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...
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