Week 35 - So close and yet so far!

Kai is now officially too big for the uterus. Lisa feels like she is about to explode any minute now and all day long is just uncomfortable. Kai is out of room in the womb and it's obvious he agrees. He thrashes and moves all the time, like someone who just can't get in a good position.

According to Baby Center, he is just over 18 inches long and weighs around 5.5 pounds or so, about the size of a honeydew melon. His physical development is basically complete, aside from the remaining development of his lungs, and all he does now is take up room and put on weight. His kidneys are fully developed and functional and his liver can now process some waste products, which will turn into a wonderful tar-like substance called meconium, something I'll have to deal with according to Lisa...her first present to me as a daddy. YAH!!

It's rather obvious now where Kai is at all times, as he has no room for hiding because he doesn't fit anywhere anymore. It's really funny when he gets the hiccups (a bout that usually lasts for 20 minutes or so) because Lisa's whole belly will just bounce rhythmically as he hiccups. So cute! There are no more somersaults or spins, just stretching and kicking as he attempts to make more room in his one room little apartment. Lisa started threatening him with an eviction recently. I think she is about done with pregnancy! Only 5 weeks to go now!

Week 34 - Our little Cantaloupe!

Ok, according to Baby Center, Kai should now be about 4 3/4 pounds, the size of a cantaloupe, and roughly 18 inches long; however, Kai isn't following the "standard." We did another 4D ultrasound and the doc says that Kai weighs about 5 pounds 9 ounces, so he is running ahead of schedule. Actually, according to all his measurements, he is about 5-7 days ahead of development and the estimated delivery date by his size is October 14th. We are actually hoping for a little sooner than that, but we'll see. His fat layers are rounding out, which will help control his body temperature after birth. He is definitely getting little chubbier. On the ultrasound you could barely see much because he is so cramped, but we got a good look at his chubby cheeks and he has definitely put on weight.

Kai also dropped in the past week or so and is sitting very low. We have another appointment in 2 weeks and from there it is every single week. The doc says that he is in position early, head down, face to the back, and ready to go. Lisa hasn't started dilating yet, but apparently as soon as the baby drops dilation is soon to follow, so we'll see what happens in the next few weeks. Lisa officially started writing an eviction notice for Kai and is ready to kick this tenant out of her womb. She is generally uncomfortable all day long, can't sit, lay, lean, or sleep for any period of time. I've never seen my wife so fidgety! Well, only 5 1/2 more weeks to go, babe. Time is flying and the clock is ticking. CAN'T WAIT!!!

Week 33 - getting closer and daddy is getting nervous!

A change of backgrounds. We are currently in the process of moving houses and living in a temporary apartment at the lake camp while the house we will be living in is vacated. We will be moving into a fellow missionaries house while they are on itineration but they don't leave for another 2 weeks and we had to leave our apartment because the contract was up. That's why I haven't been Johnny on the spot with the posts. We don't have internet currently so I can't really upload pictures and such if I don't have internet.

Anyway, enough excuses. Kai is now 33 weeks old and getting bigger by the day. I'm now at the point of pulling my hair out and stressing occasionally. Every time I leave the house without Lisa, I always make sure that my phone is on me and that I know the quickest route back home and to the hospital. This whole waiting and not knowing the day or the hour thing drives me crazy. Maybe pregnancy is a good illustration for the Rapture...no man knows the day or the hour, but the Father knows. Cheesy pastor-type comment number 1.

The baby now weighs 4 pounds, about the weight of a pineapple, and he is over 17 inches long. These are all the estimates given by baby center, not the exact ones for Kai. His skeleton is starting to harden more and more, although I'm convinced that all children are made of rubber until they are 2 years old. His skin is also smoothing out as he gains weight and fattens up for life on the outside of the fishbowl. His bones won't fuse together until much later. He needs this rubbery quality to exit the birth canal. I actually think that the real "miracle" of birth is the actual exodus from the womb. How does a baby that big fit through an opening that small? Wow!

Anyway, all our preparations for the baby are on hold as we wait to be able to move into our house. All our stuff is crammed into one room at their house until we move in. We are just praying that he doesn't come right now, at least until we can get in, unpack, build the crib, and paint the nursery. Then he is welcome to come!

Week 32

So, for week 32, Kai weighs 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama). Not exactly sure what a jicama is, so check at your local grocer's produce section for a comparison. =) He also is roughly 16.7 inches long and continuing to grow. He is quickly running out of room in the womb, which we notice by the fact that now his little feet extend all the way up into Lisa's rib cage. He regularly plays xylophone on her ribs and punches on her hips bones. I can only imagine what that must feel like, but from the reactions I get from Lisa, I don't think I want to know.

He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (something that daddy is quickly loosing). Lisa is about done with this pregnancy at this point and ready to have this child out of her. It's kinda funny, I must admit. She enjoyed the second trimester, for the most part, but now is at the point of really wanting this baby gone. He has overstayed his welcome and mama's ready to kick the bird from the nest. Should be interesting to see how this develops in the next few weeks.

31 weeks down, 9 to go

Well, this almost seems to be getting routine, my weekly or not so weekly posts. Kai is now just over 16 inches long, according to Baby Center (I personally think the kid is already the length of a decent size small forward) and weighs about 3.3 pounds. This apparently the weight of 4 navel oranges. Wait a second...how'd we go from a single fruit to suddenly four? Did my kid divide and multiply?? I certainly hope not! I only have room for one right now!

He is now heading into a growth spurt, one of many in his life if he is anything like daddy. He is going through major brain and nerve developments as he prepares for birth. His irises now react to light and all five senses are in working order, except he won't be smelling anything until after he is born. That's something to think about. How do they know all five senses are in working order? How do you test that in the womb? I had a friend born without a sense of smell, actually friend and former roommate. So how do they know that they all work if you can't test them out? Weird...

Kai can turn his little head from side to side and he is starting to pack on the fat underneath his skin. They say that the baby grows the most in these last few weeks (something I know Lisa isn't entirely thankful for!). He is doing less and less kicking and more and more stretching as his space inside his fishbowl gets smaller and smaller. He is getting more pink in color as opposed to red in color (once again, how can you tell if he is in the womb still?) They say he won't start dropping for another few weeks, but he definitely has! It's rather obvious that he's dropped, especially when Lisa lies down and you see a massive bump under her belly button. The plus side is she can breath better and doesn't fight heartburn as much and the negative is that she has to pee a whole lot more! Oh well.

Lisa is definitely done with pregnancy, tired of feeling so huge, hot, tired, etc. I'm semi-ready for him to get here, but not completely. There are some days I'm soooo excited and can't wait and then there are days that I'm in total freak out mode. It is getting more and more real the closer we get and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to be a daddy. I want to be one, but ready, well, we'll see once he gets here. We crossed the whole point of no return thing about 8 months ago, so I don't really have a choice. It's interesting because my whole life I've wanted a family and looked forward to being a dad. Now that it is becoming a reality, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. It scares me to think that from this point on I will ALWAYS be a dad! That will never change. Scary!

Another thing I've noticed is that time has started doing that weird a-day-seems-like-a-thousand-years thing that it does right before vacations and any holiday that brings gifts. Even though we've gone through 31 weeks of pregnancy and they seem to have gone so fast, this last few weeks have started to cccccrrrrraaaaawwwwwwllllll. Please Kai, hurry up and get here! I'm ready to be done with the waiting. Honestly, if those of you out there reading want to help us pray, we're praying that he comes a little early. Not premie, but that he is done developing early and comes. I don't wanna wait for a late baby!

Anyway, that's about all I have to say about that. More once week 32 gets here!

Week 30

HOORAY FOR WEEK 30! Lisa finally got some new maternity clothes! We were able to make a trip to the US to spend time with family and hold a couple baby showers for Kai, and as an added bonus, Lisa could buy more clothes that fit. Therefore, in this picture, you see the new and improved prego Lisa! YAY!!

Kai is now about 15.7-16 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds, according to Baby Center, which is about the size of a head of lettuce or a squash. He is definitely getting bigger and running out of room fast! There is about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid around him, but that steadily gets smaller and smaller as he grows. His eyesight is developing, but will take some time for it to be developed completely. He will only have about 20/400 eyesight when born, meaning he can only see things a few inches from his face. Kinda funny that we are born with poor eyesight and many of us return to poor eyesight as we get older. =) He is also getting stronger and can now actually grasp a finger pretty firmly. Not sure how they would test that, I guess with a premie or something.

We go in 2 weeks to see him again and it seems like FOREVER since we last saw his little face. I miss seeing him and if I was rich like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, I'd buy my own machine and hire a technician to do daily ultrasounds. Oh well....lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Lisa is now passing into the most uncomfortable time of pregnancy, in the third trimester. She has heartburn almost daily, which gets worse in the evening causing her not to sleep. She has to use the restroom about every 30-45 minutes, sometimes sooner, which also means she has to cut herself off from drinking at 6 pm. She doesn't sleep well, can't walk around much, etc. It really makes for a fun time! It is a very common occurrence for her to use the restroom right before we leave and then right as we go down the street from home I hear, "Ummm...I need to use the bathroom again." If that kid could leaver her bladder alone, life would be so much easier. =) I think this is all just preparation for actually having a child, because we have scoped out and know where all the bathrooms are in each department store, gas station, pharmacy, etc. Oh well, such is life.

Lisa also can't really do a whole lot of walking around, which we have noticed as we go shopping. We took a trip to Disney for our 3rd anniversary and after a couple hours of walking around, she overheated and got way too tired, which is understandable as it was like a million degrees outside. So, instead of leaving and cutting our anniversary celebration short, I got her a chair and pushed around the park. You know you have hit the hard stage of pregnancy when you gotta ride a wheelchair around a theme park. I think she may have felt a little embarrassed, but it actually made it easier for her and got us some special treatment at the park, something I was thankful for. =)

So, enough of week 30. Week 31 coming soon! Less than 70 days left!

Week 29 - 76 Days left!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!

76 DAYS!!! Sweet Fancy Moses we're getting close! I can't wait to be a daddy. I honestly think that every single day goes by like an eternity. We are currently in the states visiting family, having baby showers, etc. and it is getting so exciting, but the days have come to a screeching halt. I'm so ready for him to get here so we can see him, hold him, touch him, play with him, etc. but time is no longer flying because I'm so ready. It's like the old saying goes, "A watched pot never boils;" a watched tummy, gives birth to no baby! AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!

On another note, all this buying baby stuff (which by the way makes me freak out about money) makes the whole pregnancy thing is so much more exciting and real. We have clothes, bottles, bags, toys, teethers, and so many other thing, but we're buying it all at the same time. Typically, people will buy this junk a little at a time, but we get to buy it all at the same time AND buy maternity clothes AND buy stuff we need. Thank you Jesus that you provide! =)

So, Kai is now about 2.5 - 3 pounds, according to Baby Center, and is now over 15 inches long. He is officially the size of a Butternut Squash. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. Really, this part of pregnancy isn't all that exciting. He's getting fatter, filling out, fine tuning the development process, etc. Nothing new is happening, no new limbs are sprouting (at least we hope not!), no extra nubbins, no more toes, nada, zip, zilch. Everything is in place and preparing itself for life outside the womb.

Due to his rapid growth and weight gain, Kai is now filling the space in that little sac of fluid. He dropped yesterday and now sits lower, which Lisa is thankful for. He is still every bit as active, but it is obvious that he is cramped. You can now feel him on all sides at the same time and if you press on one side, you see him bulge on the other. =) It's kinda cute, not gonna lie.

This whole process has been long and exciting and we are so ready for little Kai to get here. I can't wait to see his cute little face and hold him for the first time. Just 2 1/2 months left!!!