Ultrasound - Week 32

Our baby boy is 4.6lbs, head down, and growing perfectly. He also has hair! Enough hair to be seen on an ultrasound...wow. Alex and I were both surprised as we were both bald when we were born. In fact, my mother told me I didn't have hair to pin back till I was 2 years old. But with Jack, it looks like he'll follow suit with this older cousin, Ellie as far as hair goes. Pretty exciting and wonderous to see. He's beautiful!



He was sleeping at the time of the ultrasound...sucking his thumb (I think he's going to love his pacifiers), heart beating 133 bpm, a perfectly healthy and normal rate. We took advantage of the stillness by getting some more profile shots. He looks just like Alex as a baby!



Only about 8 weeks till birthday. The doctor told me to have the infant seat intalled in the car at this point and have it checked out by local fire dept. or police dept. I also need to start putting the hospital bag together. Besides the massage ball which I've been using every night to relieve some achiness, I have no idea what else I need to bring. I need to pick out music apparently, as well as a focal point object/picture. In our birthing class, we were told by the instructor that most first time parents use a picture of the family pet. Sigh. Will Newt make it to the delivery room? We shall have to wait and see. To me it seems pretty funny to have a picture of a cat, our Newt no less, as the focal point.



By the way, the baby shower went wonderfully! We'll be posting pictures soon from that day. We had great food provided by my sister, Wany, and Jack got a lot of good stuff from family and friends who were so kind enough to join me Saturday. I can't wait to use all the items received for Jack.

Sleepy Time

Sleep is becoming a valuable commodity for me as of late. I think I average about 4 hours a night now. Here's how a usual night passes for me:

10pm - get into bed and start winding down. Alex comes to bed with me, but turns on the TV - his way of winding down.

10:30pm - I'm getting tired. I start yawning, cradling my body pillow and start dozing off. Alex is dozing off, but the TV is still on.

11pm - I'm totally ready to fall into deep sleep, but the TV is still on. Alex is asleep. I have to shake him and wake him up to turn the TV off (he clutches the remote even while he's sleeping - TV is his friend).

11:15pm - I am still tired, but cannot sleep....because Alex is snoring. I have to push him onto his side.

11:30pm - I cannot fall back to sleep. I am no longer tired. I lay there, awake, alone in the warm glow of the bedroom night light (yes, I have a night light - make fun all you want), wondering when I will fall asleep again.

12am - my butt hurts.

12:30am - body pillow is making me hot. I move the pillow away.

1:30am - I have to pee

1:45am - Ow! My sciatica!

2am - I grab the body pillow again, I think it will help with the butt nerves if I use it and lay on my left side.

2:30am - about to doze off....but then Alex starts snoring again.

3am - I have to pee

3:15am - I finally go to sleep

7:02am - Alex wakes me up for work.

Sciatic Nerves - Butt Nerves

Yes, I have it. I have nerves in my butt and it is being pinched, punished, and pounded on by Jack and my uterus.
Oh the radiating pain starting from my lower back, through my buttocks, and down the back of my thighs. I have never felt annoyance and discomfort like this before.

It's not pain the way you'd think of it. It's a dull, lingering, throbbing achiness that travels the length of your legs and butt.

I googled my new pregnancy symptom, and unfortunately, there isn't much I can do. I just have to wait it out. It said I could take Tylenol to relieve inflamation (don't know if I will), or use a heating pad on the area, or massage, but for it to completely go away, I'd have to wait as long as 6 weeks.

6 weeks from now I'll be 37 weeks pregnant - considered full term, so it looks like I'll be suffering from this condition at least till the birth of Jack.

I knew there was going to be discomfort, but I guess I just didn't know how much, and how many different kinds there would be in pregnancy.

Am I really this far along?

I cannot believe I am only a couple of months away from seeing Jack.

Alex mentioned that the first trimester seemed to last a life time, and that the second trimester only seemed like weeks. Now we are getting down to the wire and there's about 10 weeks left.

It's becoming more real. I mean, Jack's been real to me for quite some time now with all his moving around, making me sick, making me tired, making me forgetful, seeing him in ultrasounds, etc. but reality will take the next step, and soon I'll finally get to see him and hold him, and most importantly plant many kisses on him.

But still, it seems strange that I'll be that woman writhing in pain in the hospital, and eventually with that needle in my spine, outwardly trying to stay calm and focused, but deep down inside dreading the sound and sight of the stirrups on which my feet will be placed come THAT time of truth....will my body be able to pull itself together and do what it's supposed to do?

Will Jack cooperate? Will the nurses be nice to me? Will I end up needing a C-section? Will I have remmbered to pack socks in my hospital bag? How many hours will it be for me? My mother claimes I took 3 days...she also claims she was sick the entire 9 months of pregnancy.

I am scared, anxious and hopeful...but overall, more excited than anything. I can't wait for Jack's arrival...so you know what that means.....the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, the last stretch, will seem like an eternity.

Foot Fun

Just back from my ultrasound appointment at the doctor's office.

The U/S tech I got this time was named Sharon or Sheryl (not sure - wasn't listening). She was adequately cordial, but not as fun or chatty as Marianne, our last U/S technician.

Sharon (let's just call her that) had the monitor facing only her while she took measurements of Jack's head, tummy, legs and arms. Marianne on the other hand, had the monitor facing us the whole time, making sure we were able to see as she did her scanning.

Sharon squeezed out very cold gel on my stomach without so much as a warning! Chilly! Marianne apologized for not having warmed up the gel before she put the gel on my stomach.

Sharon didn't talk as much. Marianne told us about the house she and her husband were in the middle of selling (even gave us a card with a picture of the house in case we knew someone who'd be interested), chimed in about how she had a Jack in her family when we told her what the baby's name was going to be, how many kids she had and how college was running them dry of funds...small talk, chit-chat.

Marianne was good about constantly pointing out what she was looking at as far as Jack was concerned, and how much he weighed. I had to ask Sharon at the end how much Jack weighed.

Anyhoo - here are Jack's stats:
Heart rate = 138 bpm
General growth = on target, normal
Weight = 2lbs. 13oz. (he gained a whole pound since the last U/S)
Position = breech, on my left side, face towards my spine
Activity level = very active, just like last time. Sharon had to wait a bit for Jack to face/turn the right way so she could measure his head. I don't think Jack liked Sharon.

Excitement of the day: Towards the end, Sharon turned the monitor towards me and pointed out the usual baby parts - head, back, legs, feet...he's folded or doubled over now as it's getting crammed inside my tummy....but where were the hands? Sharon scanned back and forth, but couldn't find them.

Then, just as she began to say, "oh, I think that's an arm ri...." Jack's arm reaches out and he grabs his foot. His hand lingers there for a while playing with his toes! It was amazing! Jack always manages to give us something good during U/S. Sharon and I were both impressed (it was the only time Sharon showed any emotion/inflection in her voice).

Profile - Week 28

Baby Registry

We have completed our registries! Below are the links to the two registries.

Babies 'R Us - Registry #95221372

Target Baby

Both registries can be looked up by Taylor's name or just Maidy as last name.

The bedding set we wanted is not sold in stores anymore. If you want to get this for us, the link is below.

Snoopy Sports Crib Bedding

Nickname Poll Results

Nickname for Jackson Poll

Which nickname do you like best for Jack?

Happy Jack (1) 6%
Jack Attack (2) 12%
Big Jack (1) 6%
Jack Jack (7) 41%
Jackie (1) 6%
Just Jack (1) 6%
J.A.M. (1) 6%
None of the Above (3) 18%

Total Votes: 17

Because of the overwhelming majority, you will notice this site is now known by the favored nickname. Long live King Jack Jack!