Week 28 - Welcome to the third trimester!

83 more days until Kai arrives and times seems to have slowed to a screeching halt. After seeing the 4D ultrasound, we are soooooo very excited about him and can't wait to see him in real life and not on a computer screen. It's amazing to me that we are now in the third trimester and, like many other things in life, time seems to have flown by while at the same time it's hard to remember life before pregnancy. Daily Lisa complains about backpack that she carries in front and it's only gonna get bigger from here.

Kai is now about 15 inches from head to toe and weighs the same as chinese cabbage, about 2 1/4 pounds, although the doctor said he weighs around 3 pounds. I'm not sure how they figured that out, but whatever. His feet are 2 inches long and he still has 3 months to grow!

His lungs are now mature enough that he could survive outside the womb with medical help and his skin is nice and wrinkly (because he lives in a fishbowl), although it will all smooth out as he fattens up. He can now blink his eyes and show off those new eyelashes that have grown in. His eyes are developing and he can now see light that filters in from outside the womb. His brain is rapidly developing billions of little neurons to run that smart little brain. It's all downhill from here. The next 3 months are pure growth and weight gain, much to Lisa's dismay. =)

He is more active than ever and does flips, kicks, punches, etc. He is facing down, in the proper exit position, which is a good thing. He can still move around some and may flip a couple times, but the last few ultrasounds have shown him in the downward position, which is great. I think he is as ready as we are. We have no real problems if he wants to come early and according to measurements he is due on October 14th, but the due date is still October 19th. Babies grow differently and so whatever, I hope he comes early.

Now for the bump picture. Here is Lisa at 28 weeks

And here is how big Lisa thinks she is

4D Ultrasound

Well, wonders never cease! Technology absolutely amazes me. We went today for our 28 week check up and ultrasound. Then we went to get a 4D ultrasound done, which is amazing by the way. I'm gonna post pictures below, at least a few, but you can find the rest and the videos on facebook, in case you're wondering.

Even though we had a lot of fun doing all this today, let me just say that we dropped nearly $400 in medical bills, half of which was a vaccination that Lisa had to receive because she is O- and I'm A+. It is to give Lisa's body anitbodies of Rh D so that her blood won't attack Kai in case he is +. Fun fun! That shot alone cost us $182!! What the junk! I nearly cut my finger off 2 years ago, went to the ER here in El Salvador, got stitches, and everything and it only cost $180! Unbelievable. So, add up the consult fees, ultrasounds (2 of them), more meds and supplements, and the vaccination, all this made for one exciting and expensive day. Oh well, we can't wait for Kai to show up.

Well, without further ado, here are a taste of some of our 4D pics and the 28 week ultrasound. Enjoy!

Week 27 - Kai-liflower....punny, I know

Lisa's belly is now large and in charge. She is definitely growing like crazy. The other day I looked back to check out the difference between week 6 when we had just found out and now, HOLY GUACAMOLE that belly is big! It's funny but I can't even really remember her before the pregnancy. I know that may sound bad, but really it isn't. Think about it, 6 months now of constant growth and I've seen her body change so much over that period of time, it really is hard to imagine her NOT pregnant. Well, she is definitely ready for this little adventure to be over. She has crossed the line from the time when your body feels the best during pregnancy to the time when everything is uncomfortable. She says she is wearing the world's most uncomfortable fanny pack. Trust me, I know when she isn't comfortable, I get to hear about it. Not that I mind rubbing a shoulder, putting lotion on her legs after she shaves, rubbing her foot, checking out that bug bite on the side of her toe that she can no longer see, etc. When she starts asking me to shave her legs, I may have to draw the line. =)

So, if you hadn't guessed, this week's food reference is the cauliflower, that unloved little white brain that mean parents force their children to eat. I'm not a fan at all of the cauliflower and thebump.com compares him to an eggplant still, thank God. He weighs about 2 pounds (the size of cauliflower) and is roughly 14.5 inches long with his legs extended, although that is a rough estimate. Being my child, he's likely to be 18 inches long by now and all legs. He is currently a thinner, redder, more wrinkled version of what he will be at birth (although I've determined that all newborns look like a California Raisin and ET had a love child) and will be filling out a lot now in the coming weeks. Everything has fairly well developed and he could actually survive outside the womb, albeit with a lot of medical help. He will now just be growing and putting on weight, a process he won't stop doing until he dies, thanks to my genetics. He'll be growing until he is 28 years old and eating like a garbage disposal without really gaining weight. =) Lord, help our budget!

His immune system is continuing to mature and prepare for the real world. His lungs and respiratory system are going through some major developments now, with his previously plugged up nose now opening. He is now regularly practicing inhaling and exhaling, although it's only amniotic fluid right now. If he is blessed with my wonderful array of allergic symptoms, he better get used to breathing water because those nose passages won't ever be open. He'll be breathing snot for the rest of his life. I'm praying hard that he doesn't inherit that side of me. Dashing good looks - yes, height - sure, humor - most definintely, allergies - Lord, please no!

He is now sleeping at regular intervals, however some days I wonder if he sleeps at all. Lisa says that he moves non-stop some days...yep, definitely my child. He's now opening and closing his eyes, moving fingers, sucking fingers, his brain is developing rapidly (gonna be smart like daddy and mommy), and now he is starting to get hiccups. Actually, that part is quite funny. You can feel a rhythmic movement in her stomach when he has them and if you watch carefully, you may even see her belly move in sync with his hiccups. So cute!

I admit that I'm getting more and more excited about being a daddy, but at the same time so scared I might wet myself. It's a delicate balance. On Monday we go for our 28 week checkup and Lisa gets to get a Rhogam vaccination because she's Rh- and I'm Rh+. This way if Kai is Rh+, her body won't attack him and think he is an infection, even though babies are the only form of parasitic life that we actually encourage. Just food for thought. We also will be doing a 3D or 4D ultrasound, whatever it is. These kinds of ultrasounds actually give you a very accurate picture of what your baby looks like. It maps the baby's body and face, giving you a real view at what your kid looks like. I've seen the pictures of the ultrasounds and the baby after they are born. It is amazing how close it is. I'm so excited. Don't worry, I'll have the pictures up as soon as possible. =)

Week 26 - Less than 100 days left!

Kai is continuing to fatten up, putting on some weight and baby fat. He now weighs nearly 2 pounds and is over 14 inches long, the size of a Hothouse cucumber. His little body is starting to fine tune his senses. The optical nerve is developing and he is now able to distinguish between the light and the dark. I think that he happens to like the dark. I say this because sometimes we'll lay down at night and I'll have my iPod with me and I'll put it up to the belly to try and see him move and then he suddenly goes from right on the surface to deeper in the womb. Definitely a sleeper!

The nerves in his ears are also developing and he is more sensitive to sounds from outside the womb. He has already been learning Lisa's voice, her inflection, speech rhythm, voice patterns, etc. Now he is able to hear my voice, even if I'm not right next to her belly. It is amazing to me that at this point he is now able to not only hear our voices and memorize our patterns and differences, but he is recording all the things that he hears outside the womb. He is creating memories and even has dreams. I've often wondered what a baby has to dream about, but he is dreaming and making memories. What would happen if we could recall our memories from inside the womb? What would we remember? A fight? Loving words between mom and dad? The TV?

He is continuing to breath the amniotic fluid, practicing the motion that will keep him alive for the rest of his life and developing those little air sacs in his lungs. His body is soaking up antibodies from mama and preparing his little immune system to keep himself alive outside the protective shell of the womb. His eyes are forming, although he still can't see yet, and his eyelids will soon start practicing the blinking motion. What an amazing process life is! God is such an amazing God of wonders, creating such a wonderful, intricate process that brings life into the world. Thank you God for blessing us with such a beautiful little life, for entrusting us with the responsibility of raising a child. Less than 100 days to go and I'm getting PUMPED!

Week 25 - My little Eggplant!

15 weeks! I can't even begin to say how incredibly excited I'm getting. It's hard to believe that it has gone by so fast! This week Kai weighs around a pound and a half and is 13.5 - 14 inches long, although I think he's bigger than that! One website says he's the size of a rutabaga and the other an eggplant. I personally prefer the eggplant, as I don't even think I know someone that has eaten a rutabaga and I certainly don't know what they look like, except for what Wikipedia shows me. So, we're gonna go with eggplant.

His little body is starting to fill out with more and more baby fat, taking away that lean, wrinkly look and creating a smoother appearance, making him look more like a newborn each day. He is also growing more hair, which apparently if we could see in the womb we could tell it's color and texture. I'm hoping that he has a nice reddish tint to his hair, paying homage to his Irish roots. I didn't say I wanted a red-head, cause we all know that red-heads are a handful. I just want a nice reddish tint. And then I want him to have his mama's wavy hair. My straight, thick (well, it used to be thick) hair just isn't as much fun as some wavy locks.

Kai is also developing his sense of equilibrium, meaning he is learning to distinguish right-side up from up-side down. Trust me, he likes to go back and forth between the two. He does flips and spins all day long it seems like. If this is any indication, I think he inherited his daddy's energy level...sorry, Lisa! I just hope that he inherits her sleep habits. Let him be energetic when it's time to be awake, but then I want that boy to crash!

It's getting harder and harder counting the days. In some ways I'm ready for him to come, but in so many others I know there is still a lot to do and prepare. Soon we'll be able to start preparing a nursery and trust me, Lisa already has that "nesting" urge growing more each day. Can't wait to see you and hold you, Kai!!!!!

Week 24

Oh, more fun in Nicaragua. I've been out of town and so I missed 2 weeks and now I have to play catch up. Oh well. Such is life, at least I'm trying to stay on top of things. =)

So, week 24 came and went and Kai is continuing to grow. I'm pretty sure that at this point he is just putting on weight. He weighs just over a pound and is about a foot long, the size of an ear of corn. I can't say that I've ever looked at a piece of corn (or any item in the produce section) and thought about comparing its size to that of a developing child. It really puts my local grocer's fresh produce aisle come to life. =) He now looks like a complete human, just lacking all the baby fat. Pretty much looks like an anorexic little baby, at least that's what I envision. His brain is continuing to rapidly develop and his taste buds are also forming still.

His lungs are developing the little branches and air sacs that will one day be filled with life-giving oxygen. They are also producing the cells that will produce surfactant, a substance that will help his little lungs inflate with air once he leaves his watery home, trading the fish pool for the real world.

We can tell that Kai is growing, because Lisa's tummy just continues to stick farther and farther out. Her belly button is now an outie for the most part. She always said she never wanted that to happen, but "POP" it's out! It's also amazing to actually watch her stomach move with Kai's activity. You can see the bumps, kicks, punches, stretches, hiccups, etc. It really is pretty cool to watch. Only 16 weeks to go!