week thirty-four

baby

weights 5.5 lbs and is about 18 inches long. Despite mom’s enormous feeling belly, the midwife says he’s average size!
‘s brain is wrinkling so it can hold more brain cells. It is capable of controlling breathing, digestive functions, and body temperature.
‘s hands and nails are fully developed which means he’s grabbing and touching, maybe even grasping his feet.
‘s bone marrow has completely taken over production of red blood cells which means he’ll be better able to thrive on his own once he’s born.
can tell the difference between day and night and is starting to open his eyes when he’s awake and close them when he is asleep.
‘s skin is now opaque, not transparent.

has 6 weeks to go. Eek!
has resorted to wearing dad’s new slippers (thanks auntie Auby!) because her feet are suddenly quite swollen.
‘s tummy is expanding rather quickly these days, hardening, and stretching as baby grows and runs out of room.
is celebrating no stretch marks (yet)!
experienced her first Braxton Hicks Contractions.
‘s belly button is officially inside out.
has 2 weeks left of work!
went to a breast feeding course.
started slowly putting baby’s Baby Book together. It will be a nice little project over the next year!

is on a layover in Bangkok, Thailand this week.
has been busy studying for a sim session most of the week. He passed!
has been helping out at the tutoring business, helping the high school kids pass all their exams!

Mom and dad went to a birthing class and learned lots! Excited and ready for as natural of a birth, as possible!
Mom and dad bought a stroller to take baby on all sorts of adventures.
The Kraamzorg visited our house so we could start preparing for the birth! She’ll be here with us for the first week to help get us settled in as new parents and check in on mom and baby.
The Ducks won the Pac 12 Championship!

For the last few weeks or even months, people kept asking about this so called, “nesting”. To be completely honest, I had never really heard of this term in relation to pregnancy or even thought about it. Up until week 30, our approach to the preparation of baby was very low key and minimalist. We were in now rush and didn’t plan to get anything we didn’t need. We knew baby needed us the most, not the fanciest and most expensive items. Then week 30 hit. The assistant I had at my previous school used to call this side of me, “hurricane Stephanie” because once I set my mind to organizing, cleaning, or preparing the class, I went a bit overboard and didn’t stop until it was done. Well, that’s a bit what the nesting looked like in our house this weekend. Within a few days the whole house was freshly organized, I’m talking every drawer. Baby had a changing table and everything he needed was ordered. And I’d be completely lying if I said it wasn’t SUCH a satisfying feeling. Bring on the nesting.
Spatial awareness doesn’t grow with the belly- watch out for flower vases in tiny restuarants and the sharp corners of dressers. You will run into them.