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Week 36

We are officially within one month of my due date! Time is finally flying and we are very excited about the Bean's debut. She is still very active and especially loves the night life--at least nighttime seems to be the peak of her activity level. She's recently picked up the habit of jamming her feet in my ribs, which actually is kind of painful. The Bean is still packing on the pounds (translation: I am packing on the pounds)— at the rate of about an ounce a day (the Bean, not me). She should now weigh about 6 pounds and be a little under 19 inches long. She's shed most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during the last nine months. At the end of this week, the Bean will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position--we have never been able to tell what position she is in from her movements--we kind of just guess if we are feeling a foot or a knee or a butt. I'm weighing my pain relief options at the moment for the labor and delivery--initially the epidural was all I wanted, but now it kind of freaks me out, so we'll just have to see.

One month and counting...

Well, this Tuesday will mark the official one month left mark for The Bean. We are both more than ready for her to get here, but still want her to take her time developing as much as she can.

Tiffany has been busy getting the nursery ready and is pleased with the results. She frequently will pop her head in The Bean's room, smile and then remark on how cute it is. You can see pictures of The Beanery and our new house by clicking here.

Here's the 35-week updated on The Bean's progress:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds plus. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

The Fat Bean

Well, here we are at the start of Week 34. We're just shy of one month from Bean's official due date, but doctors have told us that babies can come two weeks before or two weeks after the due date.

A number of people have told us that the first baby always comes late. Whether there is any truth to this, only time will tell. However, Baby Center tells us that we don't really need to worry if The Bean is born early because "babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies." That said, we'd still like Bean to wait until Nov. 16, just in case.

Earlier this week Tiffany and I went to the first of four pregnancy classes hosted by our hospital. For me, it was one of the longest three hours of my life; for Tiffany it was an informative, somewhat anxiety-causing experience. The class consisted of a nurse running through a litany of subjects and directing us to where to look in our books to find more information. It was rather overwhelming!

The last half hour of the class was particularly interesting. We went into a room with dimmed lights and soft music and were directed to sit on the floor (we were told to bring pillows and blankets). The nurse then told everyone to (now I'm doing this in a very soft voice) think of their favorite swing. "Now, get on that swing and swing back and forth, back forth. As you go up breathe in, as you come down breathe out." It was weird. As I looked around the room all the women seemed to be really into it, while the guys all had weird looks on their faces (including me). Then the nurse told us some massages we can do to help our wives.

Anyway, it was an "interesting" experience, and we get to do it three more times! (there is a slight hint of sarcasm in my tone right now, can you tell?)

Well enough of my complaining about weird pregnancy classes. Here's the most recent Bean update from Baby Center:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Where's the Bean?

Ok, The Bean has been very busy lately (meaning her parents have been busy lately), so there has been little time to blog. She (and by she, I mean her parents) has recently traveled to Utah, moved into a new house, and set up lots of baby stuff. Yeah, a lame excuse, but an excuse nonetheless!

Anyway, a recent text message from my sister, Ashley, alerted me to just how long it has been since we last wrote a post about Beaner. So, for Ashley and both of our other readers, here's the most recent Bean news:

The Bean is now 33 weeks old! It's crazy how fast time has started going. We are just shy of the one month mark. She has been very active lately, and it has been fun to be able to "play" with her when I can feel her pushing her butt or other extremites into the outer walls of Tiff's stomach. When I can feel her there I will usually give her a little push and then she will move away. Pretty cool. She also gets the hiccups on a near daily basis. Poor kid; her whole body moves when she has a hiccup!

Baby Center uses some interesting terminology in their description of Week 33. According to Baby Center, Bean "rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and [her] skeleton is hardening." Alien baby!

Also, "the bones in [her] skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for [her] to fit through the birth canal." I'm sure Tiffany is going to love reading this part. Baby Center is also quick to point out that because of intense pressure on their head during birth, many babies are born "with a conehead-like apperance." Creepy.

In other news, Bean is probably around 4 pounds and 17 inches long. I think she's bigger than that. We often lovingly refer to her as The Giant Bean.

That's all for now. Tune in next week for the exciting adventures of The Bean!

26

Well, the Bean is continually getting noticeably bigger. She is supposedly just under 2 pounds, but I swear she's got to be pushing 3 or 4 pounds! I've had to do a special diet for the last three days because my doctor wants to test me for diabetes. My initial glucose test came back as abnormal, so this is the second phase of testing. I could easily believe I have it with as big as I am, and diabetics often have larger babies. My mom got diabetes while she was pregnant with my brother and though he was born a month premature he still weighed 12.5 pounds!! Moving on, the Bean's sense of sound is becoming more fine-tuned--the nerve pathways in her ears are developing so her response to sounds is becoming more consistent. I can easily believe that because most nights before I got to bed, Adam puts his head next to my stomach and talks to the Bean. Lately it seems like she starts moving around and pushing up on my stomach when he does this. He swears he felt a foot or something the other night while talking to her. He was so amazed--he said, "I definitely felt something hard like a foot or hand push up against your stomach." He'll poke my stomach and wait for her to push back--it's like they're playing a game. Other news: the Bean's lungs are further developing and she is taking in little breaths of amniotic fluid. I read somewhere that the Bean is developed enough that she could now survive outside of the womb, but we want her to stay where she is for a while. :)

25 Weeks

Well, we only have a little over 3 months left until the Bean's big debut. She is about 13 1/2 inches long and weighs about a pound and a half. You can see that she is starting to pack on the weight. It took 5 1/2 months for her to reach the 1 pound mark, and in only 2 weeks she's added half that amount! Her wrinkly skin is starting to smooth out as she fattens up and she's starting to look more like a newborn. Her hair (assuming she has some) is recognizable now as far as texture and color goes, though that could change after she is born.

Blimey! The Bean is 24-weeks-old today!

The Bean is beginning to train for the the 2012 Summer Olympics in London (hence the use of the word "blimey" in the title; trust me, "blimey" is not part of my regular vocabulary). Do they even let 4-year-olds compete? Based upon her recent movements, she seems to be a strong contender for the floor exercises. Seriously though, I can literally see Tiffany's stomach moving as The Bean practices her routine. It's pretty amazing.

The Bean has probably gained a quarter of a pound and is about the size of decent-sized largemouth bass (about a foot). She'll soon start putting on that adorable baby fat that makes baby cheeks so hard to resist from squeezing. Acccording to Baby Center, "her lungs are developing 'branches' of the respiratory 'tree' and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily."

So that's it for this week. For all three of our readers, we'll be back next week!

Week 23

The Bean is a big girl now--she is just over 11 inches long and she finally weighs in at 1 pound!! She is also a very active girl--it feels like she's doing somersaults at times. She looks red and wrinkly and the big developmental happening of the week is that the blood vessels in her lungs are developing in preparation for breathing. I've been sick this week with a cold that Adam was kind enough to pass on to me, so the Bean has been getting bounced around with all of my coughing. Here is a picture of the Bean and I hanging out at Niagara Falls a couple of weeks ago--see, I told you she's a big girl.

Bean Counter!

It's a bonus post! Thanks to my (Adam) Aunt Beth, we were pointed to a site where you can actually set up a countdown for your Bean. While it does feature an eerily floating bean in a womb, it's still cool to see how many days until Bean Fest 2007 (The Bean's Birthday). It's over there on the right side of the blog.

Happy Week 22, Bean!

Don't worry, The Bean is still around and so is her blog. We have no excuse other than laziness for not updating the blog lately, but here we go again!

The Bean has now passed the state of being compared to various food products, and is, according to BabyCenter, beginning to look the miniature version of a full-grown newborn! She is probably about 10.9 inches long and weighs almost a pound. Her skin is wrinkled, but will fill out as she puts on more weight. The lanugo (fine hair) is now visible all over her body. Her eyes are fully developed, yet lack the pigment that determines her eye color (which is probably brown since both her parents have brown eyes).

The Mother of The Bean has felt her moving for some time now, but the Father of The Bean can also now feel her movements as well. It's really amazing to think that there is an active Bean inside the mother! Just a few more months until The Bean makes her earthly debut!

19 Weeks: The Small Zucchini

It's been a fun few days since discovering that the Bean is a she-Bean. Adam made a space in the closet for the Bean's clothes (still the one pair of feet pajamas). From my ultrasound, I got a better picture of the size of the Bean than from comparing it to a piece of produce. The Bean's head was positioned in my lower abdomen and a foot was somewhere slightly above my belly button. I've posted the pictures from the ultrasound. There is one footprint and a couple profiles of her head and upper torso. The one where her mouth is open makes us laugh. It's a little creepy because it is so skeletal and even looks like she has some jagged teeth, but we think it's funny--it's like she's grinning for the camera! We've decided it will have to be a blackmail picture. The Bean's legs and arms are now in their right proportions to each other and the rest of her body. The Bean is starting to sprout hair on her scalp and there is quite a bit of activity going on in her brain--it is starting to develop areas for all of her senses--smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch. Another fun happening of the week is that I've finally started feeling the Bean move around. The Bean is usually active after I eat. It might not be possible, but I swear I saw my stomach move one time during one of these periods of activity. As for me, my clothes keep getting tighter as my belly expands. I foresee a necessary shopping trip on the horizon.

Breaking News: It's a Girl!!

Hi everybody. Well, we had our ultrasound today and were a little perturbed at first because the Bean was lying face down, toward my back, so the tech couldn't see as much. She had me walk around, go to the bathroom, she jiggled my stomach and started poking it with the ultrasound sensor, trying to get the Bean to roll over, but the Bean was being stubborn. While Adam and I were on our 5 minute walk to hopefully get the Bean moving, he said, "I knew it! We're not going to find out the sex!!" I was surprisingly the calm one and thought it odd that he was so put out by it since he was the one who wanted to wait to find out the sex. Well, the nurses said it looked like the Bean was asleep. In spite of the Bean's unchanging position, the nurse asked if we wanted to know the sex, and after looking for just a second she informed us we were having a little girl! We were both surprised since we were sure it would be a boy. Finally when the nurse was about to give up, the Bean rolled over and started moving around more. We got to see her yawn, stretch out her legs and move her fingers around--it looked like she was giving us the peace sign. Adam and I are both very excited. We went to dinner and then went to buy a little girl outfit. I'll scan some of the ultrasound pictures and post them in a few days.

18 Weeks: the Sweet Potato

First the really exciting news: we will hopefully know the sex of the Bean this week--I go in for my ultrasound on Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post the news, providing that the Bean cooperates. Now we're talking--a sweet potato! The Bean is approximately 5 1/2 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. The Bean entertain his/herself by flexing his/her arms and legs throughout the day, which I know is true--though I haven't detected any movements myself, my doctor said she heard a lot of movement on the Doppler monitor while trying to listen to the Bean's heartbeat. She said I should start noticing movements in the next week or so. The Bean's skin is still kind of transparent and his/her blood vessels are noticeable through it. The Bean's ears have moved into the final position on his/her head and stand out from it. If the Bean is a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are already formed and in place--that's kind of cool. We're very excited to see how everything turns out on Wednesday--I'm really impatient and just want it to get here, but I guess I'll have to handle the suspense for a couple more days.

The Boring Bean

This has been somewhat of a lackluster week (week 17) in terms of Bean development, but the next few weeks should be a little more exciting. The Bean now weighs a whopping five ounces, and is about five inches long (about the size of a large onion). Along with a developing skeletal structure and umbilical cord, The Bean is also starting to develop its hearing.

What The Bean has lacked in fetal development this week, he/she has made up for in making his/her mom's life miserable. I (The Bean's father) am somewhat upset with The Bean for the way he/she has been treating his/her mother, and have told The Bean (note: The Bean's hearing is developing) that he/she needs to behave. I don't think The Bean is listening.

Here's a picture of Tiffany at 17 weeks:

Week 16

Well, we've seen the typical progress as far as growth goes in the last week. We're at 4 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 ounces, roughly the size of an avocado--I'm thinking a large Hass avocado. However, I have been informed that in the next 3 weeks or so, the Bean's weight will double and there will be substantial growth, lengthwise. I'm anxious to start measuring the Bean in pounds versus ounces, but it looks like I will still have a while to wait. I'm not saying I want to start packing on the pounds or anything (though I suppose that is inevitable), I'll just be excited once we pass the 1 pound mark. The Bean's legs are more developed and toenails are forming. Though hair has not started to grow, the Bean's scalp pattern has started to form. The Bean's head is more erect and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. The Bean's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. From what I've read, I could start feeling the baby move as early as now, but it's likely it will still be 2-3 weeks before I really can really feel anything.

The Bean: 15 Weeks

This is The Bean's amazing father writing today. We were disappointed to see that we were given no food frame of reference for The Bean's size this week. However, we do know that The Bean is approximately four inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. The Bean's legs are now longer than his/her arms and are fully functional. In his/her spare time The Bean enjoys inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid; this, we are told, helps The Bean devlop air sacs in his/her lungs. Interestingly, The Bean can now sense light (the eyelids are still fused together), and according to Baby Center , if we shine a flashlight on Tiff's stomach The Bean will move away. I should have fun with that.

On another note, Tiffany has formally announced her intent to find out The Bean's sex before birth despite my vote otherwise. Hey, with her being the one carrying The Bean, I think she has more say in this than I do. That's all for this week, tune in next week for more Bean news.

Week 14

It's kind of refreshing to once again return to the produce stage of fetal development--the jumbo shrimp just never set well with me. The Bean has progressed to the size of a lemon (approximately 3 1/2 inches)--think about that next time you are at the grocery store. He/she now proudly boasts a neck, upon which it can balance his/her large head (see previous ultrasound--it's huge!). Lucky for the Bean, though, his/her body is now growing faster than said gigantic head. By the end of the week his/her arms will be in proportion to the rest of his/her body, though the legs still have some growing to do. There is more going on this week internally, such as a functioning liver and spleen. The Bean's hands and feet are now more flexible and active and he/she can even grasp, which means that he/she may be able to suck his/her thumb! Another fun part of this week's developments is that, due to brain impulses, he/she is making facial gestures such as squinting, frowning and grimacing. Adam has developed the habit of thumping my stomach, like you would thump a melon, every time he says Hello to the Bean. I told him that now that the baby can make facial expressions, he's probably getting a dirty look every time he does it. I have been feeling much better lately--I haven't thrown up in at least a week and a half if not two weeks! Of course, as soon as the nausea dissipated, I started getting headaches every day, but those are under control now, as well. I'm sure some other ailment is just waiting to come along. :)

The Jumping Bean

I had my second ultrasound yesterday with my new doctor, and the Bean was moving around like crazy. I can't feel anything yet, but it was still fun to see that he/she is very active. I've included a reference picture that is pretty much a mirror of the Bean's position.

Week 12-13

I’ve combined entries for the last two weeks because we were travelling across the country for the first one. The Bean has gone from the size of a fig to a lime to a jumbo shrimp (the latter comparison I find a little creepy). Here are the latest developments:
-the baby's face is starting to look more human; the eyes have moved closer together so they aren't on the side of his/her head anymore and his/her ears are close to their final position
-his/her intestines are forming rapidly and are protruding into the umbilical cord
-the Bean has fingerprints!!
-the Bean’s kidneys and urinary tract are functional and he/she can pee (granted he/she is peeing inside of me, but luckily it is contained)
-my uterus is higher in my abdomen and I should be starting to show—too bad that happened like 5 weeks ago!

The Fig

This is the mother of the Bean speaking. So I had this idea of changing our term of endearment for the Bean with its changing growth. For example, a week ago it was the size of a kumquat, now, Week 11, it is the size of a fig. Can we really call it the Bean when it is no longer bean-like? Adam says yes, but I have my doubts. Anyway, here are the new developments for the week:
-as noted, the Bean is now the size of a fig (to the right you will see a beautiful picture of some figs; for scale I also included a creepy, hairy hand picture of a fig, seen above; though I must say that looks like a HUGE fig!!).
-the Bean should be able to open and close its fists
-toothbuds are starting to appear under its gums
-the Bean enjoys kicking and stretching and may soon start to get the hiccups as its diaphram develops
Exciting stuff. :)

Week 10: The Morphing of the Bean

The Bean has now reached the size of a kumquat (just over an inch long), but we still prefer to call him/her The Bean because it sounds better than the Kumquat. In fact, we will probably refer to him/her as The Bean for many years to come. Sorry, kid.

The Bean's fingers are now completely separated and he/she is starting grow fingernails. He/she also as a large head as the brain is developing. It looks like an orange on a toothpick!

Apparently The Bean is pretty active right now, but still too small for Tiffany to be able to feel any movement. Stay tuned for more information on The Bean's progress!

The Bean begins...

Here is our first glimpse of "The Bean," so named because he/she is not much bigger than a kidney bean.

We're hoping The Bean will be a girl, but will be happy either way. As of right now, we do not want to find out the sex until The Bean is born, but I don't think Tiffany will be able to hold out for that long. We shall see.