Full Term Baby!

At 37 weeks this little girl is considered full term! :) This means she has developed her most crucial functions. I really never thought this week would get here. While technically she is full term, it is probably better that she "cook" for a few more weeks, but if she were born right now there would likely be no issues (at least with regard to her development) and it would be considered safe. Whew! I know March of Dimes is doing a big push with how important it is to make it to at least 39 weeks because of brain development, but I guess at this point it's all up to her! Basically over the next few weeks she will just continue to get healthier and stronger.

Remy stats this week: She likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs between 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. She is gaining about 1/2 ounce each day. What a minute??? 9.2 pounds!!! AHHHHHH! Please God don't be so cruel. Her food comparison is a watermelon this week, which sounds about right. :) At least it looks like I swallowed one. She still moves around all the time, although now it feels more like sliding than kicking. I really feel sorry for her and how cramped she must be. I have also noticed that she has been having hiccups more frequently. Poor girl! I really am going to miss feeling her move all the time once she is here...especially after I go back to work and don't have her with me all the time. :(

On Wednesday I had my check-up with Dr. Hodny. Again, everything looked as normal as can be and we are moving along schedule. I actually lost two pounds, which he didn't seem concerned about because my belly measured at 37 weeks - so I'm still getting bigger! (Seriously, I don't know how much bigger I can get!) My blood pressure is still great and her heart rate was 140, which is also great. I am not dilated and he thinks it will be awhile before she makes her debut. He also confirmed again that she is head down and ready to go. I will start going to weekly appointments from now on, so my next appointment is next Wednesday...the day before my first jury trial.

This week seemed to crawl by. Bryant & I have both been busy at work and now that it's light outside for longer, it seems like the days are never-ending. I love this time of year and all the sunshine, but right now I just want to get through as many days as quickly as possible!

I am still uncomfortable and getting more and more anxious by the day. I am trying to keep myself busy so I don't stare at the clock, but doing anything for too long just makes me exhausted. All of the books and websites say that I will start "nesting" soon, but I'm pretty sure I've been doing that since the moment I found out we were expecting. I am compulsively organized and clean most of the time anyways, so I don't feel like anything is different right now. I definitely am getting the "overheating" they talked about. While the weather has been great, I am hot. hot. hot. all the time! I know it's too early to turn on the A/C, but by the time I get home from work I can't get cooled down quick enough. I am also starting to get some swelling, mostly in my feet, ankles, and hands which is not enjoyable.

Here is the "bump" (and I use that term loosely) at 37 weeks!


Until next week,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

36 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe we are getting so close! At 36 weeks our baby is still in the 17.2 to 18.7 inch and 4.2 to 5.8 pound range and is continuing to gain weight. She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own, which is a relief! Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid. Her liver and kidneys are in working order, and circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too. In just a few more days we will be considered "full-term" which makes me anxious and relieved at the same time.

I am feeling about the same: achy, exhausted, and impatient. I want her to stay inside as long as it takes for her to be healthy, but I am SO ready for her! I just can't wait to hold her and stare at her tiny little face. I am dying to see who/what she looks like and to have our very own baby that will call me "mama" and will look to me when she's sad/happy/scared/excited/etc. I know Bryant is just as excited and impatient as I am, but he's definitely not has whiny as I have been! :)

I've probably mentioned this before, but Remy's room is completely and totally ready to go! I am so glad that we did everything quickly and early - it has really made this pregnancy stress-free. I can't thank Bryant enough for helping me get everything ready without complaint (well, at least not MUCH complaint!) :) Bags are packed, car seat is installed, and I can't think of anything else left to do. KU is playing in the Final Four this weekend and Easter is next weekend. Hopefully since we are keeping busy the next 24 days or so will fly by! Bryant & I have both been busy at work which makes the days go by quicker. I have my first jury trial next week and am a little worried about what I will wear since I am getting pretty limited in my work wardrobe. After next week, work will slow down for me. As of right now I'm just trying to tie up any loose ends for when I go on maternity leave.

I have an appointment tomorrow and can't wait to hear if I'm showing any progress! Will keep you all updated! :)

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

35 Weeks...and 6 Days

Soooooo I'm a little behind this week. I don't have an excuse either (seriously, you would think that the fact that I'm about to have a baby would give me all kinds of excuses, but in reality I am finished prepping for Remy and have done nothing but sit around whining about my hips...and working of course!)

Anyways, I'll make this post short since I'll be posting for 36 weeks soon. Last week I had another checkup with Dr. Hodny. Again, everything looked perfect! I measured right at 35 weeks, Remy's heart rate was 147, and my blood pressure was solid. We scheduled my next appointment for 2 weeks later, which would be right before I am 37 weeks. He said I will probably continue to go every two weeks unless I start to show some progress at my next appointment...which I'm praying I do! Up to this point the doctor has never checked my cervix, but at the next appointment he will check to see if I am dilated. He will also do the Group B Strep Infection test at the next appointment. Apparently 1 in 4 pregnant women have this and never know or show any symptoms. He made it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but if I don't pass it then I will have to receive an IV during labor and delivery to make sure the baby doesn't receive any infections. Lets just hope that I don't have it!

Here is the giant belly at 35 weeks... It's outta control!


Until next week (or tomorrow!)

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

Sonogram Pictures from 33 Weeks

Here they are! Sorry for the delay, I know you've all been dying to see pictures of Little Girl Muir! :)

Here is her cute little face with her fat little cheeks! If you are able to see, her little fist is on top of her head. She likes to cover her face with her arms.



This is a picture of her arm (fist and elbow are pointed out).



This is her little foot. You could actually see that she has a fat big toe, just like her mama! :)



Here is her sweet little fist. She doesn't appear to be a thumb sucker...she keeps her thumbs in her fist.

34 Weeks (And Feeling Every Bit of It)

Well, I think I have officially hit a wall with this pregnancy. Everything up until this week seemed so easy and now I have hit the miserable stage. I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that it took 34 weeks to get to this point, but I think I'll go ahead and complain anyways! :)

My hips, feet, back, and stomach all hurt. The pain in my hips is relentless and is making it harder and harder to get any rest by the night; therefore I am e.x.h.a.u.s.t.e.d. I feel like I can't breathe most of the time and that my stomach is actually going to just explode if it gets any bigger! My hands, feet, and ankles have started to swell, which makes makes me uncomfortable and whiny during the day when I'm expected to wear "normal" clothes. Remy's position is now pinching a nerve in my back which makes my legs lock up throughout the day whenever I stand up. I have to consciously try to not act like a miserable jerk throughout the day, which I think actually makes me more miserable...

Okay, okay...I'll stop complaining. (But, I think that actually made me feel a little better!) :)

In Remy news, the little peanut is now between 4.2 pounds and 5.8 pounds, and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. No wonder I can't breathe! TheBump.com says that she can now recognize simple songs, so I'm probably going to have to brush up on my lullabys. I have also read that she pees around 1 pint a day...interesting. Other than that, it sounds like her brain is hard at work this week.

I have my next appointment tomorrow afternoon. I am really excited to see where we go from here. I think my appointment after that will be in 2 weeks and then every week for the remainder. I haven't had any labor nightmares yet, but I'm sure they're coming!

I promise to be happier next week,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

33 Weeks

We're getting close! At 33 weeks, Remy is the size of a honeydew, which she means she should weigh around 4 pounds and is between 17.2 to 18.7 inches long. Her bones are hardening and she's beginning to coordinate sucking, breathing, and swallowing - all very important skills. She's keeping her eyes open when she's awake now and is going through some major brain development.

All the books say I should be having pregnancy symptoms such as: headaches, dizziness, and feeling overheated, but I haven't experienced any of those yet. I do however feel like I am short of breath often and have a hard time getting up from the couch. Sitting isn't very comfortable very long periods of time, mostly because I feel like she is squishing my insides, but it's usually goes away if I stand up for a little bit.

I said earlier that she "should" weigh around 4 pounds, but during our sonogram yesterday (03/05/12) we found out that she is closer to 4 pounds, 11 ounces - which means she might be a chunky thing. Of course this information can be off a little, so she could be more or less...but we won't know for sure until she's here! The ultrasound tech thought that she looked like she weighed more than average, but seemed to be shorter than average too...wonder where she gets that from!?!?

This sonogram was very different than the one I had at 19 weeks. First of all it was an educational sonogram so there were 2 students that each took a turn practicing on me. While the students practiced the teacher was explaining to them what they were seeing (in medical lingo) therefore I had NO idea what they were looking at or talking about. This went on for about 40 minutes. Finally, after the students were finished the teacher went back through and showed me all of the fun stuff and pointed out all of her body parts in English. :) The second reason this sonogram was very different was that at my last one Remy weighed around 10 ounces, so you could fit her entire body in the ultrasound window at one time. This time you could only see one body part at a time and she looked cramped! Here are some of the things we learned at the sonogram (some of which I already knew):

1. Her heart, kidneys, bladder and stomach look perfect! All parts are where they are supposed to be and in working order.
2. She has a cute little perfectly round head.
3. She still likes to keep her arms up over her face, making it difficult to see her face at all...but we still managed to get a few facial pictures.
4. She is DEFINITELY a she! :)
5. She has fat little cheeks.
6. She is in the head down position...ready to go!
7. She is mostly face down, but is laying slightly on her left side.
8. She is doubled over and her feet and hands are in about the same spot (when she's not using her hands to cover her face that is!)
9. She has a fat "big toe" - just like her mama.
10. She is the sweetest thing I have ever seen!!!!!

They gave me actual pictures, so I still need to scan them and download them before I can share them here, but I promise we'll do it soon. Bryant wasn't able to come to this sonogram, so my mom went with me. It was so much fun - I still can't believe she will be here so soon! Judging by how cramped she was, I'm sure she won't complain when she makes her way into the real world. The sonogram tech told me that from her weight she could come a week early, but from her length she could be a few days late. Only time will tell...

Until Week 34,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly