30-33 weeks

Oops! a little bit behind ;) We were so busy over the Christmas holidays that I didn't make any time to blog.

We had SUCH a wonderful Christmas this year--we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we had a great time celebrating with them. We had a relaxing New Year's Eve too --we stayed at home just the 2 of us and watched the festivities on tv...it was nice.

As for me, I'm feeling increasingly tired lately and having even more trouble sleeping at night (last night I only slept for 3 hours!) It is starting to wear on me, but I am trying to take naps as much as I can. For some reason I can get more comfortable during the day--which really doesn't help since I'm still working full time, but I only have 34 days left of work (unless dr. orders otherwise or Owen comes early) so I should be able to tough it out until then. Owen really loves to put his feet in my ribs these days--making it hard to breathe sometimes. Oh well, at least he's comfortable! ;)

We're kind of playing the waiting game these days...we're on the home stretch now--good grief, Owen's due date is only 7 weeks away!--finishing up details in the nursery, and other "getting ready for baby" types of things. We got our travel system (stroller, car seat, & base) a few weeks back--Baby Trend's Expedition LX Jogger and we LOVE it! It was on a great sale so we used some of the gift cards we'd been given to go and get it. Margo is of course terrified of it, so we put it in the dining room for her to get used to it...she's getting a little better, slowly but surely. For some reason, the picture doesn't post the car seat latched into the stroller, but here are separate pictures of the travel system. By the way, it was just a COINCIDENCE that we ended up getting red & black--but won't it look so cute at the UGA games anyways?! :)

I'm not going to post the 30-32 week baby facts since I missed blogging those weeks, but here are the stats for 33 weeks...

33 Weeks--Our lil' honeydew :)
(who feeling more like a watermelon by the way!!!)

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than 4 ½ pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows.

Your little one is acting more and more like a baby, with his eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. Also, more light penetrates the womb now, helping your baby differentiate between day and night. Baby has also reached an important milestone about now: The development of his own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I probably won't be blogging again for the next few days so... We pray that everyone has a happy & safe Christmas! May God bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Love,
Tony & Hannah

29 Weeks--Almost Christmas!!!

11 Weeks left to go and still feeling a little tired, but overall, pretty great! Decorating for Christmas this year has been a slow going with all else we have going on in our lives right now, but we've FINALLY finished decorating, HOORAY! Almost all of the decorations were up the day after Thanksgiving (and yes, even a small few done on Thanksgiving Day...as my mom gasps...I know, I know...she hates when decorating for Christmas takes place before T'giving has come and gone) However, for some reason, it took us forever to complete decorating the Christmas Tree and get the Christmas village set up. I guess the small task of working on Owen's nursery distracted us somewhat :)

We have 2 Christmas parties to go to this weekend--Matt & Amanda Hene's and then Tony's High School Crew's--as well as a birthday celebration for Chris (Tony's bro) and we're really looking forward to the fun packed weekend...and then after that...it's CHRISTMAS, YAHOO!!! It came so fast this year, I can hardly believe it's almost 2008, that's crazy! An even crazier thought, and this is so random, but last night Tony & I saw a commercial for American Idol (the new seaon starts on Jan 15 for any fellow addicts by the way...) and I asked him if he realized that by the time the 7th American Idol is named, we will have a kid. Okay, so yes I know, there's only 11 weeks until his due date so I better come to grips with this fact, but it's still so strange to wrap my mind around...

Well, I guess that's about it for this week! I'll close with a few pics of our house all decorated for Christmas followed by the usual baby update...he's a squash this week so that's kinda exciting, um I think?...

Our Christmas Tree

The fireplace & mantle...with my Willow Tree Nativity, I LOVE IT!!!

Our dining room table, I got this idea from Southern Living and I think it turned out really cute :)

Our Christmas Snow Village--look closely and you may be able to see the cute little people :)

Check out our miniature version of the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story...hehe, if you like this one, you should see my parents' FULL SIZED version in their front window, it's quite a trip!

Our outside lights :)

29 Weeks: Size o' a Squash
Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to 3 pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your baby accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat that we have) actually serves as an energy source.

Which explains why your energizer baby feels so energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.

Baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his gums as well. And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).

A Mississippi Christmas

This past weekend we went to Mississippi for the Stimpson Family Christmas. (Tony's mom's side of the family). The entire family--minus his cousin, Karen--was there to celebrate. We had a gigantic traditional Christmas meal followed by lots of visiting, opening presents, and being entertained by the kids. Tony's cousin, Dan, and his wife, Robin, have 3 precious children--Reese, Charlie, and Banks and they were a lot of fun to be around--Charlie especially is a ball full of energy! Reese is such a little mama and big helper for her mama and Banks is a happy, relaxed baby. It was a short trip, but it was nice to see Tony's family because we haven't seen them in a while...and with Owen arriving soon, it will probably be quite a while before we take the trip to Mississippi again :) Here are a few pictures from our trip:(from L to R)
me, Pat, Robin, Kelly, Dan with Banks in his lap, and Reese on the floor

D showing off his gift from Kelly & Robert--
a picture of himself during his service in the military. Kelly had this picture restored and framed for him.

Dean multi-tasking: chatting & opening presents at the same time :)

Charlie playing with the box his remote control car came in--
I think he liked it more than the actual toy!

Reese taking her turn with the box

Tony's attempt to get a picture of the dogs--
Margo and D & Dean's very chubby dog, Sophie

28 Weeks--Nursery ALMOST complete

Wow, I don't know where the time has gone! Only 12 weeks remain until Owen's due date! That just doesn't seem like much time at all to me. For some reason to me, saying that Owen is due March 4th seems further away than saying he's due in 12 weeks. I don't know why...it's funny though. I'm starting to feel the tiredness coming back somewhat. I could really use a nap every day around 3:00 :) It's not too significant yet, but I'm sure it will catch up with me soon. It doesn't help that I am not sleeping well--I just cannot get comfy at night. My hip starts hurting around 2am and then I toss and turn for the rest of the night. Weekends seem to be better--I guess because mentally I know that I don't have to get up and go to work in the morning so I relax a little more. Oh well, this too shall pass :)

Tony asked me the other day if I was ready for Owen to get here and I told him, "yes, for sure!" He said, "well you know, we won't sleep when he gets here either," but I just told him, "well, I can sleep when he does which will hopefully add up to more sleep than I'm getting now!" Tony and I have both been reading On Becoming Babywise which, so far, has been quite a useful tool to prepare us for things to come. My cousin, Mary Beth, & her husband, Scott, used it with their children and they are the most well behaved children that I know so I think it's worth a shot! Supposedly, if we follow the philosophies given in the book, Owen should be sleeping through the night by 7-9 weeks old. We will just have to see about that--I know that every baby is different so I'll have to update on this subject when the time comes.

Owen's nursery is ALMOST finished...yay! All we have left is a little bit of touch up paint and add a few accessories...shelving, pictures, etc. Tony also plans to make a hutch for the dresser/changer combo so that is still yet to come too. I do hope he finishes it before Owen gets here...he says that he plans to so we'll see :) I will post more pictures when we're 100% done, but here are a few pictures of the nursery now:

The crib & glider--you can see the dust ruffle pretty well, but I'll have to post a better picture of the bumper pads later. I will also be making a few throw pillows for the glider and hopefully a blanket too.

The dresser/changer with a few of the sweet gifts we've been given for Owen--they won't stay there--they'll move to the shelves or the hutch, but I like looking at them so I've displayed them here for now .

The curtains

Here are 3 paintings that I did for the wall--they are similar to the fabric I used in the bedding & I think they turned out pretty cute :)

28 Weeks: The Eggplant Reign Comes to an End

Are you dreaming about your baby? Your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about 2 ½ lbs and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.

The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't make his debut yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

27 weeks

Not a whole lot to report since my 26 week post was so late :) Tony and I have been SO busy this week! He took a trip to Las Vegas this past weekend with the guys and had a lot of fun. They mostly spent all of their time at the Sports Book watching all the football games. It was his first trip out there and he's always wanted to go. I was really glad he got to go before Owen gets here (not to mention grateful he took the trip with the guys--I'm not a big fan of Vegas!)


We got our Christmas tree on Tuesday night and soaked it in water overnight so it would be nice and hydrated before we put it in our house. Wednesday we put it in the stand and last night (Thurs.) I strung on the lights. I ran out of lights so we are going to have to go out and get a few more strands this weekend. Slowly, but surely we're getting our tree decorated--we hope to have it completely finished by Sunday. We did some Christmas shopping last night and took care of almost everyone on our list. We just have a few more to get and then we'll be done with that too!


Also on the list for the weekend is dinner tonight with the Dichiara's for Kelly's birthday (which is tomorrow), finishing the walls in Owen's room, and also hopefully finishing our Christmas shopping! Looks like our busy week is going to contiune well into our weekend too! Oh well, at least it's all fun stuff on the agenda...that's what the Christmas season is all about, right? :)


27 Weeks: Maintaining Eggplant Status
Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over 2 pounds, he has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Your baby's auditory development is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food, your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

26 weeks...a little late, sorry :)

Last week time just got away from me and I forgot to blog...oops :) We did quite a lot of work on Owen's nursery last week. Tony and Robert (his dad) finished putting up the paneling and they did SUCH a great job :) I wasn't there while they worked so unfortunately I don't have any photos of their work in progress, only pics of the finished product, but man does it look good! You will notice that the color is grey--this is NOT the finished color, it's been primed so that it's ready to be painted!

You can also see Owen's crib in the middle of the room--it's filled with all of the tools Tony & Robert used, but you can get an idea of what it will look like :)

After the paneling was up, Tony and I spend an evening last week painting the paneling. We had to brush the paint on, so it took a little while longer than rolling it, but it was worth the extra time--it looks great! We still have one more coat to put on, and then after that Tony can put up the chair rail and put back up the base boards and then the painting part of the nursery will be complete! We hopefully plan on getting that part done this week/this weekend so more pics to follow!!! Yea! I can't wait to see the finished product.

Here's Tony painting the paneling.

And one of me painting too...please excuse the lovely outfit, I was COLD! :)

Proud daddy-to-be...one coat of paint down, one to go!

Here's what I found "precious, innocent" Margo doing while we were painting...what a brat!

26 Weeks: Still an Eggplant
Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are now beginning to open. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now.

The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.

Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight—about 9 inches tall and 2 pounds—and at the rate he’s growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in there. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.

25 Weeks-Happy Thanksgiving!

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all! We have lots of fun time planned to spend with family starting today :) In a little less than an hour, as soon as I get off of work (YEA!), I'm headed to my parents' so that mama and I can do some baking for tomorrow's big dinner. This evening, Tony and I are going to his parents' house to hang out and have dinner with his dad's side of the family. Then tomorrow we're headed to my grandparents for the day to have a big ol' dinner at their house (my dad's parents).

We're headed to the very last UGA game of the year on Saturday against Ga Tech. The game is at Tech and Matt & his fiance, Denine, as well as James, Caitlyn, Travis, Robert, and I'm sure Jason will be there too along with a few others so we're looking forward to hanging out with all of them on Saturday. Ashleigh & Joel are going to meet up with us after Emmi Kate's (Ash's neice)dedication and Lauren is gonna be there too so it should be a blast! It's supposed to be SO COLD on Saturday so I'm planning on bundling up :)

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I'm ALMOST over my cold (YEA!!!) and doing much better now! I took some cough syrup last night and slept better than I have in few days. Looks like I almost have this cold beat so that's good...now I'll just have to keep from getting another one and I'll be good...looks like it will be plenty of o.j. for me this winter :)

25 Weeks: An Eggplant, hmmm....

At 9 inches and more than a 1 ½ pounds in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes.

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Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required) Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

Baby's skin is turning pinker this week because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in your baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales. The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows your little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, your baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?)

24 weeks--feebin' stobbed up...

So this week I have a cold...boo! It's no fun (when is it ever?!) I really can't take any meds--I can take Benadryl at night, but during the day it's hot tea and Vicks scented kleenex for me. Doesn't seem to be affecting Owen much though, he's as active as ever--kicking me all the time so that's good :) I think he must feel a little cramped in there when I lean forward at my desk when I'm at work. If I stay in that position for more than a minute or two, I start feeling hard nudges right in the center of my belly. It's almost like he's saying, "hey, move outta my way mom!" It's pretty comical actually and always makes me smile :)

Tony and I picked up the nursery furniture last Saturday and it's now put together in Owen's room. I even made one side of the bumper pad already because I really wanted to get an idea of what his crib bedding is going to look like. Tony is going to put up the paneling in the nursery next week over his Thanksgiving break and I think his dad may come and help with that. I plan on doing some more sewing next week too. The nursery is really starting to come together which is so neat to see. Tony's parents also told us that they want to buy a glider for Owen's room which is so special! I am so excited that they're going to help us out with that, I can't wait to go and pick it out! What an awesome gift, I know Owen will love being rocked in it in his nursery :)

Tony's birthday was on Tuesday and so we're celebrating with our parents tonight by going out to eat at Pappasito's--Tony's very favorite restaurant. We always get the fajitas for two and I know that's what we'll get tonight too, we don't even have to open the menu! I'm looking forward to it because Pappasito's is one of my favorites as well :) After dinner we're headed to Athens for the last home game of the season against Kentucky. Hopefully we'll pull out another win this weekend! I can't believe our season is almost over, it seems like it just started. Even harder to believe is that at the start of next season we'll have a 5 month old in tow! I know Owen will be a little bulldog right from the start. Tony already talks about how excited he is about throwing the football with him. He'll bleed red and black just like his mama and daddy...GO DAWGS!!!


24 weeks: last week of the papaya

Your baby weighs more than 1 ½ lbs. now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about 8 ½ inches.

Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this point are gaining about 6 ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

What can your baby hear from inside the womb these days? All kinds of sounds: from air exhaling from your lungs, those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

23 weeks

My uncle Rick, one of my dad's younger brothers, passed away unexpectedly last Thursday. Our family was quite in shock and is still hurting from the loss, but by God's grace I know that the pain will heal in time. We were told that he had a heart attack and went very quickly. My grandfather made a statement at his funeral that was so well put. I can't remember it exactly, but he basically stated that though Rick's death is hard and painful to deal with right now, eventually the pain and loss will go away, but the wonderful memories will stay and last forever. So that is what I try and focus on now. Needless to say, we had quite a lot going on last week and this past weekend. I did not get to a blog last week, but I still wanted to post the 23 week developments of Owen so here they are:

23 Weeks: Still a Papaya

At 8 inches and slightly over 1 pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll. This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double.


You have probably heard your baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope.


Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops. But don't worry. By the time your baby is born, he will be pleasantly plump and filled out — from chubby cheeks to chubby toes.

22 Weeks

A little late posting this week, but things have been busy at work--I had 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy to catch up on for goodness sakes! :) Not much to write about again this week either. I'm slowly getting bigger, but feeling great overall. I have been a real slacker with my belly pic documentations...I am almost 6 months (some things say I already am...all I gotta say about that is, reference: the NUMBers blog...) and still haven't taken my 5 month pic yet, oops!

We had a very Happy Halloween with our annual bonfire with the neighbors...and Sara got to join this year which was way fun (Richard was flying). We had a great time passing out candy, sipping on hot chocolate, and making s'mores.

So last weekend was WAY exciting with a Dawgs victory over the Gators...YAHOO! Tony said we had to go to Jacksonville every year until we won, so I guess we're taken care of for at least a few years with that awesome victory :) Not like I really would have wanted to make that trip with a 7 month old anyways....maybe the year after that, we'll just have to wait and see!

This weekend is the very weekend that I look forward to and count down the days to all year long (okay...it's not the only weekend I do that for, but it's on my top 5)...it's GIRLS WEEKEND!!! We're headed tonight to Katie's lake house on Lake Sinclair and I cannot wait for a nice relaxing weekend with my girls. We will sit around and catch up on each others lives, have a big ol' breakfast in the a.m., and our "Official Girls Weekend meal" tomorrow night, along with a few other shenanigans and traditions that I could tell you about, but then I'd have to kill you... Haha, for real though, I just can't wait to sit and be with them. It truly is one of my very favorite times of the year!

22 Weeks: Pa-pa-pa-papaya
Your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. This week he is developing the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord. The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids), but unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white.

Baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.