Much to update...

Oh my how time flies.  It's hard to believe that 9 months has come and gone and now we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little SpaghettiO.  Eagerly, impatiently, apprehensively, nervously.  I do have to admit, the whole delivery thing, at least for the time being, doesn't freak me out too much, but the fact that we will be bringing a real, live child home.  That's kinda overwhelming.

At 32 weeks we had our last ultrasound.  They checked measurements and verified that all organs were functioning properly.  Everything looks good!  According to the ultrasound, SpaghettiO is a skinny mini- in the the 30th percentile for weight, head circumference, and belly circumference and the 65th percentile for length.  It will be fun to see how s/he grows between 32 weeks and birthday.  The pictures weren't great, so I didn't put them up.  By 32 weeks, baby is getting pretty squished which means the pictures are harder to make out, but we were able to see some movements in realtime.

What we know about SpaghettiO as of right now:

• SpaghettiO likes to suck his/her thumb with the back of the hand facing up
• SpaghettiO is not Sleeping Beauty and doesn't like to be disturbed in the midsts of slumber... and is quite difficult to wake up.
• SpaghettiO is extremely responsive to sounds and loves daddy's voice!
• SpaghettiO shares a love for Motown music with his father
• SpaghettiO is a party animal between the hours of 1am and 5am

We took series of classes to prepare us for D-Day.  They were very informative and extremely helpful.  Especially for a first timer.  Then a consultation with the Anesthesiologist regarding how I want to proceed in terms of an epidural.  They do things a little differently here, so I am still only seeing my OB once a month.  The next appointment will be next week.  Definitely anxious to see if there has been any progress.

Week 36

Week 35

Week 34

Week 33

For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ would weigh more than a mere 4 pounds!

But once you add in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and extra blood, you've got at least 10 pounds of baby and their life-support gear smooshed up against yourorgans!

In terms of appearance, your sweet lil' looker is getting cuter and pudgier every day as they pile on that adorable baby fat.

And as you know all too well, your womb kick-boxer is getting stronger with every passing day. Heck, it’s even possible to observe a well-placed belly-wobbling kick just by watching your belly!

Here's a fun game for when your kick-boxer is especially active: place a small object (baby blocks or a remote control) on your belly and see how far your star-kicker can lob that thing across the room!

Despite their obviously increasing strength, your bigger-by-the-day baby will actually start dropping their rate of movement in the last few weeks, no thanks to their restricted womb space.

• He's keeping his eyes open while awake.
• He's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.
• His bones are hardening.
• And he going through (more) major brain development -- that's one smart baby!

Week 32... After a dinner of steak and spinach

Week 31 belly!