One more project checked off the list!

Flibby and I finished up our nurses' gifts this afternoon! Yippee!! That's one more thing that is finished and ready to go. We're all done with the important things and now I'm finishing up the little things and tying up a few loose ends here and there. I can't believe I have just over four weeks until Noah is here!I got the great idea for this project from my good friend Tracy over at Lines From The Vine. She is always so thoughtful and inspired me to come up with a nice little thank you gift for all the ladies that will take care of me and little Noah while we're in the hospital. It's very simple to do! I took a variety of Hershey Nuggets candy and printed one of my favorite Bible verses on Avery mailing labels. Then Flibby stamped little blue handprints on each label. These fit just perfectly around the candies and are a nice 'thank you' to all the nurses and support staff that will be taking care of us in the hospital! Those ladies take excellent care of me and I wanted to have a little something to show them my appreciation for all they do! Thanks, Tracy for the great idea!!

...FIVE!!...

The time is simply flying by! Here is the latest on Noah and how he's coming along...

"Congratulations! You’re now carrying nearly 6 lbs of baby not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. We’re impressed because that’s a LOT of work non-stop. Are you feeling proud of yourself yet? Well, get to it—you’ve done an amazing job! At this point, your little-grower is almost busting out of the womb size-wise, which makes his restricted attempts to move most challenging. Of course, your stubborn little guy is still trying to move around as if he weren’t in a cramped space. And the accumulationg baby fat deposits are starting to level off so your little butter ball will be padded and warm when he heads out of his super snug little home."

Doctor's Appointment!

Today was another fabulous day at the doctor's office! It was a great visit and I enjoyed it as usual. I'm so going to miss them when I'm not getting to see them every week! I love them all!! But, I digress... on to the business of the appointment.

Noah's heart rate was 154. My blood pressure was 112/64. I gained one pound so my total weight gain has risen to double digits at 10 pounds. He is head down and engaged and he's measuring right on schedule. My doctor said he anticipates a similar size baby to my others meaning at least a good eight pounder! Yippee!! I like everything big... especially nice big babies!!

Things are progressing just perfectly which is what I love to hear!

...SIX!!!...

Look how Noah is growing!!

"Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb to this point (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t already, you’ll be noticing the weight shift that signals they are most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out."

The Sibling Tour!

Oh we had such fun tonight at the hospital with Hannah Banana and Cindy Lou!! We went on a sibling tour through the Women's Center at the hospital and we were able to see the labor and delivery rooms, the rooms where the moms stay after we have the babies, and the newborn nursery!It was great fun!!! The children also received a lesson or two on proper baby care, how babies regulate their temperature, and what they need when they are first born. Cindy Lou and Hannah both received certificates of completion along with a bag of goodies including a coloring book, a book on baby care, a hat and mask just like the doctors wear, and a diaper and a wipe to use with their baby dolls. As you can see, they took their job very seriously, came home and went right to work!In fact, I think I hear them upstairs playing 'labor and delivery' even as I type!! Oh, it's going to be so much fun when little Noah arrives!!

...SEVEN!!...

Little Noah is not so little anymore! I can certainly tell that he is one big baby... especially when he gets his toes right up under my ribs! Only seven short weeks to go...

"For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute—just piling on the baby fat and those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. "

Doctor's Appointment Update!

Please forgive my neglect at updating on my latest doctor's appointment which was last Friday. We've been busy with some new puppies and I have been neglecting my baby blog because of it!

On Friday I saw one of my favorite doctors... in fact, the one that delivered Hannah Banana! I have gained two pounds which makes for a grand total of 9 pounds this pregnancy. Noah had the hiccups at the time they were listening to his heartbeat so it was nice and strong and fast at 172. They said that was fabulous because a stimulus... such as hiccups... is supposed to produce a response... such as a faster heartbeat. So, it seems little Noah is responding appropriately to the annoyance of hiccups. I know by the way he kicks me in the ribs when he has hiccups that he is annoyed by them! Ha! Ha!

I'm measuring right where I should be and my blood pressure is nice and low. All good news!! I go back again in two weeks for more fun, fun, fun! Sweet baby feet are getting closer and closer!

...EIGHT!!...

We are coming right along! I'm officially eight months pregnant with 8 weeks to go until Noah makes his debut! Here is how our Noah is doing...

"During week 32 of pregnancy, as your baby grows, there will be less room for him to move around. This means that his kicks and movements might be less frequent and less forceful.

It is a good idea to continue kick counts at this time, looking for at least 10 kicks per hour. If you count fewer than 10 movements in two hours, you should contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Other fetal development that is occurring when you are 32 weeks pregnant includes the following:

The layers of fat continue to be deposited beneath the skin.

The arms and legs are fully proportioned in relation to the size of the head.

The baby is passing water from his bladder.

The hair on the head continues to grow.

The lanugo (the hair that covers your baby's skin) continues to fall off.

By the time you are 32 weeks pregnant, all of your baby's five senses are also functional, including hearing. This means that your baby is becoming familiar with all sorts of noises within his surroundings, including your heartbeat and digestion. Your baby is also beginning to recognize your voice. By the time he is born, your child will be very familiar with your voice."

The sweet sound of heartbeats!

This nifty little contraption has been loads of fun and wonder for our family as we all love to take turns listening to Noah's steady and strong heartbeat! We never get tired of hearing it!! The children take turns and we pass the earphones around over and over again until Mom gets tired of staying in one position so long. The children never get tired of hearing it... and neither do I!

This and that...

We had a wonderful day at garage sales!! We now have 172 new pieces of clothing for Noah! I found all brand name high quality clothing and everything was just $0.25 a piece! They are sizes 2T through 3T so he is officially clothed for a full year and then some. I found winter coats, bathing suits, jackets, Sunday dress clothes and a few Gymboree blankets which are my absolute favorites! I even found three new maternity shirts for myself. My mom was with me and as we walked up to this wonderful sale I was telling her that I am actually outgrowing some of my maternity clothes! Two of my dresses and several of my casual t-shirt type tops are now noticeably too tight. Then right there at that very yard sale were three new casual 'around the house' tops that were enormous!! Should the Lord bless us with twins anytime in the future, I'm ready! I think these shirts can accommodate any size pregnant tummy!!

In addition to the wonderful clothes, I also found a baby bathtub, three Christmas presents for Noah and at a Friday sale Mr. P found a highchair... and a baby swing!The swing and the highchair were just $10.00 total! Yippee!!

Also this weekend, I completed the booties I've been knitting... and I also completed the matching diaper bag that will go with Noah's quilt.Several more things are checked off the 'to do' list! Just one or two things left to do before Master Noah is set to arrive!!