Home :: Us :: Family :: Friends :: Stuff We Like :: Picture Archives
Our weekly email diary
To keep the grandparents up-to-date on Junior's progress, I've been sending out a weekly email message with baby facts, and other interesting tidbits from the week (OK. They're probably only interesting if you're either pregnant with this baby, or one of its grandparents, but I'm taking some license here!)
You can read:
- Week 16 (we told everyone at Christmas, so the diary starts after that)
- Week 17
- Week 18
- Week 19
- Week 20
- Week 21
- Week 22
- Week 23
- Week 24
- Week 25
- Week 26
- Week 27
- Week 28
- Week 29
Week 16
January 4, Thursday
Hi all,
Just thought I'd let you know what's up with Junior and I.
We went to the midwife last night and heard the baby's heart beat for the first time. Very cool. It was between 154 and 165 beats per minute.
Everything's going well and is on track for my expected due date. And, I only gained 2 pounds since my last appointment at the beginning of the December. (I seemed to have gained more weight just at the beginning...altogether about 7 pounds now.) We're also having an ultrasound on January 22.
As for Junior, as of this week the baby measures between 4.3 and 4.6 inches and weighs almost 3 ounces.
I told everyone at work yesterday, and it went very well. Leanne and I had a good laugh about how close our due dates are.
Anyway, that's it for now. Talk to you soon.
Robin
Friday, January 12, 2001
Hello grandparents!
The baby and I are doing fine. Just growing. :) I thought I'd send you some more tidbits about the baby's development, since it's just so cool!
Right now, I'm in the middle of week 17. According to babycenter.com (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/798.html), Junior:
a.. is now about the size of an avocado (about 5 inches long, crown to rump, and weighing approximately 6 ounces).
b.. in the next three weeks he'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length.
And, I'm definitely sure that I can feel the baby moving! When I'm lying on the couch, it sometimes feels a bit like popcorn popping, or little tiny kicks. Very cool!
Other than that, things are going well. I went to Aquafit last night and my bathing suit actually fit! Although not for too much longer. I think I'll be making a trip to the maternity store this week for a suit and maybe some jeans.
Talk to you soon!
Robin
Reply from Mom D. (Friday, January 12)
Hi guys,
Just wanted to let you know that you don't need ultrasound to figure out sex of Junior.Papa has said the word! He told me the other morning that he had downloaded a child car seat from the internet,off of NASCAR of course. Said he figured it would be pretty safe if they were advertising it. I asked him who it was for. He said it was for his granddaughter! I told him you guys were calling the baby Junior but he said she was going to be another Muldoney (or something like that). I asked who she was and he said a great race car driver. So there you go, sex and profession already picked out so you guys can concentrate on other things! Don't know what he"ll think when he sees the baby gift that I received today. One of the volunteers at the Nsg. home gave me a pair of aqua blue booties that she had knit. I was thrilled! My first grandparent gift! talk to you guys later.Thanks for the update.
Love Mom
Friday, 19 Jan 2001
Hi all!
Here's my weekly update, courtesy of babycenter:
Right now, I'm in week 18, so I'm officially 17 weeks pregnant. According to babycenter (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/796.html):
a.. Junior is now nearly 5 1/2 inches long and weighs approximately 7 ounces. The skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to enshroud the spinal cord.
As for me, I got a massage this week, which was great! I'll probably get an hour long one about once a month now, for relaxation. I also wore my first pair of "official" maternity jeans yesterday, just because all the other ones are either just tight enough to be uncomfortable, or require a belt that really doesn't fit very well anymore.
I can still feel the baby moving around, mostly at night when I'm laying on the couch. Next Monday is the ultrasound, so I'll have pictures from that to send.
Talk to you later!
Robin
Friday, January 26, 2001
Hi grandparents!
Well, I'm in the middle of the 19th week now and things are definitely getting bigger. According to babycenter:
Your baby is twice as big as he was last month (about 6 inches), but he still weighs only about 7 ounces. (Meanwhile, you've probably gained as many as 14 pounds, most of which is from amniotic fluid, placenta, and water retention.) Though things may seem calm on the surface, your little one is kicking, flexing, reaching, rolling, and even sucking his thumb now. (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/794.html )
This weekend, I'm heading out with a friend to look for material for a quilt that she's planning to make for the baby. And, I've started thinking about what I want in the kid's room. Decisions, decisions!
The next midwife appointment is on the 31st, next Wednesday, so I'll send another message after that.
Bye for now,
Robin
Thursday, 1 Feb 2001
Hi all!
I'm now starting my 20th week - halfway!
The Vital Statistics for this week are:
The baby measures between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 inches long and weighs about 9 ounces. Junior has started to swallow amniotic fluid, and his/her kidneys continue to make urine. Hair on the scalp is sprouting. Sensory development reaches its peak this week. The nerve cells serving each of the senses — taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch — are now developing in their specialized areas of the brain.
According to the ultrasound, everything is healthy. They moved my due date to June 29, however. I had originally calculated it as June 26, so that sounds about right to me. (As long as we don't have someone else born on July 7! :)
Next week I have to go for the icky glucose tolerance test (fast, blood, drink orange substance, more blood, more blood). But, I picked a lab next door to a Tim Horton's, so I can go out and get some breakfast right after it's done. :)
Other than that, I'm just getting bigger. George should be able to feel the baby kicking pretty soon, which will be really cool.
Talk to you soon!
Robin
Friday, February 9, 2001
Hi all!
Well, I'm now in the 21st week, and steadily getting bigger (I believe this is an ongoing theme).
Here's this week's baby update:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/840.html
By now Junior is about the size of a large sweet potato. The baby is also giving his or her new digestive system a little practice by swallowing amniotic fluid. She absorbs nutrients and water from this fluid.
I'm also getting kicked quite a bit, most often in the morning and afternoon. So maybe the kid won't be a night owl! :)
I had my lovely sugar test this week, which wasn't too bad other than not being able to find a vein. Apparently I'm one of the living dead or something. I'll get the results at my next midwife appointment, which is at the end of the month.
I've finally figured out what I'm going to do with the baby's room. And, even George likes it! We're doing a "magic" theme. A friend of our's is making a quilt with a star theme, and I got curtain fabric with stars, moons, and clouds. And, Mom M. is going to help paint a dragon on the wall, possibly a wizard as well with glow in the dark stars shooting out of the wand. It should be pretty cool!
Anyway, that's all for this week. For the first weekend in a while, we're taking it easy, so it will be nice to relax.
Love,
Robin
Thursday, February 15, 2001
Hi grandparents!
It's been a busy week around here. We attended our first prenatal class on Monday night. There were 5 couples at the class, and its given by a midwife from the St. Jacobs clinic. George was not looking forward to it (as I'm sure most guys don't), and I was just hoping for no earth mother types. Both of us were pleasantly surprised! The class was quite useful, and everyone had a good sense of humour. We even had food!
We got to see a birth video--a prerequisite for all classes I believe. It really wasn't that bad...apparently they save the ickier ones for later. Don't want to scare us off or anything. It did remind me of a cow giving birth, when looked at from a certain perspective. Not sure if that's good or bad.
I've also been signing up for infant day cares this week. You have to get on a waiting list to get into the good ones, although this early seems ridiculous. We're not sure yet what we're going to do about me working, etc., but better prepared than out of luck!
As for baby growth facts this week, (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/770.html):
- The fetus now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 7 1/2 inches long, crown to rump. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed, and the fingernails cover the fingertips. As well, the baby can now hear our conversations. (I guess this means time to clean up the language.)
As well, I called the midwife and got the results of my sugar test. Normal!
I also asked her about my lopsidedness. The ultrasound didn't remark on this at all, and she mentioned that the uterus naturally moves to the right anyway. Mine just does it more so. She'll keep an eye on it and consult an OB if there's any changes, but for now, nothing to worry about. (Other than being slightly off kilter when I go to the bathroom at night. :)
And, I even got to drink some half-decent wine last night! George got me a bottle of "alcohol-removed" wine for Valentine's Day! Red, no less!
Talk to you soon! Love,
Robin
Saturday, February 24, 2001
Hi grandparents,
I'm a little late getting this out this week...busy at work.
Right now I'm in week 23. According to babycenter.com:
http://click.babycenter.com/b/?le=Ap&me=56F6&ce=zTgDr
- The baby's skin is still pretty transparent -- if you could see
through your uterus, you would see your baby's veins. His face and
body are beginning to look more like those of a newborn, as his lips,
eyelids, and brow become more distinct. - The baby now weighs almost a pound, measures nearly 8 inches long, and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thinner version since her baby fat hasn't yet developed.
Not much going on in Waterloo this week. We had another baby class on Monday which focused on the stages of labour. (I'm hoping certain ones go faster than others!) This weekend, I'll be registering at Sears for the shower. I spent about an hour this week on the www.sears.ca site looking at all their baby stuff, so I've got a good list of stuff (cross-checked with current parents of course!). I think I may have found a crib too, at a store called Nursery Rhymes in town here. But, I'm still going to look at Sears to see if there's anything there that I actually like better.
I'm also going to try to finish my curtains this weekend. I got the curtain rods as well. It took George a while to figure out what they were when he saw them sitting in the extra bedroom. He thought they were some kind of exercise device. A home decorator he is not.
Anyway, that's it for this week. Talk to you soon!
Love,
Robin
Friday, March 2, 2001
Hi grandparents,
Well, I've just completed week 23 of this marathon, and am entering week 24.
According to babycenter, this is what the coming week will bring:
(http://click.babycenter.com/b/?le=kz&me=58p2&ce=zTgDr
)
Junior now weighs a little over a pound. Hearing is well established, and the baby can make out a distorted version of my voice, the beating of my heart, and my stomach rumblings.
According to babycenter, studies seem to indicate that the unborn prefer classical music, especially Vivaldi (e.g. "The Four Seasons"). So far, I've noticed that the baby really gets moving to brass band music. We watched "Brassed Off" and during the William Tell Overture there was lots of kicking going on. I think George wants to get Junior used to Def Leppard though.
Prenatal class was Monday. George got to learn all about episiotomies.
He didn't know what this was before, but agreed it sounded pretty awful!
This
was before he almost fell asleep (too much working!).
I had another midwife appointment on Wednesday. Everything looked good (except for the scale!), and the baby's heartbeat was the same as usual, between 155 to 160 beats.
The only odd thing is me still being lopsided...Junior's all to the right of my belly button. So, I'll be getting another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to see what's going on. (The first one I had didn't mention anything about it, however, and the baby was on the right at that point too.) It's just unusual so they want to know what's up.
Robin
Sunday, March 11, 2001
Hi grandparents!
Here's the facts on week 25:
http://click.babycenter.com/b/?le=kJ&me=5bZy&ce=zTgDr
At 1 1/4 pounds, the baby is still a little string bean with no body fat. But Junior's brain is growing rapidly (he takes after me), and he's starting to fill the space in my uterus, which is now the size of a soccer ball (!!). Junior's taste buds are also forming, and, believe it or not, a sweet tooth. Could that explain your sudden craving for donuts (specifically Boston Cream from Tim Horton's)?
-----
Monday night we had our second-last prenatal class (much to George's delight).
This one was on breastfeeding. And, George found out that to feel like
he's involved he can get up in the middle of the night to change diapers
and bring the baby to me...I thought this was a great idea!
Mom D. was here last night and on Friday night. She brought these cute little booties that one of the ladies at the nursing home she volunteers at knitted. Also, Kim and Paul brought the quilt design for the baby. It will be a castle! We can't wait to see it!
On Saturday, Heather brought over her completed quilt and it looks great! Mom and Kim got to check it out too and were impressed. We're going to hang that quilt on one wall, Kim and Paul's on another wall, and then paint the mural on the last wall. It will be a very magical room! And the best part is that George doesn't have to paint a thing. :)
I'm still madly trying to organize our closets and the basement. I keep doing a little bit at a time, so by June it should all be done. Skye sent up a bunch of baby clothes and some other paraphanelia (e.g. Snugli), so I'm going to sort through that too.
Today, we're checking out a crib that we may buy second-hand. If we take it, we're getting a really good deal. It's a Little Folks crib, which is supposed to be quite nice, and is maple. We'll see.
Anyway, that's it for now. My next ultrasound is this Thursday..ughh. More water!
Love,
Robin
Check out the belly picture from March 17.
Sunday, March 18, 2001
Hi grandparents!
Another exciting week in baby land. For the vital statistics, the following is happening:
http://click.babycenter.com/b/?le=Dy&me=5eYS&ce=zTgDr
Junior is responsive to touch now. The baby now weighs between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds and is approximately 9 inches long, crown to rump. The makes breathing movements, but has no air in his lungs yet. At 26 weeks fetal brain scans show response to touch.
-----------
We picked up our crib on Tuesday night and put
it together. George and I are still speaking after this joint effort,
so that was a good sign. I bought a mattress for the crib on Saturday,
from Sears, so that should be in a couple of weeks.
This week, we had the second ultrasound on Thursday afternoon. During this one, the technologist definitely thought she detected two chambers in my uterus. Junior is inhabiting the right chamber quite happily. This is nothing to be concerned about since people have babies all the time with a bichornate uterus. I'll be seeing the midwife this Thursday to talk about the test results. I may have to consult with an OB but that's about it.
The ultrasound was pretty neat this time because the baby was so much bigger. The baby even peed during the test! The bladder was full at the beginning and empty towards the end. (This is a great sign because it means the kidneys are working well.) We could also see the baby's stomach full of fluid, which means swallowing is working fine. Mom M. got to come to the ultrasound too since she was up for a working visit (more on that later). Junior even waved at us. The baby also seemed to really like having his hands near his face, either sucking or waving. More ultrasound pictures will be up on the web site as soon as I can get them scanned.
Mom M. was up on Wednesday night until Sunday morning visiting...although we put her to work mostly. She painted a mural of a purple wizard and a green dragon on the baby's wall. It turned out fantastic! (Pictures will be on the web site as soon as I get them developed and scanned.) I helped a little bit, mostly by painting in between the lines that she drew, and napping at appropriate moments. Mom will also have fun showing Junior how to fingerpaint eventually, since she seemed to get more paint on herself than she did on the wall.
That's about it for this week. I'm still reorganizing the house for the arrival of the baby, and trying not to drive George too crazy with my requests for him to move boxes hither and thither. I don't think I've totally succumbed to hormones yet, but he may tell you differently when my back is turned.
Love you all!
Robin
Juniors First Flowers
Junior decided to send Gramma M some flowers for painting the cool mural on his wall.
Robin & George:
Let Jr know that the flowers are beautiful, although Jr. didn't have
to
send them! Gramma really loves them! And she really enjoyed painting the
mural on the wall for Jr also. It was a wonderful few days and Gramma
was very pleased that the Wizard and the Dragon co-operated and turned
out as well as they did!
Thanks again to all.
Love
Mom AKA Gramma
Friday, March 23, 2001
Hi All,
I'm now in my 27th week, and at what some sources consider the third trimester. Time flies! According to babycenter.com:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/790.html
The baby now weighs a little more than 2 pounds and is about 15 inches long with its legs extended (nearly 10 inches crown to rump). Junior's eyes begin to open around now. Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete. The baby also continues to take small breaths, and although he's only breathing in water and not air, it's still good practice for when he's born.
--------
All went well at the midwife appointment this week. I gained 5 lbs since my last appointment, which is right on track for how far along I am. The results from the ultrasound were excellent. Everything looks good and best of all, the baby is in a heads down position and likely to stay that way since the shape of my uterus will make it difficult for him to get turned around at this point.
So, I don't have to consult an OB (yippee!), and it all looks like I can have a natural birth at this point (ie. no breech).
So everything is going well...other than I'm now entering the "uncomfortable" stage of pregnancy according to everyone that I meet. More keeping George awake at night with visits to the bathroom and jumping out of bed with leg cramps...he's having a grand ole time. :)
Talk to you soon, love,
Robin
Friday, March 30, 2001
Hi grandparents,
Here's the vital statistics for this week from babycenter.com:
http://click.babycenter.com/b/?le=En&me=5jQI&ce=zTgDr
Two trimesters down, one more to go. The baby weighs from 2 1/2 to 3 pounds and is between 12 and 15 inches long. He's acting more like a newborn now, too. Junior opens and closes his eyes, sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, and may suck a finger or thumb.
Some experts believe that babies begin to dream by the 28th week. What do they dream about? No one knows for certain. But the brain is active this week as well. The characteristic grooves on the brain's surface start to appear, and more brain tissue develops.
--------
As for news from George, Junior, and I, we picked up our
crib mattress this week from Sears. Tracy, Dave, and Nathan are visiting
this coming weekend, so Nathan will get to test it out for us.
I had yet another pregnancy related test last week. This one was to take my blood for the RH program. I didn't even feel faint this time! Next week, I'll be going back to get the RH shot. I also get one right after the baby is born.
I don't think there's any other exciting news this week. I added a couple of items to the Sears registry....specifically a backpack thingy so we can go hiking around with the baby in places where a stroller would be inconvenient. And, I'm keeping George awake at night trying to find a comfortable position, or jumping out of bed with a leg cramp.
I did buy a pair of clogs yesterday, so I can avoid bending over to tie my shoes. Much better!
I've also added a picture of the mural to the web site. Just go to the home page and you can check out the what's new section.
Anyway, talk to you soon,
Love,
Robin
----------------
March 31, 2001
Hi guys;
Thanks for the update. Absolutely loved the mural! Only problem that I can foresee is that perhaps George may take over the room and the baby will have to sleep on the pool table. Dad says don't worry about the stomach as he's had one bigger than that for 25 years.
Love Mom and Dad
Sunday, April 8, 2001
Hi grandparents!
We're now in week 29! According to babycenter.com:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/786.html
By this week, Junior weighs nearly three pounds and measures nearly 10 1/2 inches from crown to rump — almost 17 inches when you include his legs. At about this time, the baby can open his eyes and turn his head in utero if he notices a continuous, bright light shining from the outside. The fat layers are forming and the fingernails appear.
--------------
The last week has involved two big milestones in our pregnancy.
First, I got my RH shot at the hospital on Thursday. I have to go back for another blood test in week 34 to make sure that the shot worked. No biggie, just more needles!
Second, and this one was far more traumatic! My ankles swelled up! Actually, it was my left ankle and foot. I went to put on my docs on Friday morning and the left one didn't fit!!!! I had to take out the insole. Ugghh! They're better now, thank goodness. George was quite sympathetic. I believe his quote was "You'd think a pregnant woman never had swollen feet." :)
On Saturday, I went to Toronto to an Awards day for the Competition I helped organize this year. It went very well. Best of all, I received a few of those comments every woman loves to hear at this time of her gestation--"I couldn't even tell you were pregnant" and "You look great...not seven months pregnant." I don't even care if these were lies! :) Of course, mostly it was the lovely, loose clothes that did the trick!
Anyway, other than that, we're just muddling through tax season. George is working long hours, and we're both looking forward to the end of April when he'll have more time to relax.
Talk to you soon! Love,
Robin