Dear Family & Friends:

     Tomorrow is the big day - Abby's birthday!  We'll be admitted to Baptist Hospital at 6:30 in the morning to start the induction process.  I don't know exactly how long it will take,  but she should be here some time tomorrow afternoon. 

     We plan on being home Friday afternoon, as long as all goes well (and I'm sure it will) and will send pictures and updates as soon as we can.  Please keep us in your prayers! 

Love,

Ladd & Stephanie

     This is it...the final week!  I had my last check-up this morning.  If Abby doesn't come on her own before November 14th (a week from today), my next visit with my doctor will be at Baptist Hospital for her induction.  It's hard to believe it's been almost 40 weeks!  She weighs 6 1/2 to 7 pounds, according to her measurements and may gain another 1/2 pound by next week.  Please keep us in your prayers this week, as we get ready for her arrival!

     She has really plumped up, and is over 19 1/2 inches long!  She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

     Wondering what color her eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

     Another checkup and all is well.  Abby isn't any closer to arriving today than she was a week ago, but you never know!  My doctor went ahead and scheduled an induction for Wednesday, November 14th, just in case she doesn't come on her own before then (two weeks from today - that's only a few days shy of 40 weeks).

     Abby is officially full-term!  This means that if she arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though her due date is still three weeks away.  She weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). 

     Another check-up this morning...no changes really.  My doctor did confirm that Abby has dropped, but nothing further to report.  I'll return to the doctor in 1 week or once contractions are 5 - 8 minutes apart, whichever comes first! 

How She's Growing:

     Abby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs about 6 pounds and is 19 - 20 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath.  She's getting ready to check out of "Hotel Mom!"

     We had our 35 week check-up today.  All is still perfect with Abby, and things are starting to happen!  My cervix is softening and moving into position and I'm dilated to a 1 today.  Not much, but it's definitely a start!  It won't be long now! 

How She's Growing:

     Abby baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds plus. Because it's so snug in the womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

     Almost there!  For those who don't already know, we had a short stay in Baptist (2-3 hours) 2 weeks ago for contractions that were 5 minutes apart.  They gave me a shot to make them stop and I haven't had any trouble since then.  We wonder if that was Abby's warning - Jacob was born at 36 1/2 weeks (with no problems) after a Baptist visit and shot for early contractions at 35 weeks, so I'm expecting Abby some time around the end of the month (36 - 37 weeks)! 

     We had a check-up on Wednesday.  My blood pressure was a little elevated during my visit, but I have "white coat syndrome" tendencies and believed that to be the cause.  My doctor asked me to monitor my BP at home for the next week, just to make sure.  As I suspected, my blood pressure is just fine away from her office, usually averaging 110/75!  We'll visit the doctor weekly from now on.  As you can imagine, we're anxiously awaiting her arrival! 

How She's Growing:

     Abby now weighs close to 5 pounds and is almost 18 inches long!  Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder.  Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.  Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

     Here we are...32 weeks - down to the final 4-6 weeks.  She's getting big, running out of room to in there!  I still feel great so far, as does Ladd :)

     We had our check-up today and, as we expected, Abby is still perfect!  Her heart was beating at a strong 152 BPM (this is excellent for babies) and she's now in the head-down position, getting ready for her debut in the not-too-distant future. 

     By now, Abby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in the uterus. Mommy is gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the coming weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

     We had our 24 week check-up and all is still perfect.  I was tested for gestational diabetes and my numbers came back one point too high.  I have to go back in two weeks for a 3-hour glucose test to confirm one way or the other.  When I was tested during my pregnancy with Jacob, my numbers were extremely high on both tests, so I'm hoping a borderline score on the 1-hour will mean I'll pass the 3-hour test! 

     Abby is moving around more and more every day.  I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable as my belly expands and I can't seem to keep quite cool enough.  Poor Ladd, he stays cold most of the time!

     Abby's lungs are beginning to produce surfactant, the substance that allows the air sacs in the lungs to inflate - and keeps them from collapsing and sticking together when they deflate. "Practice" breathing moves amniotic fluid in and out of her lungs.  She will begin to look more like a newborn as the skin becomes less transparent and fat production kicks into high gear.  With intensive medical care, some babies born at 23 weeks can survive.

     Going forward, growth and refinement of his existing systems and organs occurs. His ears stand out from his head (more or less depending on heredity - hopefully he's not taking after Grandpa here)!  At 12 centimeters crown to rump, he is large enough to give me a good kick in the belly, and he does so quite often now!   I am now able to feel this five-ounce wonder throwing his weight around.   Unique fingerprints and toe prints are developing.  Meconium, his first bowel movement is beginning to collect in the colon. He is actually digesting swallowed amniotic fluid.  

     At this time, fat deposits will appear under his skin. This fat will help him to regulate his or her temperature after birth.  Circulation of blood is now established and the umbilical cord lengthens and thickens in response to the rapidly growing needs of the baby. The placenta and fetus are now almost equal in size.

     Hi everyone!  We had another appointment with our doctor this morning and were able to hear the baby' s heartbeat.  We scheduled the next ultrasound for Thursday, June 28th @ 8:00 am - this is the day we'll find out whether we're having a boy or a girl!

     His arms have lengthened and are in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some growing to do, though.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over his body (called lanugos). His liver has started secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and his spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells.  Thanks to brain impulses, his little facial muscles are getting a workout as he squints, frowns, and grimaces. He can grasp now, too, and he may be able to suck his thumb.

May 10, 2007 - 13 Weeks

     What's happening this week:   He's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside my womb now. Much more proportional than he was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As I start my second trimester, most of our baby's critical development will be completed.

     Our baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. His face is beginning to look more human. His eyes, which started out on the sides of his head, have moved closer together on his face, and his ears are near their final positions on the sides of his head. Our baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now. His kidneys are secreting urine into his bladder. His nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Our baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and he'll even squirm if I prod my abdomen.