Only 32 Weeks?!

For some reason I'm beginning to feel that I've been pregnant foooooooorreeeevveeerrr...and I still have four weeks to go before I'm full-term. But then again, I ONLY HAVE FOUR WEEKS TO GO BEFORE I'M FULL TERM!

BabyCenter.com says:

By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. She has tiny toenails now, and her fingernails have grown in, too. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz.
Your blood volume (the plasma plus red blood cells) is now about 40 to 50 percent greater than before you became pregnant to accommodate the needs of you and your baby. (This extra amount also helps make up for any blood you'll lose when giving birth.) You're also gaining a pound a week now, and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and adding pressure on your abdomen, you may be dealing with heartburn more often or feeling a little short of breath.

I had an OB appointment this morning, and everything continues to be right on target. It's time to start thinking about writing a "birth plan" for my labor and delivery, sign up for a tour of Anne Arundel Medical Center, and squeeze in those last few late-night dates to the movies and dinner! The nursery is still awaiting the dresser, which is being shipped in. After that, I can let loose in there and really let my inner decorator out. Of course, we still don't know whether we should have pink accessories or more blue in the room...what do you think???

The picture above was taken four years ago when I was on a college retreat in Deep Creek, MD...I'm hoping for some lovely snow like that this winter.

7 Months

The seventh month belly shot. Two more to go!

Week 31

Now that I'm a full 31 weeks along, the baby should be about 3.5 pounds, and a total length of 16 to 18 inches head to toe. It's getting crowded in there! A layer of fat is beginning to accumulate under the baby's skin so the little body is really beginning to fill out. I've read that we're heading for another baby growth spurt, so I suppose I should brace myself for a mommy growth spurt as well! haha. Or at least more fatigue. I'm getting into the habit of sending Steve off to work at 7:30, and then heading straight back to bed for another 2 or 2 1/2 hours. I used to feel that sleeping so late was wasting my day, but right now I think it's very necessary!

We've set up the crib and changing table in the nursery. The UPS man arrivd with them about 15 minutes after I last wrote about waiting for the furniture to arrive! I put the changing table together all by myself, and then Steve went to work on the crib as soon as he got home. Notice that the room pictured above is a little disorderly...we're working on it.

Week 30

From BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. "

Last night Steve and I put a flashlight to my belly, and as soon as it was turned on the baby started shifting...and then we were rewarded by a swift kick! However, the baby seemed to loose interest quickly, so the light was turned off and the little one went back to sleep. I'm afraid he or she was a little annoyed with the whole experiment!

I'm feeling pretty good but have to rest and put my feet up more often than I used to. Being at home to get housework and baby preparations accomplished continues to be a blessing. Nursery furniture will be deliverd any day now, as long as the icy roads allow it! We enjoyed the first little snow fall of the winter season yesterday...as long as the precipitation occurs now and not late in March, we'll be sure to enjoy it!

Happy Birthday April

The family celebrated my sister's birthday early this year, while she was home from college. Next time we see her will be in a Labor and Delivery hospital room:)

One year later

We celebrated our first anniversary in Philly in early January! We saw all the historical sights, like Independence Hall, and ate almost half of our thawed wedding cake-- still delicious after all those months of living in the freezer. On to year #2!

Showered with Baby Things

What a weekend for baby D!
Two baby showers this past weekend left us with so many baby things we couldn't fit it all into the car for the ride home! We are so blessed. And it seems as though the majority of family and friends believe that the baby is in fact a BOY.

The little guy in the picture lives on the mobile on our brand-new Pack 'n Play, which is sitting in the unfinished nursery under a pile of onesies and blankets and the tiniest socks we've ever seen-- all waiting to be washed and put away.

I want to end with the passage used in the devotional given at my baby shower at NCPC; it's Psalm 127 and I had been pondering it even before the shower (isn't it neat how that works out sometimes?)~

" Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat--for He grants sleep to those He loves.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,

children a reward from Him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies at the gate."

Our child is truly a gift from the Lord-- we feel this more and more each day as the due date draws near...imagine how we'll feel when we can finally look into his or her eyes!

Waiting for Baby

The Deterdings are moving up in the blogging world! I hope that this format will be better suited to share the Baby Blog, as well as my attempts to capture life digitally. Maybe I'll even get the old Baby Blog posts on here...

Happy viewing!

Test Results Are In!

It seems as though my over-zealous snacking was to blame for my high glucose test results...the new round of testing proved that my blood-sugar levels are completely normal! That is definitely an answered prayer. I had a doctor's appointment today, and everything is developing right on target: the baby's heart rate, my weight gain, and my belly measurements. Next appointment is scheduled for a mere two weeks from now...we're in the home stretch, folks!

I continue to enjoy the frequent acrobatics going on in the womb, although the baby doesn't seem to like to perform for other people. Put your hand on my belly and you're most likely to feel....nothing! The little stinker:) Steve and I did enjoy a rather lengthy round of baby hiccups last night. They were pretty forceful and lasted for a good 5 minutes, which leads me to believe that this little one will take after his or her daddy when it comes to serious hiccuping.

I have a confession to make. I actually registered for one of those use-at-home doppler machines. I saw it at Target, and for only $19.99 you can strap the thing to your belly and listen in on those swooshing fetal sounds, kicks, gurgles, and heart beat. You can even record the baby and send it to family and friends via e-mail!! Is that cool or what?! Well, Steve didn't think it was as amazing as I did, so instead of buying it right then and there I meekly put it back on the shelf, stroked the box a little, and then discreetly BEEPed it with my registry scan gun. So this is a plea to buy it for me.

My doctor made fun of such machines at my appointment today, without me even bringing the subject up, but the people pictured on the do-it-at-home-doppler box seemed to be really enjoying themselves. It's got to work!

Week 29

Here's the weekly blurb from Babycenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons...About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.

It's amazing that all this is going on without me conciously doing anything. Have I mentioned before what a miracle this is?? I'd better go pop the vitamins and Iron supplement!!

Don't Mess Up a Glucose Test

Lesson learned!

I spent 3 1/2 hours at the diagnostics center on Monday, reading lots of magazines and getting my blood drawn every hour...it was the dreaded 3-hour glucose test. It was loooong, but I am glad that if there truly is a problem with my blood sugar, it will be detected and attended to. Otherwise the pregnancy continues to progress and I'm starting the countdown to delivery...7 weeks? 8 weeks? 10?

This weekend I am excited to host some very dear girlfriends from college... not to mention the women responsible for this little blogging endeavor:) We can't wait to see you girls!

Even now as I type this the baby is doing some heavy-duty strength training in there! So active! It's fun...but becoming more uncomfortable at times. Thankfully our birthing class homework involves practicing the massage techniques that will come in handy during labor:)

Steve and I are realizing more with each passing day that our lives are about to change drastically. What an incredible responsibility the Lord is about to place on our shoulders...one we can't begin to fully comprehend right now. We definitely covet your prayers as we prepare to welcome our child, on loan from God!

Reality Check

I've come to realize that just because I'm 22 and was in good shape before I got pregnant, doesn't mean that I can function without any problems even in my third trimester!

I've begun noticing that when I spend most of my day on my feet driving around and running errands, my body now responds with swollen ankles, backaches, shortness of breath, minor injuries (I spent an entire afternoon last week shopping and buying groceries-- wearing bad shoes-- only to find myself hobbling around on a bruised left foot the next day) and the need to sleep for 12 hours straight the next night! Those Pregnancy Pilates exercises I planned on starting months ago would have been very helpful, I'm sure.

Well, it's all worth it, isn't it ladies? I just can't wait to meet Benjamin Grace!

Tomorrow will mark the completion of my 28th week, and I'm officially in the third trimester! The baby keeps very busy in the womb..a lot of kicks and rolls and interacts with mommy and daddy. I've heard that if we shine a flashlight on the belly we might be rewarded with a punch or kick...the baby is now (or soon will be) able to see and respond to the light. We'll have to try that out soon!