Well, we are 35 weeks pregnant now and still marvel daily at the amazing things my body is doing and the way my belly is morphing to accommodate my little occupant! I am still feeling remarkably wonderful. I guess that the second time around you learn to ignore (or to just expect) the clumsiness, cramps, frequent urination, sleepiness and sometimes freaky body changes that shocked you during pregnancy number one. Instead, you just acknowledge them as the "norm" and feel darn lucky when those are the only things that are bothersome!
I am now having weekly OB checkups and ultrasounds- the ultrasounds are considered "biophysical profiles" which assess the baby in these ways: amniotic fluid levels, gross movement, fetal tone, "breathing" motions and a reactive heart-rate (that varies dependant upon movement). Because of my history with a blood clotting disorder and my current protein C deficiency which can sometimes complicate things, my doctor is just being cautious. I enjoy seeing that she is doing well every week at the scan. It is amazing how little of her you can see on the screen now! Last time the only parts of her face that fit in the view were her eye and nose! Everything looks great and she is head down. My doctor will soon be predicting the baby's size (oh boy!)
I was also told that I would not be allowed to go past 39 weeks before I delivered. My doc feels that everything is going so well that there is really no need to press our luck just to get to the magic "40 weeks" which can sometimes lead to a worn-out and calcified placenta as in the case of Lorelei at only 38 weeks. So...I will be delivering for SURE by the end of the first week of June instead of by the 14th. But, hopefully I will go into natural labor before I have to be induced. Either way, we are watching as the number of days until meeting our baby girl dwindle. We are filled with joy and anticipation (how are we going to handle two children under the age of 2?) But we are up for the challenge.
Lorelei has no idea how much her life will change pretty soon. We are happy to be giving her a sibling but are a little bit sad when we realize that our simple little life as the Bakers3 will cease to exist as we know it. We know the change is for the better but we are holding on tightly to the last few weeks with our only daughter.
Lorelei has been starting to show interest in toilet training and has done both duties on her potty now! She especially likes to read magazines and books while sitting. Where did she learn that??? So, we'll keep encouraging her but we won't push it since we don't want to be full-on-in-the-middle of it as we bring a new baby home.
We also had a visit from my college Roommate, Brandie last week who flew in from Spokane, WA. Although the reason for the visit was sad (our good college friend Brie's Dad passed away unexpectedly. Brandie, Matt and I car-pooled down to the memorial service in Bakersfield), we had a great time with her while she was with us.
Overall the last month has been busy, but we are doing our best to take a breath, slow down and enjoy life.
Here are some belly photos from 34 and 35 weeks:
and some other photos of Lola from the past several weeks:
