Childbirth Express

We had our birthing class yesterday at the hospital. It was very long (over 6 hours) but also informative. Luckily the videos were not so bad and the the overhead computer projector screen broke, so they were just played on a small tv:) The class made us both excited and nervous, but ready for baby Sparks arrival!! We also received a tour of the hospital, which was great. We now know where to go and were relieved to see the rooms are nice, new and state of the art...flat screens in the labor rooms!! 7 more weeks to go...

Bill worked on hanging pictures and shelves in the nursery on Saturday - I'll have to take some photos and post later. It is really starting to come together. Norlina has discovered that the nursery gets great sunlight in the afternoon, so she has spent a lot of time sunbathing in there...which I think is good. Everything we've read seems to suggest we need to make her feel at home with all the new things. We are debating about buying a baby doll and putting it in the bouncy chair and swing to get her use to them...but then again, that seems a little crazy!

Will post pictures soon.

32 Weeks

I had my 32 week visit yesterday. Everything looks great for both baby and me. It is hard to believe that I have two more months! The baby is very active and the kicks have somewhat transformed. They are much more defined and I can actually feel the foot or hand as it moves across my belly. You can also see it happening too, which is pretty cool. Today the baby had his/her first set of hiccups, another strange feeling, just felt like continuous little taps, pretty amazing. Bill and I have our childbirth class on Sunday at the hospital - should be very interesting - 5 hours of information I'm not sure I really want to know...I think honestly I would prefer to wing this whole childbirth thing;)

We were in Boston this past weekend visiting my parents and Jada & Jamie. It was great to have a little vacation, especially since I am now grounded till baby arrives. Boston did not have the best weather, but it was fun to catch up and see where they are living etc. We were also able to meet up with some friends on Friday night which was a lot of fun. I have a feeling we will be back to Boston again soon - this time hopefully in the summer or fall and with nicer weather!

So another funny kinder story -
K- Mrs. Sparks when is your baby going to come out?
J - In May
K- Why May?
J- It takes a while for the baby to be ready.
K- Is it going to hurt when it comes out? Are you going to cry?
J- Well, you go to the hospital when you have a baby and they take really good care of you, so I'll be okay.
K- Oh okay, thanks Mrs. Sparks.

The kids are very interested in when baby is going to "come out" - it seems to be an almost daily question, with the same response, why does it take so long?!? They have been really funny during this time. Just amazing to see how their brains process things:)

30 Weeks

Today was my 30 week doctor visit and ultrasound. Baby finally cooperated and we were able to see the full spine, which looked great, very nice to know. We were also able to see the feet, legs, hands, face, heart, stomach, kidneys, etc. It is amazing how clear everything is on the screen and how much baby has grown in just the last few weeks! Baby Sparks is weighing in at 3pounds 9ounces which puts him/her a week ahead of schedule on the typical growth schedule. My doctor seems to think that if I go full term the baby will be at least 8pounds - probably larger....so much for having a small baby due to the altitude! The ultrasound technician was laughing at baby's chubby cheeks and full lips. All looks well developmentally with baby and the heartbeat was 149 which is good (you want it to be over 120). All checked out OK with me too, I have become anemic, but I am taking iron supplements and eating a lot of spinach:) Other than that, no real complaints. I am definitely getting bigger, I measured a week to two weeks larger than average, which is funny because most people are surprised when I tell them I am 30 weeks?!?
A couple of the pictures above are in 3D...the hands came out looking kinda funny in them because of the angle...they look more like a worm! It was really cool to see the baby in 3D though - just a different perspective. Hard to believe we have just 10 weeks to go!!