, THE BEST FEELING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD IS FEELING OUR SWEET BABY BOY FLIPPING AROUND IN MY BELLY!! And I can feel him A LOT now...little feet or elbows or fists pushing out on each side. It's so fun to just sit and watch him squirm around!

Cravings: I looooove a big glass of cold milk at night before I go to sleep and I've developed a taste for pretzels (which is weird for me). I still really enjoy my blueberries and vanilla yogurt in the morning. And unfortunately, I've been wanting a lot of Dr. Pepper lately--YIKES!! I'm trying not to give into that one very often!

Maternity Clothes: Thank goodness for the full belly panel in your jeans--that's all that I can say!! I have gotten QUITE the round belly lately and it doesn't fit into anything!! I'm anxious to find some cheap, but cute-duh, dresses for when it starts getting warmer!

Nursery and Name: Welllll, the bedding is in and currently in the crib-but I'll have to take it out and wash it when it gets a little closer. We have a slight issue with how the bumper fits in the crib, but we're working it out. We're almost done registering, and I will be glad to say that it's done!! We have a few showers scheduled for April, and I'm super excited! In the name department, we have CHOSEN A NAME!! We are telling a few people at a time, and a big announcement will come soon! It's extremely intimidating to tell someone the name you have chosen for your child to have for the REST OF HIS LIFE!! So I'm slowly starting to share the news. Everyone will know soon enough.

So overall, everything is great--other than not feeling well at all--lol. But I know that this will all be worth it the very second I see this little boy and hold him in my arms. I can't wait--even though there's still a ton to do! I'll leave you with a picture at 28 weeks...don't judge!!