Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! There are only a few hours of 2009 left, and 2010 is going to be great!!! We've got a lot to look forward to!

This morning's check up at the doctor went very well! According to the doctor, it's normal for cervix measurements to fluctuate now. Well, last Saturday mine was 3.16cm, and today it was back up to 3.6cm. The doctor said everything looks great, and we've got nothing to worry about. They're going to check me again next week just to monitor things, but there's no need to put me on bed rest and it doesn't look like we need to worry about early labor. So that's good news!

I had a couple wacky dizzy spells yesterday, one of which was a little bit crazy and lasted quite a while! And all I was doing prior to these spells was either sitting in a chair or standing up while washing my hands. Pretty strenuous stuff! The doctor said this is perfectly normal now, and I just need to be careful to not move too quickly. Okay, I get it! I can't move to quickly in ANYTHING THAT I DO anymore!!

We're getting ready to enjoy a quiet New Year's Eve at home tonight with a couple friends, some take-out Thai food, and some DVDs. No champagne for me this year - I've got my sparkling apple cider chilling in the fridge for later! The house is almost back to normal, or should I say the new normal? Just a couple of things left to clean out and finish packing up, but we're basically on track! Geoff did a lot of amazing work while I was under doctor's orders to put my feet up, and I think it's safe to say that we've pretty much met our goal of being baby ready by the end of 2009. We're almost there and I'll be finishing up the last few things soon, so I think that's close enough!

Have a safe and happy new year, and best wishes for a fabulous 2010!

Merry Christmas - 32 weeks

Merry Christmas!!

At the Paseo Nuevo Mall in Santa Barbara (above)

Outside of Woodstock's Pizza in Isla Vista (our favorite college pizza!)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and that Santa was good to you! We had a great time, and Kyra got some very cute gifts! I'm including a couple belly picks from our day trip to Santa Barbara last Tuesday (in honor of my 30th Birthday!). I just keep getting bigger!

We had another doctor's appointment this morning, and I mentioned to the doctor that I've been having a bit more discomfort and light cramping in my lower belly - it seems like Kyra's been putting some pressure on me lately! So the doctor checked my cervix, which is still within the normal range at 3.16cm, but is close to the 3cm mark of being on the thin side, which could signal pre-term labor. There's no immediate cause for concern and I don't need to go on bed rest yet, but I was told to take it easier and stay off my feet if possible. I go back in on Thursday for another check up to see how things are looking. The doctor told me I need to take it easy until at least 35 weeks (I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow). After that, it's okay for Kyra to come out - although I certainly hope she stays in longer than that, so I'll continue taking it easy!! We have no real reason (yet) to believe that she'll actually be born early, but it's definitely got me thinking about being fully prepared well ahead of time!

We got to see Kyra's face on the ultrasound this morning, and she looked adorable! She looks like she's filled out and actually looks like a real baby now. Not that she hasn't looked like a baby all along, but she's got the chin and chubby little cheeks now that babies are supposed to have! She's head-down/face-up now and the doctor said that, at this point, she should be staying put and so hopefully I don't need to worry about her being breech.

Sadly, I'm not going to be able to help Geoff out with much of the remaining cleaning and organizing that's left to do around the house, but he's already made significant progress and is doing an amazing job!

Have a wonderful last week of 2009, and best wishes for a terrific 2010. I know ours is going to be good!

Single-Digit Weeks Remaining!!!

I'm 31 weeks as of yesterday, which means we've officially crossed the threshold into single-digit weeks remaining until my due date!! Only 9 weeks to go! That seems crazy to me - I can't believe how fast this has all gone by! Tomorrow's my Birthday (tomorrow I enter the world of my 30's!), which always marks the start of the December holidays for me, then Christmas, then New Years, then before I know it, it'll be January 16th and time for the Baby Shower.

Once the Baby Shower's over, I might slowly enter full panic mode, where I'll feel like I'm suddenly out of time even though I'll still technically have a little over a month remaining. That's how I work - for those of you that know me well, you know that I need to be prepared and early for everything (at least by a few minutes!); to be "on time" makes me feel a little bit like I'm going to be late for something! I know, it's ridiculous. I was raised by the notoriously late Mom (and by late, I mean LATE!! Sorry Mom, but it's true and you know it!), and the notoriously 5 minutes early Dad. My brother got the lateness gene, and guess what I got!

But I really have no need to worry - although Geoff says that I find a way to worry about something all the time (he's probably right, but I can't help it, although I think I've greatly improved over the last few years!). I know we'll be ready. The house will be ready, Kyra's room will be ready, but will I be ready? Well, is anyone ever fully ready? If my recent exhaustion and frequent trips to the bathroom are any indication, I know I'll at least be ready to get her out of my tummy and into my arms! I love feeling her kicking and moving so much these days, but it'll be so nice to actually meet her and start getting to know her!

In terms of the "kick counting," Kyra's been passing with flying colors! She's generally really active in the morning (around 5:30-6am), or is at least easily woken for a little playtime with Mommy! So I've been enjoying morning kicking sessions with her. In the bathtub last night, I watched my tummy jolt and tumble uncontrollably as she rolled around and "swam" during my bath! And she's also had the hiccups at least twice, so that's been interesting!

Geoff's enjoying his winter break from school, and I'm finally done with all my school work too, so now the focus turns to enjoying the holidays and finishing our baby prep work around the house. We're still totally on target for reaching our goal of completing all the baby prep by midnight on New Year's Eve! That way, we'll have January to leisurely organize new baby gifts into the house. And I'm keeping February open for now (since I must always be prepared ahead of schedule), just in case Kyra inherits the "early" gene from her Mommy and Grandpa Lou!

30 Weeks - Counting Baby Kicks

Counting baby kicks...there's an app for that! Actually, there are a few app's for that. Too bad I don't have an iPhone. Looks like I'll have to do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper. I'm 30 weeks today, and my doctor told me to officially start keeping track of Kyra's kicks from here on out. She's definitely been more active lately!

There's a whole process to this counting. I'm supposed to pick a time of day, drink a cold glass of water, then sit or lie down quietly in a dark room and keep track of kicks for 1 hour at that same time every day. Once she hits 10 kicks or movements within an hour, she's "passed the test." However, if she doesn't get to 10 kicks or movements in an hour, we're supposed to go directly to Labor & Delivery to make sure everything's fine! That part is a little scary for me, so I think I'll start counting tomorrow and may give Kyra a day or two to show me exactly what time of day is best for us to be counting. Like I said, she's been kicking and moving like crazy lately, so I just have to find the best time of day for this.

I had a check-up on Friday, and she was kicking during the appointment so her heartbeat was much faster than it was last time when she slept through the appointment (in both cases, her heart rate was still well within the normal range). Friday night, we went to see the movie "Up In The Air," and she was kicking and moving around on my left side for most of the movie (maybe she's a fan of George Clooney, like so many other women are)! I guess that's a little reminder of what it'll be like for me to try to focus on things at home once we have her! (the movie was great, by the way, in case you're interested in seeing it). I think I've gotten used to the kicking feeling, but when she actually moves and turns and flips around in there, it's still such a funky feeling!

We had our 4th and final childbirth class yesterday (Baby Care Basics), so we should be experts now, right? I think Geoff and I are both feeling pretty good about things these days...I just keep watching the days tick by, and am beginning to feel a little nervous just because time seems to be flying by! But I'm getting more and more excited to meet our daughter, and just want to finish getting the house cleaned up now so that we can make sure everything is ready for her! The Baby Shower invitations went out about a week ago - they're adorable and in keeping with the elephant theme the nursery has. We already received our first gift in the mail (the baby spa & shower - thanks Rosemary & Mark Olson, grandparents to Kyra's future buddy, Jake Balice!), so I'm mentally preparing myself for all the fun baby stuff that's going to be filling up our little house soon. Geoff recently put together the stroller and car seat travel system, and we've got the Pack n' Play waiting to be unpacked. We'll be ready for Kyra when she gets here in just another couple of months!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a great week!

PS: as I'm finishing this post, Kyra's tumbling around in my tummy, reminding me that it's time for breakfast!

29 Weeks Down, 11 To Go!

29 weeks and counting!

In the photos above, I'm wearing the shirt that Carol made when she was pregnant with Geoff. It fits her a little better than it fits me, but it's still adorable! If only I had Carol's fantastic mustard-yellow pants to match! Jen also wore this shirt back when she was pregnant with Mia and Maddie, so it's fun to think that this has been passed through our family.

I'm feeling pretty good these days, although I've been having some back pain and sleeping is not very comfortable these days. But it's all worth it for our little one! Now that I'm going to the doctor every 2 weeks, time is definitely starting to feel like it's running thin and I'm guessing that the next 11 weeks are going to fly by. Tomorrow night is Breastfeeding class, and coming up in a couple weeks is our final class, Baby Care Basics.

Kyra is now the size of a butternut squash:

Her energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. She is also settling into sleep and waking cycles. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments. She is growing rapidly now, and will more than double in size by the time she's born! This week she weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is getting bigger to accommodate her growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in her skeleton, which is now hardening.