39 Weeks & Cradle Pics...

Now that we've hit 39 weeks, I probably won't be sending any more baby pics. Instead, I'll find something else to get out to you. This week, its the cradle, fully assembled, but not 100% ready to go just yet. Antoinette is exactly 14 days to her due date.

If Billy is going to be 22 inches long, as the Doctor predicted, he'd be about 21.5 inches today. He will have likely crossed over the 7 lb. mark, and should be steaming toward that 7.5 lb. mark the doctor projected. For Antoinette, belly growth should have stopped, although several people have been telling her that her belly looks like its still expanding. The average weight gain for a woman at this stage of pregnancy is 30 lbs. Billy's lungs have also finally matured. They are the last major organ system to reach the point of full maturity.

For pregnant women, generally speaking, this is the most uncomfortable time. The final 2-3 weeks where she has reached her peak belly growth make typical day to day activities a bit more difficult. For most women, the cervix has begun to "ripen" in preparation for delivery and their bladder is under and enormous amount of pressure as the baby, who has not stopped growing, continues to put more and more pressure on it each day. For Antoinette, as of her last doctor visit, there were no signs that she had begun to move toward delivery. Her next visit is coming up on Thursday. We expect an internal that should give us a better gauge as to where we stand.

Billy should have shed his lanugo, or the fine hairs that covered his body, except on his shoulders and the creases of his body. His tiny toenails have reached the edges of the nail beds. His lifeline, the umbilical cord, has reached its maximum thickness (about 1/2 inch) and may have wrapped itself around some part of his body. This is the case for about half of all babies, with about 1/3 having it wrapped around their neck. Once the cord is cut, it marks a symbolic moment in the child's life where for the first time, he has become a fully self sustaining person.

Belly Pic to Wrap Week 38...

As week 38 winds down, preparations for the baby's arrival are ramping up. On the doorstep a few days ago were two large boxes. In the first, from my Brother, was little Billy's cradle. We spent the night putting it together and then rearranging the entire bedroom in order to properly accommodate where Antoinette would like to have it setup in relationship to the bed, the bathroom, and the windows and doors. This cradle has been used for seven of little Billy's cousins dating back to 2004 or 2005. Each baby that has used the cradle has his/her name and birth date written on the bottom, with the latest being my Brother's newborn baby girl, Krystal, who was born this past December. The next occupant will be little Billy. We expect another 3-5 little ones to use it after little Billy, so it will certainly gets its fair share of use. Possibly as many as twelve cousins will have used this family cradle.

In the second box, my Sister Christine was kind enough to mail us a huge assortment of books, videos, DVD's, and CD's for kids. Between that and the other boxes of books that she sent, we have enough reading material to read the little guy a story every night for the first three years of his life without rereading a single story. Christine and her husband Mark have been lifesavers, sending us literally boxes and boxes of clothing, toys, books, and misc. baby stuff that we can use for Billy. She has probably saved us close to a thousand dollars. She has been very generous. I guess it worked out very well that she had three little boys already, all under the age of six!!!

With just sixteen days remaining until the due date, we have begun putting the finishing touches on our preparation. We have begun working out the details of the dog's care when we are gone to the hospital, have purchased the final few items needed for the baby once we bring him home, have finalized the flight times for Antoinette's Mother soon after Billy is due to arrive, have charged up his new baby monitor, assembled his new cradle, rearranged the living room furniture to allow for the best view of his swing from as many vantage points as possible, planned out the phone list of people to call, and Antoinette is cleaning everything she can get a dust rag on (the only way to stop her from doing this would be to tie her to her chair, but I think she would break the rope!!!). Much of this is probably overkill, but what the hell. We're first time parents. Its like going to a Bears game in November. Dress warm and remember, you can always take the extra clothes off, but you can never put on the clothes you never brought.

So with sixteen days and counting, some of the final changes to Mom and baby are taking place. One of those changes is not necessarily the water breaking pre-labor. In only 10% of women does the water actually "break" on its own. Billy's weight and length can be all over the place, so we'll stick to the doctor's prediction and say that he's approaching his projected 22 inches in length and 7 and a half pound weight. His weight is now being added at the rate of an ounce per day, the circumference of his head and abdomen are now about the same, and his length and growth rate of his Mother's uterus have both come to nearly a grinding halt.

For 88% of women, delivery happens within two weeks of the due date. On Tuesday, we enter that window and stay there for the next three weeks. That being said, its time to start looking for the signs and symptoms of the three phases of labor. The first is prelabor. This is the time in which the body begins preparing itself for actual labor. Antoinette is currently in this first phase. It consists of lightening, which we've discussed before and is the baby's head dropping into proper position for delivery which relieves pressure on the Mother, Braxton-Hicks Contractions, which are a relatively painless contracting of the abdominal walls as the body begins "practicing" for real contractions, an increased nesting instinct, which is in hyper drive with this one as she won't stop moving (broken rib or two and all), and some other basic physiological changes. The second phase of labor is False Labor, which may or may not occur in a given pregnancy. False Labor feels like the real thing with painful contractions, but those contractions are generally irregular and do not increase in intensity and frequency. They can also slow or stop if you were to walk around. And finally, there is Real Labor. When Real Labor contractions begin, you will find that you cannot walk or talk your way through them, they begin to increase in intensity and frequency, they will move from the top of her belly down to her pelvis, they can be accompanied by a lower back pain, and they can include the breaking of her water.

Doctor Visit Update...

We're moving through Week 38 fairly quickly and Antoinette just had her weekly doctor visit today. Recapping, the most important news is that both Mom and baby are perfectly healthy and all is still right on schedule. Antoinette measured an on target 37.5 inches on her belly measurement (actually catching up a bit from a slightly smaller belly measurement from last week). Her weight gain has subsided, as she basically maintained from last week. This is typical for late stage pregnancy as the baby's weight gain is counteracted by the reduction in amniotic fluid. With the uterus no longer expanding, it creates a nice equilibrium. Little Billy's heart rate is a perfectly normal 142 beats per minute and he remains in a head down position. Antoinette's contractions were minimal this week so the doctor did not feel that another internal was even necessary at this point. That is probably a good sign that she feels this baby is going to term. We'll see.

The doctor also gave her own prediction on the baby's size at birth, estimating he would be slightly longer than normal (let's call him "tall") and weigh in at about 7 lbs. 8 oz. or 7 lbs. 9 oz. On average, babies are 20 inches long and weigh about 7 lbs. 8 oz., so she's calling for an average size newborn and maybe an inch longer. She also said that Antoinette's Beta Strep test came back negative, which means that Antoinette tested negative for a particular bacteria that 20% of women carry which, had she tested positive, would've resulted in her being given an antibiotic for the remainder of her pregnancy. On her next visit, we expect she will get another internal to measure progress and we'll cover some more detailed instructions on delivery signs, etc.

In the "what's left to do" department, the answer is "I'm not sure." I think we've covered all of our needs. The only items I believe we have left to do are to wait for two more large boxes to be delivered. One is loaded up with more baby items from my Sister and the other is a bassinet from my Brother, which I'll have to put together before we can stick the little guy in it. The bed linens for that are already washed and ready to roll. This weekend, we'll get out shopping for a camcorder, which we really don't need until right after we bring him home (we plan on taking pictures at the birth, but who knows). We still need to determine what to do with the dog. I'm kicking it around. I may decide to leave him roam and just pop in to check on him from time to time. I'll send a friend over there in case Antoinette's labor takes awhile.

For most women, this is the time when dilation typically begins. Since Antoinette is a first time Mom, it is not unusual for it to take a bit longer. This usually triggers the loss of the plug, which is another sign that going into labor could be just around the corner. While dropping this guy isn't an indication that labor is imminent, it is a good idea to start putting on any finishing touches to the game plan and keeping a sharp eye peeled for the real contractions to begin.

As for Billy, while we don't seem to talk as much about him at this stage, each day he gets in the womb is a very important one. Not only is he continuing to add critical weight, but he's also continuing to develop his intestines and his brain and nervous system, among other things. Even fingernails are continuing to grow. He's still pretty active despite being smashed into a little compartment in there, which is a comforting feeling.

Finally, the picture is of some last minute additions to the baby room. The main addition is the crib mobile, which has some pretty neat features on it, such as the voice activated start/stop feature which triggers the mobile to turn on when the baby starts crying. The two smiley faced things are his bath slippers, which pair with a hooded bath robe. I put one of the three components of the baby monitor in there, too. Its a three piece consisting of the transmitter and two receiver bases for dual locations throughout the house. The thing leaning against the bear is an Itzbeen. Some of you might know what this thing is and some of you may not. Basically, its a count up timer instead of a countdown one. It has four simultaneous timers and a left/right switch, with some other minor function buttons. Essentially, after you feed the baby, you hit the bottle button. Change him and you hit the diaper button. When he wakes up, you push the "Zzzz" button. And then there's an extra button for whatever else you want to clock. When you hit these buttons, the countdown begins counting up on that particular clock. So when the baby is crying, you can glance at this thing and realize he hasn't eaten in awhile or that he's been awake an extra hour than normal, etc. Helps to get the baby on a schedule. Some people like it and some people don't. We'll give it a shot. And last but not least, we have the Bear. What else should a baby boy have who will be raised an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Chicago Bear fan than his first Teddy Bear wearing a Buckeye shirt with an OSU tattoo on his foot? Perfect. Thanks, Christine...

38th Week & We're Full Term...

Antoinette is officially 37 weeks pregnant as of today. She is 21 days to her due date. From here on out, many of the facts and figures that I give you will be estimates and guesses, as the amount of weight gain the baby will experience is completely varied from baby to baby. For Billy, he should be approximately 6.8 lbs. now. He should be about 21 inches in length and Antoinette's belly should have stopped growing now. That belly you see in the last pic is about as big as she's going to get. As her belly is at maximum expansion, these final 1-3 weeks of pregnancy are bound to be her most uncomfortable, especially with the rib issue.

Antoinette has experienced two forms of contractions at this point. The first are Braxton-Hicks, which we've talked a bit about. More or less, they are a tightening in the uterine muscles and the doctor refers to them as Antoinette's body practicing for delivery. The second form of contraction are known as false labor contractions, which are very similar to true contractions, but different in the sense that they do not grow closer together over time and they can often go away if she were to stand up and walk around. These contractions are designed as your body's means of beginning the cervical dilation process and beginning to encourage the body to break its own water. For Antoinette, dilation had yet to begin as of the last doctor's visit.

At this point, the baby is ready to roll. He should be a perfectly healthy baby boy from a maturity stand point if born today. When he's born is anybody's guess, so feel free to email your guess based on her pictures. Remember, only 5% of women deliver on their actual due date and most first time pregnancies deliver later rather than sooner.

Over the past few weeks, Billy has been building up waste in his intestinal tract. This waste is greenish black in color and called meconium. Meconium is not traditional human waste, as you might think, but instead is made up of shed human cells, lanugo hairs, and other substances he has ingested while in the womb. It is the first of a lifetime of waste that will pass through the baby's bowels after he is born and can be an important sign of a healthy baby. That being said, if he were to pass this "baby waste" in the womb, upon delivery, a special process would be carried out to ensure that the baby did not become sick or ingest any of this material.

Being a baby boy, all of his parts should have descended into their proper position. The doctor will check this at birth to ensure this is the case, because in cases where this did not occur, a higher probability of infertility can result. This lack of proper "dropping" happens in 1% of baby boys and is therefore considered quite common. His skull is made up of five separate bony plates known as fontanelles, which means "little fountains". They are important as a safety precaution during birth. The babies head can actually disfigure itself into a semi-conical shape to ensure safe passage through the Mother's birth canal. No damage to the fetal brain is caused in cases where this occurs. His head would return to normal shape soon after delivery. The baby is also born without tear ducts and will actually develop a few weeks after birth for most infants.

Week 37 Wrap Up & Doctor Visit...

We're wrapping up Week 37 early because we have company in town. Antoinette's Father and Step Mom are our March guests this year and will be in town until Tuesday. I'll send out the next update on Tuesday, at which point, Antoinette will officially be at full term.

On to the doctor visit. First things first. I've received many questions from you all about the rib. According to the doctor, who didn't seem that amazed by Antoinette potentially having a cracked rib during pregnancy, it makes little sense to have an X-ray to confirm a diagnosis that will ultimately lead to the same treatment, which is basically rest and as much immobilization as is reasonable. You always want to limit a baby's exposure to X-rays, even though they are typically harmless. You would typically need 100,000 dental X-rays to reach the toxic level of radiation required to harm a fetus, and while general chest X-rays are a bit more powerful, the number required to hit these levels are still pretty high. The bad news is two fold. Antoinette's rib on the other side is hurting now, although the pain is not as strong, and the doctor indicated that with her nasty cough, this is not that surprising. Luckily, her cough is getting better, but it is not gone yet. It will make her life a lot easier once the cough leaves.

On to the good news. Antoinette had a few other tests, including a check for any dilation of the cervix. There is none. She is still at 0 cm. But don't be fooled by that. While 10 cm is the ultimate target, some women will get to 4 cm and stay there for weeks prior to going into labor, and others will go from 0 cm to 10 cm in a matter of hours. Typically, there is a gradual buildup, so this could be a sign that Antoinette could be weeks out from full blown labor and my prediction of April 7th is going to hold up. Generally, once you are past 4 cm, you are in early labor.

Also, the baby is in tip top health. The doctor says that the baby's head is clearly down low, so the process of lightening has occurred. Antoinette's belly measures 35.5 inches, which is right on target, Billy's heart rate was 140 beats per minute, which is solid, and Antoinette's weight gain has tailed off. She has gained a total of 26 lbs. so far. At a pound a week, on average, she should finish up just below 30 lbs. in overall weight gain, which is about 3-5 lbs. below average, but still in the healthy range. She also had her Beta-Strep Test to look for a common bacteria present in 20% of women that can lead to early labor and infection for the baby upon delivery. Antoinette is now on the weekly visit cycle, so we'll get medical updates every week from here on out.

As we wrap up Week 37, Antoinette can really begin to expect more changes coming than the baby will. She can expect that the mucus plug will drop within the next couple days or weeks, that her hormones are about to kick back into overdrive, that her colostrum could begin to present itself with other related changes, and that she will have this insane nesting behavior from here on out. At least its "insane" in our house, where Antoinette is so active, she could probably build a shed in the back yard and redecorate three rooms of the house in 4 hours.

The baby bag is packed in the car and ready to go. My duffel is on standby with some other necessities as the only thing (other than my wife, of course) that I need to get in the car when its go time. Thanks to all of you who gave us lots of good advice to get that bag's contents trimmed down to a much more manageable level. This weekend, we're going to put together our phone list, so that we can begin trickling the calls out to everyone. We're going to call as many of you as we can and then ask that you feel free to call everyone you can think of. After the list is packed, the final issue on the list is what to do with the dog. I'm up in the air on that one. There won't be time to take him to the kennel on the way to the hospital (or at least I'll feel like their won't be time). I'm considering trying to take him out before I leave to take her and then just trying to come home from time to time to let him out and feed him, if I come home to shower, change, and bring some items back up for Antoinette. Still up in the air on that one.

And finally, my former boss, and still good friend, Colette, is on stand by when the baby is born. When it comes to having kids, Colette is an invaluable resource in a wide range of areas. We both appreciate her help so far and no doubt, going forward. Thanks, Colette.

A Broken Rib?

You heard right. It appears that Antoinette may have broken a rib...and it appears she may have done it by coughing too hard. Sound crazy? It did to me, too, but some of Antoinette's medical co-workers have suggested the pain that she has directly over one of her ribs could actually be a hairline crack. Apparently, cracking a rib from coughing is quite common, especially in late term pregnancy, as the baby is stealing much of your precious calcium your body uses to constantly manufacture new bone cells. The result is a weaker skeletal structure, which has been known to crack under the force of a powerful cough. The condition is also common in people with osteoporosis and people who have cancer and have been through certain chemo treatments. So, get over a nasty bit of the flu and follow it up with what appears to be a cracked rib. Antoinette visits the doctor tomorrow, so we should know more then and I'll update on the weekend.

That being said, the countdown continues. We are now at 5 days to full term and 26 days to the due date. The days are ticking by much quicker now, and somehow the constant influx of new, last minute baby needs, is resulting in a house that can't seem to stay clean. We don't even have the kid yet and I've got baby swings over here, vibrating bouncy seats over there, baby clothes on my couch, and half assembled crib mobiles on my floor that need batteries. The latest arrivals are a new box of baby items from my sister including books, toys, baby clothes, and maternity clothes for Antoinette. Rumor has it, she sent another box behind that one that should be here in about a week. We also added the crib mobile (as mentioned earlier) and the baby monitors this week. My brother and his lovely wife put the bassinet in the mail yesterday, so that should be here in a week or so. Apparently, it isn't easy to find a box for that, even when its broken down, so Tina made one on her own to store it in, which I'm sure wasn't easy. Thanks, Tina.

We are also prepping the house for our March visitors, who will be arriving on Sunday. Antoinette's Dad and Step Mom will be in town from Kentucky, and will be staying until Tuesday as they swing through after a short stint in nearby Gainesville where Patrice is writing an article for a local paper. We'll probably spend the weekend getting the house in order and getting the fishing poles ready (Antoinette's Dad is a big fisherman and the pond out back is probably too much to pass up). With Baby stuff accumulating at a crazy "we're in the homestretch" rate, there's plenty to do. And with my teammate on the sideline with a broken rib, it should be lots of fun for me.

As stated before, the Baby is nearly full term. At approximately 6.5 lbs., approaching 7 lbs. next week, he's still in insulating mode. Antoinette's body will soon begin preparing for the final Act to this play in a number of ways. Some of them are worth mentioning and others are not. As the time gets nearer, some of them you will get updates on, while others? Not so much. As for Billy, there will always be updates. Speaking of Billy, while he is just about done from the point of necessary physical development, each day he is allowed to cook a little longer, the better for him. His physical growth will begin to slow this week and his bones will remain soft until after birth. He is very active in there, spending large portions of the day practicing breathing, nursing, sleeping, gazing, touching, and peeing. All of the essential tools, aside from screaming at the top of his miniature lungs, that he'll need on the outside.

6 Days to Full Term...

Week 37 is here. Sorry for the lack of a Week 36 Belly Pic, but there was little to no chance that Antoinette was feeling photogenic as under the weather as she was. So on to Week 37 we go. In 6 days, Antoinette will hit the magic mark that is the completion of her 37th week of pregnancy, which is the traditional finish line for full term pregnancy. Her premature contractions have all but disappeared as of late and there is every indication that she should make the entire 6 day window. Keep your fingers crossed. She is also feeling much better, although she is not quite 100% healthy just yet.

This week, the baby is putting on the finishing touches to his body. He should be a solid 21 inches in length and weigh in at about 6.5 lbs., give or take. His exact weight is anybody's guess at this point, so the numbers you get from here on out are just averages. Antoinette's uterus has more than likely stopped growing larger, which means that the growing baby is living in an even further cramped environment.

All signs at this point seem to indicate that Billy has "engaged" Antoinette's pelvis, or begun the process of lightening, which is the dropping of the baby into the proper lower pelvic position. This has led to even further easing up on Antoinette's breathing, but the relief is not without cost. Buzzing feelings and shooting pains in the groin and leg are common. The Baby's head is resting on the uterus which is pressing on the bladder resulting in constant trips to the rest room. And despite the freed up room, the Baby has his foot firmly wedged in his Mother's sternum with no sign of letting up. Its a battle for comfort and Mom is often coming out on the losing end. While Billy is technically fully developed and basically ready to be born, the final hours, days, and weeks are critical to important additional development. Billy has accelerated his fat deposit rate to about a half ounce per day.

First time Mothers tend to give birth closer to the due date, so if that holds true, Antoinette could still have a good solid month of pregnancy left. She's back to the doctor tomorrow and on this trip, she will have several key tests done. The following week, the doctor will begin testing for cervical changes and progression. Checks for leaking amniotic fluid, dilation, and effacement will also take place. The testing will involve the cervix and the measure of dilation (goal is 10 cm's to give birth) and effacement (typically reaches 90-100%, but currently at 0%)

Thank You, Dr. Johnson...

As we move along through week 36, we begin with the final picture from the Baby Shower. This picture is of a couple items. The car seat and vibrating seat are repeaters on the blog, but set aside so you could see them in more detail. The center of the picture is the Stroller/Car Seat Travel System that the Doctor that Antoinette works for bought her for the baby. From the stories alone, it seems like Dr. Johnson is as excited for the baby to arrive as Antoinette and I are, and after receiving such a generous gift from her, I have no doubt. Thank you, Dr. Johnson.

This week has been decidedly rough on Antoinette. Not for anything pregnancy related specifically, but for the horrible case of the cold/flu that she came down with. Her office has had a bug going around and it hit Antoinette pretty hard. A little cough the first couple days, but on Wednesday night, she went down for the count. Chills, fever, body ache, head ache, sore throat, lost her voice, clammy, mild nausea, sore throat, general weakness, and a hacking cough. I've never felt so helpless just watching her lay there like that. I actually considered taking her to the hospital because of how upset she was, but I called my sister and she was able to reassure me that she would be fine. Apparently, pregnant women have compromised immune systems that slow their recovery from a common cold/flu. Also, it doesn't help that they can't take most of the medications you and I would take to feel better. Chicken soup and lots of water to stay hydrated, which is critical for the baby and for Antoinette avoiding contractions again, and plenty of rest. She just had to plow through it.

Last night she had improved, but she was still in fairly rough shape. Tonight is even better still, but she is still noticeably sick. I'm hoping by Sunday night she can be in much better shape so that we can make it to the beach for the night launch of the Space Shuttle. Night launches are rare, but on a clear night, even 150 miles north of the Cape, they are very impressive and quite the sight to see.

Since the last email, there has been much baby arrival prep going on in the house. I spent two nights figuring out how to properly install a car seat base and locking that thing in place to the point where I was satisfied it wouldn't move, and then installing the actual car seat into the base, which wasn't so bad. We also created that very expansive list that was in the previous blog update, which I am glad to say, has been trimmed nearly in half from the advice of several of our friends and family that we talked to prior to putting it all together. That way, we could toss what we probably didn't need (but what was recommended on some of those sites). The list is ready, and tomorrow, I will actually throw it together and get it in the trunk of Antoinette's car. Finally, Antoinette has been back in the Baby Room rearranging a bunch of Billy's things around and washing bed sheets, linens, clothes, hats, blankets, Boppy covers, bath towels, wash cloths, etc. She also made a point of admiring just how tiny a newborn diaper really is.

As of this update, Antoinette is 11 days to full term pregnancy and 32 days until her scheduled due date. I'm not sure you can ever really feel prepared. We are continuously told that when you get home from the hospital with the little one, you get this feeling of, "OK, what now." I can see that, because I'm already getting that feeling.

Antoinette is showing symptoms of lightening, as the baby begins to drop. Her trips to the ladies room have increased with the pressure on the bladder, and she has noticed a significant improvement in her ability to breath. She has extra pressure and feels as if her hips are slowly being pulled apart, whatever that means. An extra interesting fact is that only 10% of women have their water break before full blown labor begins.

For Billy, his gums are hardening and he is cycling through phases of awake and sleep. When awake, he is active and exploring his environment with his eyes wide open. When he sleeps, he is closing his eyes to rest. Sudden noises and movements will wake him, such as his Mother's recent coughing, and lights flashed into his Mom's belly will actually result in him turning his head toward the light instead of just startling awake. While this is not Antoinette's belly, this is what it looks like when he's moving around, typically in the evening hours and especially when there's music playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGxMine5n8I&feature=related

Week 36 & Contractions Continue...

Billy's growth continues as we enter Week 36. He's approximately a pinch under 21 inches in length and probably close to 6 lbs. now. Antoinette's continually expanding uterus has now pushed up under her rib cage. A typical pregnancy would have a Mom at about 30+ lbs. of overall weight gain, and that figure will tend to hold fairly steady from here on out. Antoinette is well short of that figure. Reductions in amniotic fluid and other tissue tend to counteract the increased body weight of the baby, who will only gain about a pound and a half or so from here on out.

Uterine expansion is also slowing down after this week. Antoinette has basically maxed out on the overall size and so her breathing will become labored and she will often find herself short of breath. Temps are starting to pick up in Florida (mid 80's the last couple days), which won't help much, but it beats being 9 months pregnant during June/July down here. Gradually, little Billy will continue working his way deeper into the birth canal, and this little trip for him will ease up on Antoinette's lungs, allowing them to expand a bit more than right now.

Prepping for the baby's arrival continues at the Lionhood house. Today I spent too much time trying to get a car seat properly strapped into Antoinette's car for the first time. Slightly more complicated than I thought since there is some kind of base that attaches to metal loops that fits under a seat belt that pulls tight to lock into place that...never mind. I'll finish that job tomorrow. Antoinette also did some shopping and picked up a baby monitor and some other odds and ends that filled a few needs.

Billy's face should have filled out a bit and should look smooth and plump like a typical baby's face should look. His chubby cheeks actually consist of powerful muscles built up from practicing nursing using his thumb and from extra layers of insulating fat. His skull has firmed up a bit, but remains fairly soft for flexibility during birth.

The picture is of a cross section of the female body at 36 weeks pregnant. Some of you have emailed me to ask questions about what is pressing on what. You can notice the baby's head laying directly on its Mother's bladder. And you can see how those kicking legs can get lodged up under that rib cage pretty easily. Also, notice the compression of the Mother's lungs and stomach, resulting in several other typical pregnancy symptoms, such as shortness of breath and heart burn, etc.

Overall, plans for the delivery are still unfolding at our house. We'll get you a final Baby Shower update from the nurses/doctors on Thursday or Friday.

Week 35 Ends, but Contractions Begin...

Here's Antoinette's Belly pic. Pretty amazing for 35 weeks pregnant, right? I think so. So, last night I'm woken up at about 3 AM in the morning, give or take, and Antoinette is having contractions. The timing on the contractions was off for this to be a run to the hospital, which is a good thing, because the bag for that trip is planned, but not yet packed. General rule of thumb on this, with this being her first baby, and based on distance to the hospital, is contractions 3-5 minutes apart, lasting for 60 seconds at a pop, and continuing for an hour or more. We certainly were not even close to that point, but her contractions are increasing slightly in frequency, so who knows, maybe this kid only has a couple more weeks of cooking to do. I'll keep updating the contractions for you as time moves along.

The final preparation checklist is somewhat long, and seems to continue to grow as fast as we can get things removed from the list. The first part is the delivery bag coming together. More of a suitcase, really. In this suitcase, we are going to have lip balm, tooth brushes, tooth paste, shampoo, female pads, a hair brush, a hair band or two, mouthwash, lotion, nail clippers, and deodorant in the ditty bag. We are also loading up a watch with a second hand for timing contractions, a pregnancy reference book and other reading material, pillows from home in colored cases (so we remember which are ours), a CD Player with music, a camera with extra batteries, colored wash cloths from home (so we remember which are ours), waterproof pads for the car ride home, a couple days worth of clothing including swim trunks for a husband who may need to help with care of his wife, the list of calls to make, a back massager, a shirt for baby footprints, a Baby Book for baby footprints, snacks, DVD's (they have a DVD player in the room), nursing bras, breast pads, and shields, the baby's first outfit home, a car seat fully installed in Antoinette's car, a baby blanket, a 6 months pregnant outfit for Antoinette to wear home, towels for any number of things, a plan for care of the dog for 24-48 hours, slippers, Pediatrician info, Insurance info, folder for new Baby paperwork, a handheld fan, Antoinette's glasses (so she can see), the hospital phone number, and consistently half full to full gas tanks. I'm sure there's more, but for now, that's the list. By the end of the week, I should have all of it put together.

Full term pregnancy is generally considered to be when an expectant Mother has reached 37 weeks pregnant. While we are entering week 36 tomorrow, Antoinette has only completed 35 weeks and is therefore 35 weeks pregnant starting tomorrow. That means she has two weeks to go to hit full term. She will be considered full term on March 24th, at 12:01 AM... Tick, tock...

Week 35 Baby Shower Pics...

This is only about half of the total gifts given in Antoinette's recent Baby Shower thrown by all of her outstanding friends at the hospital. Some of the big ticket items will get put on here next week. Starting from the big items in the back, you'll see a very nice car seat which we will be putting in Antoinette's car and will be using to bring little Billy home from the hospital, a vibrating bouncy seat which we have been told by many new parents is critical to keeping little ones happy during the day, and a High Chair that is actually a convertible High Chair, Toddler Chair, and Booster Seat that can be fit to pretty much any seat type you want it to attach to using these straps in the back. Its also portable.

Also in that assortment of gifts, you'll see three different types of baby diapers, so we'll be able to get a good feel for which we prefer to stick with. There are bottle cleaning kits, a blue bathtub for infants, baby body wash, bath ducks, toys, rattles, and an enormous assortment of baby clothes that includes onsies, shoes, outfits, shirts, pants, sack pajamas, socks, robes, blankets, etc. We have so many clothes between this shower, relatives gifts, and my sister and Mom's gifts, that Billy will probably only wear each outfit once. Good thing we plan on having 12 kids!!! I'm just kidding, Barry...or am I?

All of that being said, thank you dearly to all of you who were at the Shower. You threw and excellent surprise party for Antoinette that she's still talking about today. We appreciate everything and you better believe that we'll use everything that you picked out for little Billy...except for that Jaguars outfit. Who got that? Maybe he'll have to wear that one inside out!!! Or we'll just have to put his Chicago Bears jacket over that. Just kidding... For all of you Lionhoods out there, take notice of his Lion outfit right in the middle. Outstanding...

On to Antoinette's doctor visit on Thursday. It went as well as you can imagine. Antoinette had been feeling some funky cramps lately, which according to her doctor, are her first real contractions. Not Braxton-Hicks, but the real deal. It is very common for women to begin to feel contractions at this point and proper hydration and rest are a good idea to keep them in check. She has also been experiencing the Braxton-Hicks type from time to time, too. Other news and notes from this visit include a two pound weight gain in two weeks (right on schedule), an on target belly measurement of 34 inches, a proper head down baby position known as Lightening which has Billy using Mom's bladder as a pillow, a solid 145 beats per minute heart rate, and she took a blood sample which will be tested for proper hemoglobin levels and some other things for next visit. And the best news of the day was the Doctor telling Antoinette that if Billy was born today, he would likely be a perfectly healthy baby boy as he appears to have passed all traditional developmental milestones with flying colors. Her next visit is in two weeks and then she'll start her weekly visits until the baby comes.

Among Antoinette's other symptoms that she's really been experiencing this week are sleepiness, hunger, discomfort, contractions, and the most pressing issue, a constant burning sensation in her sternum where Billy has apparently found a comfortable foot rest. She also has minor shortness of breath from a compressed lung capacity.

Some other notes for you. Pregnant women at this stage of pregnancy often experience accelerated weight gain leading into the 36th week of pregnancy. This is common, and that weight gain will typically slow for the final 3-4 weeks. Billy's kidneys are complete and functional and his liver is producing waste material. Baby talk is actually good at this stage as Baby's seem particularly tuned in to higher pitched sounds, possibly a natural adaptation allowing for proper pre-birth bonding to their Mother. Baby talk simply increases that pitch and increases the likelihood the baby will focus on that sound. Not sure I would push for that stuff after he's born, but sometimes its difficult to avoid. 99% of babies survive if born from Week 35 on, and pretty much all of them do so with little to no assistance. Not sure you can get much better than those odds. Central nervous system is nearly complete and the lung development is probably also complete, but again, sometimes a bit slower in boys.

Now, for a typical baby boy, tiny vellus hairs will begin growing. These are usually short, fine, light colored hairs, but with our kid, who knows. He's also continuing to add fat, which has surpassed lung development as the primary goal for this week. The fatter he is, the more capable of properly self insulating his body. Not as pressing a concern in Florida, but still important in an air conditioned house. Billy will be born in mid-April, which in Jacksonville will usually mean low to mid 80s's daily with night time temps around 60-65 degrees and minimal rain or humidity. At least it feels that way compared to the summer around here.

On Sunday night, I'll post the Week 35 Belly Pic and then we're on to Week 36...

35th Week Means 2 Weeks to Full Term...

We roll into Week 35 with a 5.5 lbs bun in the oven. Billy is a pinch over 20 inches in length (in theory), and Antoinette's continually expanding uterus is now a full 6 inches above her belly button. Remember, this organ was about the size of a walnut when this process began. This is the general time frame when most women begin to get tired of being pregnant. They've had their bodies sapped of energy for approximately 8 months and are really starting to just want their body back. Antoinette is ready to get her energy back, but she is still enjoying just about every aspect of being pregnant.

Through this phase of pregnancy (the homestretch), women should be spreading their meals out throughout the day. That way the meals are small and manageable and their dramatically compressed stomach can still hold the entire meal. Also, napping whenever possible is also a good idea. This week, the cervix will begin to dilate and efface, making room for the baby's head, which will soon be passing through the birth canal. The magic number is 10 cm of dilation for child birth.

For Billy, its still weight gain time. He's continuing to pack on the pounds, as he's basically a fully developed child. Remember, every week of extra weight gain means a Baby that is just that much better at regulating his own body temperature. His shoulders would be noticeably chubbier if her were born today as opposed to last week.

Antoinette will be back at the doctor on Wednesday. On Friday, we'll update how that appointment went and get out the first picture from the Baby Shower at the hospital.

Belly at 34 Weeks...

Antoinette's belly is really beginning to pop now. Her belly button has flipped inside out and is now officially an outie. Shortness of breath and discomfort are becoming factors as Antoinette's uterus is literally pushing all of her other organs out of the way. Its the force of the uterus on the diaphragm that is preventing the lungs from properly expanding. Internally, Billy is still practicing his breathing and the constant inhalation of amniotic fluid can lead to increased hiccups for him, which Antoinette can feel. His organs are ready to rock and roll except for those lungs, which still need more time to develop. At this stage, babies have been shown to have a strong reaction toward familiar voices, both from Dad and Mom.

Inside, Antoinette's body is topping off the amniotic fluid. Shortly, the amniotic fluid level will drop as the baby will be requiring more of the available space. His bones continue to harden, skin becomes less red and less wrinkled, toenails emerge from the nail bed, and he is putting together immunities to some basic infections.

With birth approaching, here are some interesting facts. Studies show that pain and length of labor may be directly tied to the level of anxiety a woman has prior to birth. Physical stress can translate into uterine muscle tension which can make muscle cramps more painful. Catecholamine levels are increased in the blood during times of stress and anxiety which can block oxytocin in the blood. This can make labor longer and more difficult. A relaxed Mom is often a Mom with a smoother labor and delivery.