35 weeks: Getting squishy

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

How your life's changing:

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.

Momma's got a BIG belly

Recent Recipes

Spent some nice time in the kitchen this week - - - -

Had an abundance of onions from the CSA which I couldn't figure out what to do wish.  Finally stumbled upon a recipe for homemade onion dip which was even more delicious than I could have hoped.

Tonight, I'm using the leftover chicken (that I baked for the chx salad) in a pasta dish.   It's baking now, but anything with "3-cheese" in the title has got to be good!

Tuesday

Had an OB appointment today.  Felipe was able to come which made it that much more special!  He got to Doppler the heartbeat himself which was pretty cool.  My doctor was very impressed with how active baby has been.  I think I must have had some crazy-heavy shoes on the other day b/c when I weighed myself today it was a few pounds less (which made me feel a bit better.)  I don't want to weigh more than Felipe, but I think its going to happen before we meet Baby Rosso.  Oh well, such is life.  All the homemade icecream is totally worth it.  And maybe we will fatten up baby's bony knees and but a bit, they are starting to hurt when they poke me under the ribs!

Busy as a little bee

Fel and I have both been super busy this past week - hence the lack of posts.  I've been trying to get everything caught up until December so I can have a work-free maternity leave.  I think I'm getting close!  Also have been knitting like a fiend to get this baby blanket done.  I have 27 squares, my goal is 36, but I might just stop at 30 with a nice 5x6 rectangle.

Fel had an amazingly difficult and busy week of call, I think he got called in 3 of his 7 nights.  Poor guy.

However, we did get to watch Hunger Games together last night and munch on Barefoot Contessa's Chicken salad, so the weekend wasn't an entire loss.

34 weeks - almost there!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 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. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Anyone seen "Look Who's Talking"?  Remember this scene?

James: You don't look so hot. 
Mollie: Why don't you try squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of an opening the size of a lemon and see how hot YOU look? 

James: Ouch! Guess I'd better call my mother more often! 

Columbia concluded

Headed back to the city after the perfect weekend!  Felipe humored me this morning by taking me on a "nature walk" at the state park. He, in no uncertain terms, forbade me from "hiking".  Luckily I had my thesaurus handy and was able to reframe my request;). Evidently his colleaugues gave him a hard time for even going out of town with me being so far along, so he certainly didn't want me going into labor on the trail.

We tried, unsuccessfully, to get a pic of the two of us.

Columbia, part deux

Tonight's dinner was a complete 180 - chili cheese dogs, loose meat sandwiches, and homemade rootbeer at the local drive-in.  After, we went incognito as coeds on the MU campus for a free concert on the quad. Definitely was the only preggo on campus;)

Checking in from Columbia

Despite a minorly rocky start (I blame it on these crazy pregnancy hormones) our babymoon has been amazing!  Our B&B is way nicer than I could have ever hoped for.  Even my latin-prince hubby gives it 2 thumbs up. We went to a steakhouse for dinner last night and he declared his dry-aged (x4 weeks) ribeye the "best steak of his life".  Today we are wandering around downtown, doing a little snacking and shopping. Currently we've both got our feet propped up in a coffee shop maxin' relaxin'.   Next I've got my eyes (and belly) set on the homemade icecream shop next door, though Fel says that ice cream does not count as lunch.

33 weeks: hello braxton hicks

When I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions this week I got super excited - it means my body is starting to get ready to send Baby Rosso out into the world.  Completely normal for these to be starting now.  But when started having 20-40 of them daily I freaked out!  Luckily I've got a supportive husband and calm OB and am now doing much better:)

Totally looking forward to our babymoon this weekend - check out the B&B we are staying in:

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

2 girls getting too big for their britches

It's Raining Baby Stuff!

Friday marked my second baby shower.  Gloria hosted a delicious evening of icecream sundaes at her house.  I got to meet all of her work friends who I felt already knew me!

Got some great things to stock the nursery as well as keep the baby safe.  We now have a carseat, bumbo chair, sheets for the crib, an adorable "doctor" bib, and much more!

Friday also marked 32 weeks.  I've officially got 8 weeks to go, but truly we can expect Baby Rosso anywhere between 5 and 10 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Weekend Relaxation

Dinner tonight - 

Sarsparilla makes me reminisce about one of Fel & I's first trips together.  We went flea marketing in White Cloud and stayed in my gma &gpa's camper.  Even though Fel didn't find the antique guitar he was pining for, it was still an awesome trip.

Zucchini grinder using zucchini, onions, and a green pepper from our CSA.  Topped with fresh buffalo mozzarella on a crispy baguette.

Picked up some gel's for when I'm in labor.  Like I told the guy at the sporting goods store, labor is a marathon:)

Elo loves the nursery!

Fel got us some more storage - he even put it together and decorated it all by himself!  All those episodes of Design Star we've been watching have really paid off!

Jackson thinks he is quite the handyman.

Breakfast this morning tasted much better than it looks - Zucchini Bread oatmeal!  Topped my oatmeal with walnuts, maple syrup, grated zucchini. and half & half.  A great way to sneak in some fresh veggies.

Last night we went to a 30th birthday party where they had the KC Marching COBRAS perform!

Fun things not pictured - going to see Batman at the cush new theatre with recliners on Ward Parkway, Fel's new iPad, and my first prenatal yoga session!

Knocked Up: Month 7

Breakfast!

rockstar diaries: puffed pancake recipe.

Doesn't this look yummy?  Topping mine with cherry pie filling and powdered sugar.

Another Week

This week has flown by!  I feel like I've spent it catching up - on laundry, on email, on work, on groceries, on tivo, and on my hubby.  Tuesday was his birthday and unfortunately he spent it at work (but at least he got a steak dinner out of it at McCormick & Schmicks, it was Journal Club night.)    I think this birthday was a little bittersweet for him.  Hitting 30 last year was a big milestone, but this birthday will mark his last year of medical training, his last year sans kiddos, and maybe even his last year here in Kansas City.  I think it symbolizes his last year before "real" adulthood strikes.  I've been working so hard to keep him cheered up.  For his birthday I got him a basket of his favorite treats - beef jerky, gum balls, oreos, twizzlers, sour patch kids, and a new water bottle.  The basket has not left the side of his recliner and I'm amazed to say it over half gone already.  This man can put away the sugar!  Definitely still a kid at heart in many ways.  Tomorrow I'm going to make him a special pasta dinner - creamy avocado pasta courtesy of one of my fave food blogs, Two Peas and Their Pod.  Sounds super fresh and delish.  Maybe a nice tomato salad on the side?

Tomorrow marks 31 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

The kicks and somersaults are SO true!  We've got a very active baby which for now is very amusing.