Update from the Docs!

We went to the Peri. yesterday and did our non-stress test and bio-physical profile along with what will probably be our last growth scan. She aced all her tests and is measuring in around 5lbs. 14ozs. She is still about 4-5 days behind for our due date but nothing to be concerned about. Dr. Thigpen actually said that if she were born today he would feel confident that she would be just fine, not that I am worried about that but what a relief!! He also said her heart function was fine considering, so YAY we are on our way little one!!!!


I also just got back from my 36 week appt. with my OB who let me know that next appt we will do an internal to see if anything is happening which he said would give him a better idea as to when we will induce. So any suggestions to get this ball rolling will def. be considered!! Oh, and since walking is supposed to help if anyone sees me walking down I-35 to and from work don't worry it's only about 15 miles I'll be fine. =) So, I guess it's really going to happen, she really will be here in a matter of weeks. I know it sounds silly but you kind of lose track of time and forget that it is all going to come to an end...or really a whole new beginning. I am so excited to meet our baby girl and hold her and be her hero like my mom was to me and it's kind of this surreal feeling when you realize that they are actually going to be here. I can't explain it but it's awesome!!

We have our last shower tomorrow with all of our family and I will try to get the new maternity pictures posted as well. Til then...

36 Weeks!!

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

We have a growth scan scheduled with our Peri. later today so hopefully we can find out just how plump they think Laiken is right now. This past weekend we did our maternity picture retakes, they turned out a ton better even though the lady who took them was not very good. Her angles made some of the pictures look weird, she def. does not have "the eye"!! There was one picture in particular that I really wanted and she made it look crazy so I didn't order it but I am hoping if I hurry I can get Mandy to capture it for me. If you have looked at her blog or LeAnn's you can tell she def. has a talent for taking beautiful pictures! We have our last shower this Saturday and then it is up to Roddy and I to get everything all put together and ready for her arrival! I feel like a broken record but I really can not believe how fast it has all gone by. I know some women are ready for pregnancy to finally be over but I really have enjoyed it. I guess since I never got any morning sickness or any of the other "problems" that come with pregnancy I have truly loved everything about it. This may also be partly because I know what all we are facing once she does get here and right now nobody is poking and prodding her as I assume they will be once she's here and right now she is safe and healthy and we don't really know what to expect once she has to breathe and function on her own. I wish I could keep her in here forever but I also feel very lucky to have the outstanding medical care that we do less than 15 miles from home.

Speaking of her health, I have debated over how to say this with out sounding like a hypocrite or a nag but I don't really know if there is a way so I am just going to come out with it. While we welcome any and all visitors to the hospital and to our home after Laiken is born we ask that if you smoke to please remember that she has a serious heart defect and can not or should I say will not be around it. I was recently sent an article about third hand smoke which is apparently just as toxic as second hand smoke and therefore if you smoke and you would like to see her please wait until after your visit to do so. Here is a link to the article if you are interested: http://copd.about.com/b/2009/01/08/third-hand-smoke-brings-on-first-rate-problems-for-infants-and-children.htm I hope you all understand our reasons behind this "smoking ban" we are placing for Laiken but we feel she is going to have enough to deal with.

35 Weeks!!

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). 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.

We had a very busy week...I have a feeling this is going to continue for the next 18-20 years =)We had our appt. with our OB on Tuesday and he said we are still looking to induce around 38 weeks and that everything is right on track. Laiken is head down still and I think she is lower now since I can breathe a little better. Shirley/Yaya and Von threw a work baby shower for Laiken and I at Mamma Mia's and it was awesome!! We had a good turn out and the food was so good. Unfortunately they had no O'Douls for Mandy and I so we settled for a Coke while Sam, Shirley and Von sipped on some cold Ultras!! Luckily Auntie Mandy never leaves home without a camera or two in tow (I will try to pick up this habit as well) so thanks to her here are a few pictures from the festivities:


Jolie is so cute!! I think Laiken dropped a little, what do you think?


Belinda's daughter and grand-daughter-Shannon and Chelsea


Miss Misty and Von in the background


Auntie Sam lovin' on Jolie


Molly and her daughter Lizzie


Heather with Holton and Jaelyn-Laiken's cousins!

Thank you ladies for the wonderful shower and all the gifts and well-wishes for Miss Laiken, we appreciate everything!!

Our First Shower!!

This past weekend we had our first shower hosted by Shirley, Sam and Mandy with Jolie to supervise and help taste test. I think I can safely say everyone had a blast, the food was so good and we had so many of our friends come out to celebrate. Your Aunt Jessica came all the way from New Mexico and surprised us with the news that she is expecting Baby #2 in September!! It was nice to see everyone again and to hear how excited they all are to meet our little princess!



Shirley, Jolie, Mandy, Me and Sam A.K.A.~The Hostesses with the Mostesses!!





Sam, Mandy, Me, Jolie, and Vanessa with me and Mandy bumpin' our bumps!!





Twin Sandwich with a little Laiken and Nina in the middle!!





Look at all the presents for you Laiken!!




Jessica, Kristina, and Vanessa





Your ADORABLE diaper bag~thanks to Amber, Katie, and Ruth~Mommy's friends for very long time!!






Laiken's very own brand of candy...just don't tell the Hershey's people!!





Alison and Jolie





Yummy little petit fours...I think Daddy finished off the last of them!!






Keagan, Abby and Jessica






The cool "older" crowd, Rylee, Harleigh and Colin!!






All of Laiken's friends faded fast from all the partying!!





Brody fell asleep on his mommy LeAnn





Jolie passed out before they left our street!!





And Keagan fell asleep right on her mommy Abby while playing!!

34 Weeks & Moving Right Along!!!

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) 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. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 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.


We have been super busy this past week trying to get Laiken's room all put together and the rest of the house ready for our first shower this weekend. I promise to get pictures of her room up very soon we are just putting some of the finishing touches up and I figured we might as well finish it before I put up pictures right?!? Roddy and I took some maternity this week as well but as I kept looking at them and comparing to a few other peoples I just wasn't happy with them so we are doing retakes this weekend. Here is one that I do like:



I will post more when I think they are more worthy of being posted. =) We went last minute right after work and it was hot in there and my hair had already gone flat and Roddy needed a haircut, it just wasn't ideal conditions for picture day so we are going in for a redo. Anyway, our appt. with our peri is tomorrow for the next NST/BPP so we will get to see little princess again and hopefully see how plump she is getting! I hate the reason behind it but we do love getting to see her every week, even if just for a few minutes. I will try to get lots of pictures up after this weekends festivities!!

33 Weeks!!

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.


We went in again yesterday for our weekly non-stress test and passed with flying colors! She wiggled around and her heart rate was good, I had one little contraction while I was in there but I didn't notice, it just said so on the paper. Her Daddy slept in the chair during the whole thing. =) And wouldn't you know it she feel asleep while we moved from one room to the next!! She is SO her father's child!! They tried waking her and as usual it took quite a bit to wake her but as soon as they did it she was all over the place. I have a feeling she might be a bit of a sleepy-head just like Roddy...I swear he could sleep for three days straight if you let him!! Anyway, we are 33 weeks today, only 49 more days until my due date and since we are inducing anywhere from 38 to 39 weeks it even less time then that!! I am getting so anxious to meet her and I know Roddy is too, we "play" with her daily and it's so neat to feel her move when we talk to her. I have my OB appt tomorrow so I will update if we get any news!!

Dr. Follow-Up

First we went to the OB and he measured fundal height which he said was on track and did all of the basics, urine, blood pressure and heart rate which were all great. He talked to us again about inducing around 38 weeks or so depending on my cervix. Both doctors have made it a point to say that if you are induced before your body is ready that you increase your chances of having to have a C-Section, which I am trying to avoid like the plague! Then we were off to the Perinatologist to do the non-stress test or they also called it a biophysical profile, you basically get hooked up to two monitors and they give you this button to push everytime the baby moves. Well, during the growth scan she is measuring about 2 days behind and weigh approx. 4lbs 3ozs, which means she almost gained a whole pound in the past two weeks!! Talk about a chunky monkey!!! It was funny though, she fell asleep during the growth scan and I guess they need them awake for the NST so the tech put this little buzzer up next to my belly and warned me that it's kind of loud and makes the baby jump. So she buzzed it and nothing, not even a twitch, so she buzzed it again and Laiken kind of repositioned herself and went right back to sleep. =) She is a sleepy kid just like her Daddy! So finally she had to just poke and wiggle her until she finally woke up and man was she pissed, her little heart rate shot up and she kicked that monitor like crazy after that. They don't really give you results...I guess she either looks good or not, I don't really know how they measure that but when Dr. Thigpen came in he said she looked great and that he was happy that her heart looks strong, or I guess as strong as it can be given the circumstances. We have to go in every week for the NST with him and every week with the OB now so we are busy bees just trying to get her here as safely and as healthy as possible!! Thanks to everyone again for the thoughts and prayers, they must be working!!!