Week 30, March 11 - March 17

Thursday, March 11th (77 days to go)
Not much to report. I had a doctor appointment today. You can go to this page to read more about it. It went well.

Baby Update: Within the next three days, the baby's brain begins to take on a wrinkled appearance because of its rapid growth. The wrinkling of the surface of the brain is normal and necessary. The wrinkles are called convolutions. A convoluted brain contains more brain cells than a smooth, nonconvoluted brain and is potentially more powerful. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Friday, March 12th (76 days to go)
Isaac and I have recently learned that there were a good deal of big babies on his side of the family. Two of his Louie cousins were 8+ and 9+ pounds. Isaac himself was an 8 pounder, his brother Henry weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces, his brother Terry was 9 pounds 11 ounces (!!!!!) and the baby, Rosie, was 8 pounds, 8 ounces. I wish I had known that earlier. Would have made me feel less anxious about the diabetes thing. This kid is just destined to be born big!

Baby Update: The baby will put on more than 1 pound during this month. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Saturday, March 13th (75 days to go)
So I know I've mentioned a lot that I do have lots of dreams. Well, a recurring theme is that I return to high school. Usually things are messed up... like my schedule is lost, or it's not the kind of schedule I'm used to, or the school seems to have changed and I can't find the classroom. Today I decided to do some research as to what these types of dreams generally mean. Most of the online stuff refers to "career" issues, but I think it translates with me too.

Generally, back to school dreams reflect feelings that we are being "tested" in our waking lives. On many levels I'm experiencing this. The biggest right now is that I'm about to become a mom. Maybe more than I realize I'm worried about how good I'll be at that. I'm a bit of a perfectionist at things, so I'm probably concerned I'll fail miserably. Besides wondering how well I'll do, there are so many things to learn... and when the baby starts to cry I can't just hand her over to her mother... that'll be me!

I'm also beginning to wonder what's next as far as work goes for me. I'm not sure. I've had a miserable time trying to find work the conventional way... via sending my resume out to hiring companies. Certain things lately are leading me to believe that I may need to work on being a freelance designer full-time. There are many advantages to that... mostly being home with Isaac and Ella all of the time, but it's scary at the same time. I do not look forward to the "business" end of things. At least Isaac's been doing it for years and can help me out. Still... deciding to go for it and then going and getting the work is the scary part.

So needless to say there are many new tasks ahead of me, and I'm afraid I won't "make the grade" so to speak. We all spent many years feeling this way in school, which is why it's the school setting that shows up when we're feeling "tested" in our lives.

Baby Update: By this time, red blood cell production is entirely taken over by the bone marrow. (Remember that red blood cells were first produced by tissue groups called blood islands; later the spleen assumes some responsibility for red blood cell production.) - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Sunday, March 14th (74 days to go)
Baby Update: Since the baby's eyelids are now unfused, they can open and close. Much of the time, the baby's eyes are open and the eyes are practicing "looking" movements. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Monday, March 15th (73 days to go)
Nothing new to report. But there are the usual "Monday" things to put here... like this week's heartbeat sound and Baby Center's take on 30 weeks.

Baby Update: The process of myelinization begins to speed nerve cell transmission. Myelin is a fatty substance that coats the outside of nerve cells and makes nerve cell transmission faster, easier, and more efficient. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Tuesday, March 16th (72 days to go)
New belly picture tomorrow! Nothing new today. Just waiting for time to pass.

It's almost spring! All of the trees are blooming (though I'm still waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom in our yard). The rhodedenrons are blooming too. I can't wait for summer. Nothing beats Seattle in the summer I think. It's so beautiful here. All in all it wasn't a bad winter either. You have to admit it could have been worse. We got our usual one week's worth of snow, but it hasn't even rained all that much. I love the misconception every one has about our weather.

Enough babbling about the weather. :)

Baby Update: By now, most of the lanugo (the downy hair that covered the baby's body) has disappeared except for patches on the back and shoulders. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Wednesday, March 17th (71 days to go)
New belly picture today! Oy... I'm getting huge and there's still growth to be done!!!! Want to compare me to previous weeks? Go here...



Yesterday we learned that the video of Ella during the 4D ultrasound got taped over. Complete accident... like a cat stepped on the remote or something because what got recorded wasn't anything we'd want to record. I just left a message at the doctor's office... hoping they'll let me do it again. The loop hole is that there were a couple of things the brochure said we would get for our money, that we did not actually end up receiving. So let's hope they let me do it again. I'm really said about it. I don't get to watch her stick out her tongue whenever I want and that makes me very sad. :( Plus the tape was going to be kept for Ella to watch some day. I'll let you know what happens.

Baby Update: The baby's toenails are visible, and it probably has a good head of hair by this point (a good crop of curls I'm hoping!!). - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.