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

32 Weeks

At 32 weeks Remy is the size of a squash, which is between 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches. These are the same approximate measurements as last week, which is a little confusing. I am SO excited about my sonogram that is scheduled for next Monday so that we have a better idea of how big she is getting. So far everything seems very normal, so I am guessing she is average in size...one of the few times in life "average" is a good thing! :) The websites and books tell me she is likely in the head down position and is probably starting to get a little cramped. I would definitely agree with the getting cramped part, especially considering how short my torso is. Poor girl never had a chance at being comfortable!

Fortunately, I still feel decent...notice I am not saying "pretty good" anymore! I shouldn't complain (although that doesn't stop me) because I am still sleeping pretty good (even if I wake up at least twice a night to pee) and I don't have much swelling. One of my biggest complaints is that I am having a hard time bending over (whether it's to pick up Belly's toys or put on shoes). I also am having a hard time getting clothes out of our top loading washing machine... I guess that's what happens when you're as wide as you are tall! :( Bryant may need to starting assisting me with laundry duty. Rolling over at night is still uncomfortable and a little painful, but on the other hand, I also feel like I'm actually starting to be able to sleep for longer periods on each side, so I'm not rolling over as much...so I guess I'm breaking even. My waddle is more pronounced and I don't try to correct it as much as I used to. I have definitely entered the "I'm pregnant and I don't care if I walk like a 400 pound person who has one leg longer than the other" phase. :)

In exciting/mildly terrifying news, I scheduled my first jury trial today. It's set for April 5, 2012, so hopefully I will still be on my feet and working at that point. I am really excited about it, but am a little nervous about how I will be handling myself at 38 weeks. I have been joking that I would go into labor during court...but now it seems like it's an actual possibility. And it's not just "court" - but a full on JURY TRIAL. Did I mention that we are inviting the high school/junior high students to come watch?!?! No pressure...

This past weekend we finished up our baby shopping! Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know I'm obsessively organized... We have been so fortunate to each have a sister that has recently had a baby so we are getting LOTS of hand me downs! I have also started packing my bag for the hospital and we are planning on installing the car seat this weekend. Actually, we will be having my brother Jamie install it since he is a "Certified Baby Seat Installer" (I'm sure there is a more technical name, but I don't know it! Either way, he's a State Trooper and he knows what he's doing.)

Belly has been getting more and more inquisitive as to why we spend so much time in Remy's room and who all this stuff belongs to. We set up the baby swing last night and he was not too sure about it, especially once it started moving. On the flip side, he seems pretty respectful of her toys and seems to know the difference between what is his and what is hers. (With the exception of one of her toys that squeaks.) Lets see how long that lasts...

Until next week,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

31 Weeks

Here is the "bump" at 31 weeks - or "road block" as Bryant would say...he's lucky I have a sense of humor!

So my post is a little late for 31 weeks as I'm only a couple of days from 32 weeks, but better late than never. This past weekend we had our baby shower, which was unbelievable! We cannot get over how generous our friends and family are. It is amazing to know that so many people already love our little girl. Remy is so spoiled dand has more clothes and blankets than she (or I) will ever know what to do with. We were very impressed with how talented all of our friends and family are also - who knew so many of them could knit, crochet, and sew! I have some serious skills to learn... I cannot thank Julie, Kinsey, Lindsey & Debbie enough for putting everything together. It was perfect and we couldn't be luckier or happier to have them in our lives. We love you & appreciate you all.

At 31 weeks, Remy is the size of a pineapple, which means she is between 15.2 and 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds. All five of her senses have developed and she is going through some major brain and nerve development - getting smarter and smarter everyday! She still moves around all day and you can actually see my stomach moving...kinda creepy. Bryant has gotten to feel/see her movements much more lately which is exciting!

I am still feeling pretty good, although I am getting more and more uncomfortable by the day. Sleeping isn't what it used to be due to my sore hips and c.r.a.z.y. dreams! The most recent weird one was that lions and coyotes were surrounding our house and Belly was stuck outside. Of course we had to save him! Scary stuff. I don't know much about dreams, but I wonder if this has something to do with my fears about how he'll behave once Remy gets here. Hopefully he takes the change well...otherwise we may have to throw him to the wolves, errr lions. (Just kidding! I'm glad Belly can't read!)

I had another check-up today with Dr. Hodny. Everything looks great, I measured right at 32 weeks (which I will be in 2 days) and my blood pressure was normal and her heart rate was strong - 152. Originally I was supposed to have my next appointment in 2 weeks, but since everything is going so well, we are going to wait until 3 weeks from now. Dr. Hodny said things couldn't be going better, which is always a huge relief.

In other exciting news, Fort Hays State needed pregnant volunteers for their sonogram class, so we will be getting to see Remy again soon! We are scheduled for March 5. I will be 33 weeks, so I hope she's not "too" big and that we can still see all of her little features. Either way, it will be fun to get to see her one last time before THE day.

I cannot believe that April 21 is coming up so quickly. Our world is about to be turned upside down and I'm not sure exactly how to prepare for that...so I guess we'll just feel our way through it! :) We can't wait to meet her, see what she looks like, and watch her personality grow. Soon all of the guessing about who she will look like will be over and all those cute little clothes folded so neatly in her drawers will be consuming my laundry room... We are heading to KC soon to shop and get the last of the necessities and then we will be sitting and waiting, patiently I'm sure!

Until next week,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FRIENDS & FAMILY! Bryant & I have pretty low-key plans for the holiday and plan on having dinner at home...spaghetti (Bryant's favorite) of course! :) I can't wait to buy Remy a cute little Valentine's Day outfit next year. It will definitely include a red tutu!

I am currently at 30 weeks and I am still feeling pretty good. Rolling over in bed gets harder and harder everyday and I'm getting a little paranoid about getting on the floor with Belly out of fear that I won't be able to get back up. Shaving my legs is nearly impossible (which makes me (and I'm sure Bryant) dread the next 9.5 weeks or so!) :) I seriously have to hold my breath while I try to shave...it's sad really. My hips are about the same and the waddle is still there. I have been having some seriously weird dreams including one where I delivered Remy and she came out with a big bow on her head! haha I definitely have a case of "baby brain" and have to write things down consistently out of fear that I will forget to do something important. Turns out being forgetful isn't exactly ideal in my career...

Bryant finished up the new closet doors this week and the baby room is officially complete! :) It is unbelievably cute and I hope that she enjoys it as much as Bryant & I do. (And apparently Belly. I keep finding his toys in her room lately...)

In baby progress...Remy should be around the size of a cucumber...although I assume she is a little more proportionate than a cucumber (at least I hope!) She should be around 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and somewhere between 2.5 to 3.8 pounds. Her skin is getting smoother and her brain is getting wrinklier! She is also strong enough now to grasp a finger (or likely the umbilical cord since there's not much else to grab onto in there.) She moves all the time and sometimes her kicks are so strong that it surprises me I don't have bruises on my belly!

Our baby shower is this weekend and I am REALLY looking forward to it. Three of my best friends, Julie, Kinsey, and Lindsey are hosting it for me - they really are the best! :) I am so excited to have so many of my friends and family in the same place for a little bit. I am especially excited that Mandy and Whitney will be coming back too. I just can't seem to get enough of my nieces/nephews! Love 'em!

Hope you all have a LOVELY day and get to spend time with your favorites! :)

XOXO,

Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly