18 months old

I am a little late with this entry. Things have been busy but mostly it was because Jax didn't have his 18 month well baby(kid?) exam until last Friday.

The stats:

Length: 32.25 inches (50%)
Weight: 24 pounds 14 ounces (~40%)
Head: 50 cm (>95%)

He is a very healthy little guy. It is funny that with Jaida whenever we had to fill out one of those developmental checklists she always fell slightly behind on the physical aspects ... climbing, balancing, jumping, etc. She is perfectly caught up now but then she was always a tiny bit behind. Jax on the other hand has had all the physical stuff listed on the 24th month checklist mastered for some time. Anyhow, Jax is healthy and developing just perfectly. The only concern I had was about his lack of actual talking. The doctor assured me that he falls in the totally normal range for both boys and second children as far as his speech. He says about 30 words and combines many of them into three word phrases. He understands everything we say and can follow semi-complicated directions from me so I know that he hears perfectly fine. I suppose that Jaida was so far advanced at this point that it is a bit hard to keep from comparing the two.

Jax seems to have caught Jaida's cold/cough which of course settled right into his chest. I gave him a few doses of albuterol in the nebulizer and that seems to be knocking it right out. This is all after about a week and a half of rather sleepless nights for Joe and myself. Jax slept through all the coughing just fine but we of course suffered.

Bath-time Silliness

Sister, you look silly!
















Do I look silly too?

A VERY Merry Christmas

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

While Jax had very little interest in doing the work of un-wrapping his gifts he certainly enjoyed playing with all the toys afterward. He especially loves all of the car toys and his new rocket ship. He also loves the little tool sets and we hear him exclaim "I fix it!" quite often these days.

We had lots of time off work so we had fun making/decorating/eating cookies. Jax mostly just played with his toys or got into Jaida's stuff. :)

Cuteness

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

It is a regular old Christmas miracle

that our son who has an un-ending amount of curiosity and energy has absolutely no interest in either the Christmas tree or the presents underneath. Seriously, what is wrong with this child? I delayed putting up the tree and the only pressies underneath are from friends and family because I just knew I would be yelling "Jax, get out of the tree" a gazillion times a day. I am happy to admit I was wrong ... the tree might as well not be in the house.

New York City at Christmas

We recently returned from a nearly week long trip to the big apple. It was rather exhausting but in a fun sort of way. We saw the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. The kids were all enchanted. Jaida's favorite part was when the Rockettes dressed as reindeer pulled Santa and his sleigh across the stage. Jax enjoyed all of the appearances of Santa Claus. We visited Fao Schwartz where both kids picked out a toy to purchase and Jaida was able to dance on the piano featured in the movie Big. Jaida and I ventured to the American Girl Place where Jaida picked out a new outfit for her Bitty baby. We spent time in Rockefeller Square and watched the brave people try to ice skate. We also braved Times Square at night which was an adventure. Generally, we did A LOT of walking. It was rather difficult as it was very busy and the stroller just got in the way. Poor Jax ended up strapped into his stroller most of the trip but he did enjoy running up and down the ramps in teh hotel lobby a lot. ;) It was a fun trip but we are all really glad to be home and are looking forward to Christmas.

The last molar

is finally through. This is his lower left one year molar.

A toothy little fellow

Jax has been very busy cutting teeth along with other general mischief. The week before Thanksgiving we noticed he had two brand spanking new molars. Both of his upper one year molars popped through with little fanfare. Yesterday he had a rather cranky day at daycare and when I looked in his mouth I saw a brand new lower one year molar on his right side and his lower right lateral incisor FINALLY came through. His other lower one year molar is VERY close to popping through ... I would say in the next day or so. The ear tubes must be doing what they are suppose to be doing because he has had bit of snottiness with all these teeth but no ear infections. If I was superstitious I might feel the need to knock on wood.

Less than thrilled

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

At least he didn't start screaming immediately. He did like the jolly old guy from a distance though.

The frog prince

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

Jax LOVED everything about Halloween. The walking around, collecting of candy, socializing, and staying up late ... he had a blast.

Would you like to see why I am going pre-maturely gray?

Jax was a little bit too quiet this morning ... look where I found him. Is it bad that I left him there to go get my camera? When he realized I was standing behind him he started yelling "mama, I did IT!"

Liberal use of the word it

Jax's new favorite things to say are "I got it!" "I did it!" and "What is it?" It might be the cutest thing I have ever seen or heard when Jax successfully does his shape sorter and then yells out "I did it!" all the while clapping like crazy for himself. Jax also says "Hi Nancy" now.

A boy with a touch of OCD

Jax is having a hard time with this whole Autumn thing. On the way from the car to the porch he spends his time stooped over picking up the leaves and trying to place them carefully back in the bushes where they clearly belong. It should be interesting when all the leaves start falling. ;)

New words

Jax now says "what is it" (said in the highest voice he can muster) whenever he sees anything he likes or wants to touch. He says night (for night night) . He says fishies and horsies. He says daddy (add-eeeeeeee). Very cute.

GOT IT!

I have been trying (in vain) to get Jax to say Thank You when someone gives something to him. Will he say Thank You? Of course not. Instead he shouts out GOT IT! and grabs the item. It is cute ... for now.

The boy LOVES to dance

Photos

Today I made all of the kid's pictures on Flickr available only to people I deem as friends or family. I might make them public again after the mess with Orkut gets straightened out but until then you will need to email me so I can make you friends and family so you can view the photos. I don't mind doing this so just drop me a line. Email is in my profile.

A painstakingly sloooooooow process

but Jax has another tooth ... his seventh to be exact. He has not been whinny or clingy or even had that bad of a runny nose. He is also sleeping just fine ... thank you very much! The only two clues were his recent need to chew on all of us and the drooling ... good godzilla the drooling.

This was number 2 tooth on the lower right ... (lateral incisor). If Jax is anything like Jaida I imagine all the nasty teeth to cut (cuspids and molars) are going to show up sometime this winter and will unfortunately likely result in ear infections ... oh well.

Jax is saying several new words ... trees (tees), boys (as in Hi boys! said to his daycare friends with much exuberance), bus, sister (sisser), Kaiko (kai kai kai KO!), and cat. Such a fun stage!

We appear to have a biter on our hands

Can't say that I am really sure what to do about it either. Especially seeing as how Jax thinks it is freaking hilarious when I reprimand him for biting by saying "No Bite". Just my uttering those two words usually results in him laughing hysterically, grinding his six little teeth and then coming in for another nip.

He has given us all a few little *love nips* in the past. Not hard bites ... really just enough to startle if we were not aware of what he was up to. Also, they usually happened during any sort of rough play like wrestling, etc. Recently though he has started biting out of frustration. It usually happens when Jaida has taken one too many toys from him or I am trying to wrangle him into his clothes (something he absolutely hates). He has attempted to bite the other little guy at his daycare several times. Dillon is bigger and a bit grabby where toys are concerned which really exasperates the issue. So far though Dillon is a bit too fast for Jax to catch so there have been no bad biting incidents.

The other morning Jaida was sitting at the table eating her bagel for breakfast. She didn't realize the squawking Jax was doing was because he wanted to share her bagel. Next thing she knows he reaches over and chomps on her elbow. Thank godzilla he only has six teeth or he might have done real damage. He did leave a nasty looking bite mark on her arm and broke the skin a bit. She screamed bloody murder and he thought that was SO funny. The hysterical laughter was like rubbing salt in a wound.

I can't figure out what to do. For now I just try to avoid him getting into situations where I know he is likely to bite. I also calmly but sternly say "no bite" when he does bite. I also try really hard not to smile which is really hard because he is so evil and thinks it is so funny. I am hoping this is just a phase he will outgrow ... and quickly!

Enthusiasm

I love that Jax just oozes enthusiasm. Everything is exciting. Even the way he speaks is filled with enthusiasm. Everything seems to end in an exclamation point. As he pets the cat he says oft! (soft!) in a big, grasp and excited voice. As he throws stuff away (which to all of our detriment he loves to do) he throws the object with great force into the can while yelling bash! (trash!). As he tries to give Kaiko loves he squeals with much excitement oggie! (doggie!) which sends a visual chill up Kaiko's spine as he braces for impact. :) So much fun.

Not sure why they like him so much

especially seeing as how rough he can be with them. Maybe they know he means well and will eventually grow out of the need to man-handle them. They look out for him ... even when he is sleeping.

Doggie!

This is Jax's new word as of yesterday. It is said often and with much enthusiasm while he points at Kaiko.

The boy LOVES corn-on-the-cob

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

A few new things for Jax. First off he loves corn-on-the-cob. During our labor day picnic he pretty much consumed his own weight in corn. He cried when we eventually took the gnawed on cobs away from him. :)

Jax is at the beginning of a language explosion. He said a few words early on but then just started grunting a lot. He has added one or two new words to his vocabulary each day since Sunday. He now says (clearly) mama, dada, hi, Jaida (yaeda), cheese, sit, trash, and Nancy. He also says a few other words that aren't so clear ... Kaiko and cup are two that really are more of a sound than a word.

14 Months Old!

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

Jax is getting to be such a big boy. Jax celebrated his 14th month birthday by escorting his sister off to the first day of pre-k. He loves getting to walk out to the car every morning while holding Jaida's hand.

The many faces of Jax Rhea

Jax can go from this ...















to this ...















in about 30 seconds flat.

Is it too early to be having tantrums?

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

This is what Jax does now if he does not immediately get his way. Oh by the way there is usually a fair amount of screaming and screeching and peeking up to see if we are paying attention while he is in this position.

The MOST conservative first hair cut EVER

Jax has been looking a tad bit shaggy lately. Personally, the shagginess didn't bother me but his hair covering his pretty eyes did bother me a bit. So, it seemed like the appropriate time for a first hair cut. I do not like the look of crew cuts or buzz cuts or whatever they are called on toddlers ... makes them look too grown up, I think. We had our good friend MB give Jax his first cut and a very conservative cut it was. She trimmed the straggly pieces that fell in his eyes and the frizzy bits in the back but left all of his cute curls (or devil horns as we refer to them) around his ears and neck line. Pretty cute kid if I do say so myself.

Jax playing with his friend Christian. See the shaggy hair.

Jax getting his hair cut. He sat so still and when MB was finished she told him he is beautiful and he just softly stroked his hair. :)

His after hair cut picture. He looks so cute.

Giddy Up

This last Christmas Santa brought Jax a rocking/bouncing horse as his *he will grow into it* gift. It appears that he has grown into it and he thinks it is the coolest toy ever. The funny thing is that Jax cannot sit on the horse until his cowboy (Woody) hat is on his head. How does he know at such a young age that cowboys and horses go together? I suppose that maybe Jaida told him or maybe it is the fact that he did it once and we all laughed ... who knows? Anyhow, Jax goes and finds his cowboy hat and puts it on his head and then while walking to his horse he can be heard saying "iddy up up up" over and over again in almost a whisper of a voice. It is so cute!

Figuring out the walking thing

Jax is amazingly cautious with his walking which quite honestly is surprising since he is fearless in so many other ways. It is hard to describe how he walks without a visual but here goes ... He sort of walks with his knees slightly bent and feet pointing outward (think duck), his back straight and arms held slightly up and out for balance and then he takes these teeny little steps. Think Tim Conway in some of his old man skits. He has great balance and now walks all over the place. He no longer crawls at all. Just Wednesday (8/15/07) he finally figured out how to get up onto his feet in the middle of the room ... does a power lifters squat lunge action to get to his feet. ;) He can also now stop mid-stride squat down and pick a toy up and then stand back up and keep moving. He just looks so happy to be up and walking. Yesterday he actually walked (barefoot) through the grassy yard to the play set so he could swing. This is a HUGE accomplishment since up until ... well yesterday ... he thought grass was pure evil and would have no parts of being set down in it.

A VERY odd faery princess

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

I swear Jaida's room is like wonderland to Jax. He loves to sneak in there as often as possible since Jaida normally gives him the boot and closes the door behind him. She has all sorts of fun stuff in there that he loves to get into. He shrieks like a maniac when we finally have to drag him out of there.

A scary resemblance

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

Does Jax look a bit like a tiny Elton John or is it just my imagination?

The book of Jax

I spent a small amount of time organizing all of my blog entries into a nice little published book for Jax. This book contains all blog entries (plus pictures) made during my pregnancy up until Jax's first birthday. I plan to do one of these for each kid. Seeing as how I detest scrapbooking I figure this is the next best thing. :)

Jaxon is now officially a walker!

It is rather amazing he waited this long before finally letting go. He was physically capable of walking a month or so ago. I suppose there were several factors at play ... first being I have never in my life seen such a fast crawler. I think he just didn't want to slow down to figure out the walking thing. Secondly, why bother ... everything he wants he can get to by crawling and climbing so I suppose he felt no rush. Finally, letting go can be so scary. Anyhow, last week I told Joe that Jax would walk this weekend. I don't think he totally believed me. Jax just had a look about him. He was so stable and very confident and brave in his movements and just looked like he was starting to toy with the idea.

Saturday Jax took a few excited steps between Joe and I. These usually started out with Jax walking and ended with him lunging at his target. Then yesterday (8/5/07) Jax let go of the table and walked to me ... I would say maybe 6 or 7 steps. He practiced all day. He fell a lot and quite hard at times but it didn't seem to rattle him too much.

It is quite funny to watch him walk as he starts out slowly but then as his target approaches he gets really excited and moves way too fast and sort of loses his balance. When Jaida started walking she was very sure footed and deliberate with her movements. She rarely fell and had excellent balance. When newly walking she looked a lot like franken-baby ... all stiff legged and arms out for balance. Jax on the other hand looks like Clyde the Orangutan when he walks. He walks super wide legged and sort of tips from foot to foot in a crazy sideways motion all the while carrying his arms straight up in the air ready to body slam his intended target as soon as possible. It is simply hilarious to watch. Unfortunately, it is impossible to watch him without cracking up which makes Jax laugh and then fall over. The look of pride on his face says it all. He is just so happy when he reaches his target that it is hard not to be happy for him ... even though ultimately this just means more work for Joe and me. :) I will try to get a short video clip this evening and link to it.

Poo under the fingernails

Why (oh why?) does my sweet son poop SO much? Seriously, I wonder if there might be a little something wrong with him as it does not seem normal for such a large volume of poo to come out of his squishy little body so often. This morning I thought I smelled something foul so I grab Jax and hoist him up and go to grab the top edge of the back of his diaper so I can sneak a peak. Sure enough the poo had migrated up the back of the diaper to the point where I had the better part of three fingers submerged in poo up to the first knuckle. It really is a shame as I had just toasted myself a nice bagel which was sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. There is not enough antibacterial hand soap, fingernail scrubbing and hand sanitizer to make me want to use that hand to pick up my food for quite some time. blech!

Baby Loves

Jaxon has recently glommed onto one of Jaida's baby dolls ... to the point that Jaida has now officially relinquished custody of the baby doll to her brother. Baby's name is Pix which is apparently short for Pixie. Jaxon loves this baby doll so much that if we even mention baby doll by name he performs a hard target search of the playroom until Pix is safely in his arms. Just about every morning Jax finds Pix and then does not drop him/her until we get to daycare. Nancy said Jax rarely plays with Pix while at her house but at home ... all I can say is do not get between Jax and his Pix or there will be much screeching. It is very sweet to see how loving and nurturing Jax can be to this baby doll since he can be a little brute in so many other ways. :)

Sixth Tooth

Jax is the proud owner of six teeth and a slightly runny nose to boot. His left upper incisor finally came through. All the same teething symptoms so we knew it would be any day. I don't know if poop can possibly smell any worse than the stuff that comes out of poor Jax when he is teething. Just nasty .... plain and simple.

Jax was also the victim of a biting ... by his sister no less. See Jaida's blog for details on this. He is fine ... doesn't even seem traumatized or anything.

Hi Dada

Jaxon LOVES to talk on the phone. This morning he brings me the phone and holds it up to his ear (upside down) and says "Hi Dada" while pointing at his mouth with the other hand. I called Joe at work and asked him to speak to Jax. I hold the phone up to Jax's ear and in the tiniest sweetest little voice he says "hi dadadada" with a BIG smile on his face.

Big Time Wrestling Moves

Jax loves to body slam stuff. That stuff includes food on his booster seat chair tray, his toys, us, the cat ... oh the poor cat. Anyhow, he straightens his back raises his arms above his head and then flings his entire upper half onto his target with wreckless abandon. This has resulted in Jax having bruises on his face from landing on hard objects such as a toy, the floor, my knee or shoulder, etc. He has slammed Jaida and the poor cat several times as a sign of affection. They don't seem to feel the love though. ;)

FIVE teeth

Jax is now the proud owner of five teeth! Do I have the world's slowest teething children or what? Jax has been a bit out of sorts the last couple of days. Also didn't sleep well the last two nights even though up until that point he had been sleeping 12-14 hours straight in his own bed and in his own room each night. Add to that a tremendously snotty nose and some REALLY nasty poops and I was pretty sure something was going on with his teeth. Yesterday I noticed his right upper tooth right next to his front center ones came in. What is that tooth called anyhow ... an incisor? The other one should be in in about a weeks time I would guess.

Cousins

This is Jax and his little cousin Mattie spending some quality time together. Jax happily slept through the entire thing otherwise he likely would have ended up sitting on her head, pulling her hair or in some other way torturing her and she would not look so happy. :)

Happy 1st Birthday to Jax!

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

Yes ... hard to believe our little guy is ONE year old.

Jax shared his birthday party with his sister. They each got a cute clown cake. Jax wasn't so into the fondant icing but once he got past it to the cake part he was double fisting he was cramming so much in his mouth. I think Jax had lots of fun watching all teh older kids run around like maniacs.

Jax is VERY close to walking. I think he can do it but just has not decided he wants it bad enough yet. He can stand unassisted and will walk while holding our hand. I think part of the problem is he crawls so fast that he doesn't want to slow down enough to figure the walking thing out. :)

Jax had his one year check-up and is now 21.5 pounds and a little over 31 inches long ... so overall tall and skinny. He also has a gigantic noggin. :) The only problem is Jax seems to have developed reactive airway disease and a bit of triggered asthma. The doctor does not think this is going to be a long lasting issue but it just needs some attention right now. So for the next 3-4 months Jax is taking nebulizer treatments of Pulmicort twice a day. This is just to stabilize his respiratory tract and then he should be able to go off them. At first he hated the treatments with a white hot passion. Then his dad started doing funky chicken dances to entertain him while he was in gas mask mode and now I think Jax might just look forward to his meds. Although not sure how much is getting into him when he is laughing hysterically. ;)

Our big guy

Well Jax is nearly a year old! Where has the time gone? I have to say I am loving that he is a tiny bit more independent. Jax is still quite the snuggle-bug even with his new found independence.

A few updates:

Jax can cross crawl ... you know the official way of crawling. He has been crawling since he was very young but because we have hardwoods through-out the house he never really felt the need to get all the way up on those knees.

Jax is scarily close to walking. We are not rushing this AT ALL. I love his little baby side.

Jax talks a lot. He babbles constantly. He says mama, dada, yaeda (Jaida), og (dog), ity at (kitty cat), up up up (all strung together quickly), in and out, this, that and something that sounds a lot like Hi

Jax is such a wonderful little guy. So full of spunk but just has a really sweet sensitive side also.

This is the face of BIG trouble!

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

Eek! It has been SO long since my last update. Life is crazy busy and I feel that I am barely keeping my head above water most of the time. We are fully enjoying life and all these early days with little Jax ... hence the lack of blog entries - there is simply no extra time.

Let me give the quick update on boy-wonder. He is doing everything your typical 10 month old baby should be doing plus some. He also did almost all of it shockingly early. He is trying to put me in an early grave ... I am convinced of it. He started crawling at about 5 months old. In typical Lamela-Rhea kid fashion he still doesn't cross crawl as there is no need for it ... we have hardwoods so the commando crawl/belly shimmy works out very well. Shortly after he figured out the crawling thing he also decided to master pulling up on EVERYTHING ... nothing is safe. sigh ... Then came cruising which at this point he is an old pro at and actually runs along the surface of the furniture while barely (if at all) holding on. He also LOVES to climb. Jax takes anything vertical as a personal challenge. He worked out (much to our chagrin) that he can push an upside down laundry basket around to use as a step stool to get to all sorts of places he shouldn't be. Did I mention that he tries to climb the stairs every chance he gets? Must.Invest.In.Baby.Gates

Shortly after he worked out all the physical stuff he started saying dada ... surprisingly this word seemed to be linked to Joe and the dog very early on. Now he says something that sounds remarkably like "Hi DaDa!" when he sees Joe. He also says mama ... for the longest time only when he was crying but now he says it whenever he wants anything. Jaida swears he says a version of Jaida but I am not totally convinced. Jax started on solid food at about 7 months old. While he does love to eat and really loves solids he does not seem to have the voracious appetite that his sister did at the same age. He loves anything cut into bite-sized pieces and enjoys feeding himself and the dog. He still nurses like a champ ... mostly morning and evening at this point except on weekends when he makes up for missed milk during the week. He hasn't really worked out what to do with a sippy cup except throw it across the room. Mostly because we have not given him many opportunities with one. Jax waves hello and squints when we ask him to wink. He claps his hands and loves to applaud himself for a variety of tasks done well. He also likes to play pat-a-cake and the bumpy horse game. Generally, he likes any game that involves him being thrown about in a variety of directions. Jax also LOVES his sister. He studies her every move and generally just wants to do whatever she is doing. Jaida takes this in stride for the most part and loves to procclaim "look mama Jaxie is learning from me". Lately though, Jaida has become a bit more aggressive in taking toys from Jax or bossing him (can't say I blame her as he is into all her stuff). When Jax has something that he thinks she might take he throws his body on it and starts growling when she so much as looks at him. It is pretty funny but does lead to a fair amount of noise in our house. Oh did I mention that she has several nicknames for Jaxon ... Jaxie, happy Jax and Jaxie-Bo.

Jax is the sweetest little guy. He is a total wild child and a little dare-devil but he is also such a tender soul. He seems to get his feelings hurt easily ... like if Jaida raises her voice at him. He loves to snuggle and gives the best hugs and kisses to all of us. He has a temper also. It is amazing to see the flare-up so early. If we take something from him that he really wants he has no problem letting us know. If he wants to be held and we put him down ... he just melts into one big Jax puddle in the middle of the floor. Jax is also a baby that generally just needs/wants mama a lot. I can't say this bothers me at all. ;)

Jax is now a little over 10 months old. He has followed the same growth curves most of his short life. Generally he has a noggin in the 95%, height in the 90-95% and weight in the 65%. There was one month right before he started solids where he totally fell off the weight curve but as soon as he started getting more calories from the solids his weight picked right back up. This period also happened to coincide with a big increase in his mobility. Jax has (like his sister) suffered pretty terribly with back-to-back ear infections. I am reasonably sure there was one infection that just never completely went away since November 2006. In March of this year we had tubes put in his ears. Made a world of difference. He had one slight ear infection since the tubes but it didn't really cause him much discomfort.

Now that Spring has finally sprung in the DC area we are having a lot of fun spending more time outside. We are looking forward to many weekends spent touring the city or lounging at the beach.

The new and improved Jaxon Rhea

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Originally uploaded by gias_kids.

I am just testing out the link between my flickr account and this blog. Please bear with me.

To laugh or cry that is the question ... apparently

Jax seems to have some issues figuring out whether he wants to laugh or cry. Maybe this is a normal new baby thing and I just missed it with Jaida but I do find it kind of amusing. Jax rarely cries and usually it takes something like a needle poke or me sitting on his hand (a story for another day) or something similar for him to really cry. Something is going on in his brain right now and whenever he gets giddy and starts to giggle he nearly cries. It is like his brain can't quite sort out what is going on ... pretty funny.

Three Months Old and as cute as ever

Jax is a few days over three months old. He is such a joy!

He had his first little head/chest cold a week or so ago thanks to his sister. He handled it like a champ ... no crying or sleepless nights. Last week he went to the pediatrician for his IPV and DPaT vaccines. He weighed 13 pounds 7 ounces and was a little over 24 inches long. He didn't get fussy or anything from the vaccines so that was good.

Jax is such a great baby. He sleeps really well both for naps and at night. He rarely fusses and is generally a joy to be around. On Thursday (9/28) he giggled out loud for the first time and it was the sweetest sound ever. He is also very good at grabbing objects and getting them to his mouth ... namely my hands or his blankie.

Yesterday Jax spent his first day with Nancy as I returned to work part-time. He did great. He only drank 3 ounces of breastmilk for her but then spent the evening nursing so all is well.

Stinky Boy

How can such a little guy smell SO bad? Jax now only poops once every three to five days and let's just say the gas on day 2-3 is very unpleasant. It doesn't seem to phase Jax but the smell is enough to clear a room. Oh ... and Jax apparently thinks farting is hillarious. He is SUCH a boy! He will let a big one rip and then get the biggest smile on his face ... it must feel great. :) By the time he finally gets around to pooping the sheer volume is just stunning. I tend to make sure I have no plans to go anywhere on those days since he can fill a diaper + some several times in a day ... a real mess.

TWO months old

Can you believe the boy is 2 months old already?!? We can't. Jax is doing great. He is a happy little guy that eats, sleeps and poops well. What else is there to life at this age? :)

Jax had his 2 month well baby check today. He is doing really great. He weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces and was just about 24 inches tall. He has grown 5 inches in two months which is amazing. He is going to be a tall dude. He looks quite tall ... pretty string beanish actually. He is by no means a light weight but doesn't look that heavy because he is so long. The little guy has lovely brownish/red hair and slate gray eyes that seem to toggle between blue, green and gray depending on what he is wearing that day. The pediatrician was impressed with how strong Jax is ... he holds his big noggin up nice and steady and also loves to stand and will do so for long periods if we hold him up.

We are going to fully vaccinate Jax but are doing it on a delayed schedule. He had two needles today ... one with a combination HiB/Hep B and the other with the PCV vaccine. He goes back in a month for the IPV and DPT vaccines. He was a little achey and fussy after the injections but nothing too bad.

Jax is just such a great little guy and so mellow. He still co-sleeps with us and we all sleep well. Some nights he will nurse and others he does not but generally he never wakes at night because we are right there with him so I guess there is no need really. He also naps well during the day.

Breastfeeding is still going great and Jax really seems to enjoy it but also has himself on a pretty good eating routine already which is nice. I can already tell he is a baby that is going to be just like Jaida in his love of routines. I make plenty of milk and have a nice stash in the freezer for when I return to work.

Generally life is great!

Goat Boy

We call Jax our little Goat Boy. Mostly because he sounds just like a little goat when he is getting fussy. He makes this cute little baaa'ing sound as his nose gets all scrunched up. It is really cute. We took The kids along with Jaida's friend Jordyn to the Montgomery county fair. As we were walking through the agricultural area we passed the goat barn. The baby goats were making all these noises and Jax got this look on his face like he was being called home. We were fairly amused. :)

One month Pediatrician Appointment

Jax continues to grow at warp speed. At todays appointment he weighed 10 pounds 9 ounces (75th %). Not sure about his length as they did not measure him. We will try to do this later today just for the record. Jax has the same sensitive bumm as his sister did early on. He has an allergy to all the commercial hiney wipes which make his bottom quite red and angry. So I made my homemade wipes and added a little comfrey oil to the mix. His bottom healed right up and continues to be a happy shade of pink. He also has a slight case of prickly heat on his face from being in skin contact with one of us so much of the time. The pediatrician said a small amount of hydrocortisone cream will make the rash go away ... so we will try that.


Jax is smiling more and more ... most of the time his big smiles come as he is gazing at us and drifting towards sleep. He is also starting to vocalize more and more. Lots of little happy cooing sounds coming from him now. The pediatrician was amazed at how much head control he has already ... a very strong little neck on the boy.


Anyhow, everything continues to go really well.

Nicknames

Jaxon is a boy of many nicknames. Beyond the obvious one of Jax he is also called Mr. Man Baby, Mr. Poopy Pants, Squawkmeister B, Bubba Boy and Little Buddy by his dad and me. Jaida fondly refers to him as Jaxie or Mr. Baby if that is your real name. :) The poor kid!

Jax continues to be the easiest baby on the planet. He seems to be in the middle of his evening fussy period which supposedly peaks around 6 weeks. It is almost comical ... he has such a hard time crying that he just gets this pained expression on his face as if to say "please don't make me cry" and fusses a little bit. Generally, during this period he will only be soothed by mama ... but at least he is soothable. He continues to sleep through the night. Last week was a little rough as he was going through his 3 week growth spurt and was nursing constantly. I am reasonably sure we stayed connected all night for 3 nights in a row as he was nursing every 30 minutes - hour all night. Luckily, we both slept through it ... he grunted and latched and we both went back to sleep. :) Happily, Jax will also sleep anywhere which allows me a lot more freedom for the time being.

Four Weeks Old

How can that be? Is it possible that time feels like it is passing by even faster this time than it did with Jaida? I can't believe the boy is already a month old!

Jaxon continues to be extremely mellow. Really quite the little sweetheart. He loves to cuddle ... especially with his mama but he gives dad and sister some cuddle time every day also. He finally has adjusted to cold wipes on his hiney and doesn't poop or pee every single time I open his diaper which makes diaper changes much more pleasant for all involved. He also seems much more okay with having a little naked baby time and seems to now be enjoying baths much more since starting to bath with Jaida. Today Jaxon enjoyed his first bottle of EBM. He acted like he has been taking a bottle forever which will give me a little break every now and again plus make sure he can eat when I return to work.

I am really wondering how we ended up with a child with light brown/red hair and blue/green eyes. It is freaking me out a bit. It will be interesting to see how he changes over the coming months.

Here are a few current pictures of the boy ...




Also, here is Jax's birth announcement for those that are not receiving it by snail mail.

http://www.purplestork.com/proofs/17658-jaxon-a.jpg

Three weeks old today

and a mini milestone for Jax. We have noticed over the last few days that Jax's eyes are really starting to track well and focus. When he is looking at us it is really obvious he is looking at us and not just scanning the room. Anyhow, Jax was lounging in his rocking chair which has a toy bar with a couple of colored padded geometric shapes hanging from it. He was focusing on one of the shapes on the end and concentrating so hard and making lots of little grunting sounds. He then picked up his right arm and made a big swipe and made contact with the shape. He did it about 4 more times while sitting in his chair. It was so cute to see him working so hard at this. Jax has also started smiling ... although only at his mama. These were genuine open mouthed grins where I could see he was going to smile by looking at his eyes first not the fleeting sleepy gassy grins from the first few days. He has smiled several times and always in response to me talking and cooing at him. He is going to have the sweetest smile.

Jax's eyes are also starting to change color ... although it is not clear what color they are going to be. His eyes will most definitely be more like mine in color where Jaida's are more like Joe's (super dark chocolate brown). Jax looks like he will have brown eyes but with some green and amber flecks like his mama's. Also, his hair is quite light in color ... sort of a light brown with a lot of red. It is also going to be curly. The long part on the top of his head is already starting to pouf up and has a bit of wave to it. So cute!!

Jaxon's Two week Pediatrician Appointment

I took Jax to his pediatrician appointment. He was pronounced in excellent health and a beautiful baby. The pediatrician commented on how long his arms and legs are and how big his hands and feet are. She said he is definitely going to be a big guy. His stats are 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21.5 inches long. He is tracking right along where Jaida was at this point ... she was 9 pounds 4 ounces and 22 inches at her 2 week appointment. He had blood drawn for his second PKU test and was not amused even slightly. The boy can definitely scream when he wants to.

Poop R' Us

Jaxon is 2 weeks old today. He is doing really well and already is changing so much. He has definitely held onto the newborn infant look much longer than Jaida did. I think because Jaida had so much hair she always looked older than she was. Jax still looks very much like a newborn. Right now Jax pretty much nurses, sleeps and poops a lot and that is pretty much it. He hardly ever cries (usually involves a diaper change when he is sleepy or a bath again when he is sleepy). He is very mellow and sleeps easily anywhere but especially loves to sleep in his mama's arms. He is generally sleeping through the night ... goes down at 11 p.m. and sleeps straight through to 5 a.m. or so and nurses and then back to sleep after minor grunting for another few hours. He is a very civilized baby with a very lucky mama. :)

Diaper changes have become a major source of entertainment around here. My reflexes are not quick enough for boy diaper changing which leads to much pee and poop being sprayed everywhere. Jaida thinks this is amazingly disgusting and absolutely hillarious all at the same time. Everytime I need to change Jax it means I go through three clean diapers in the process and usually end up with either pee or poop on myself. The boy is some kind of freaky poop making machine.

Jaxon's Birth Story

On June 26 I started feeling what I thought were contractions although they were not painful at all. I really just felt a tightening across my lower abdomen that was slightly annoying. At Joe's urging I started timing them and realized they were coming at 3 minutes apart for about 30 -45 seconds. This persisted for the next 3 days with the only change being the length of the contractions (stretched out to 45 to 60 seconds). I really felt like all the contractions were just my body preparing itself but after a couple of days I really started to doubt myself. Everyone was telling me that I was going to go into labor any minute but I just didn't feel like labor was eminent. I woke up on Thursday June 29th feeling well rested after getting about 10 hours of sleep. It was the best I slept in ages. I just had a feeling that morning that labor was going to happen soon but I wasn't going to sit around and wait for it to happen. I took the day off work and met up with a friend for a haircut and then we all headed to the pool for the day. That afternoon Jaida and I came home from the pool and took a short nap and then this insane nesting urge set in. Joe and I buzzed around and cleaned the house up, did a couple of loads of laundry and made dinner. Around 5:00 p.m. I called my doula (Mary), birth assistant (Gwen) and sister (Noa) to update them and let them know that nothing (other than the usual contractions) was going on. Around 7:00 p.m. Jaida wanted me to come out onto the porch to see something. I stood up and made it half way to the front door when I heard a pop and then felt a small gush. There was no mistaking it ... my membranes had ruptured. I went into the bathroom and sure enough clear amniotic fluid and bloody show. I then called everyone back (including the midwife, Regina) and let everyone know they should head to our house ASAP. Mostly because everyone except Gwen was coming from Virginia and it was rush hour.

Gwen was the first to arrive and she immediately started setting up the master bedroom for the birth. She started pulling out all of our birth supplies as well as her own. She started the crock pot with the cloths for perinneal compresses. She warmed up all the baby blankets and baby hats using a heating pad. Joe and I continued folding laundry, sending out some emails and then ate dinner. We told Jaida what was happening and she ran around the house yelling my brother is coming soon. She was so excited. Next to arrive was Regina and my sister. Regina sort of interviewed me to find out exactly where I was at. Since I wasn't having painful contractions yet she returned some phone calls and wrote out some notes. Mary was the last to arrive and by then the contractions were getting to the point where they were slightly more uncomfortable. As I was talking I noticed that I would easily lose my train of thought during a contraction.

About 10:00 p.m. we decided Jaida needed to get some sleep in case it was a long labor. I went into her room with her and tried to lay on her little bed with her to get her to sleep. At that point the contractions really started to increase in intensity and I was quite uncomfortable. At 10:30
p.m. I went into our bedroom and rested on my right side. At 11:00 p.m. I got up and sat on the birth ball while sort of leaning forward onto Joe's lap. Mary the doula spent the next several hours rubbing my back and applying counter-pressure during the contractions. At this point I started having hot flashes and then I would suddenly get cold and was feeling a bit shaky and nauseous. Around midnight I was sitting on the birth ball and was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I got up and went to the bathroom and then stood while Joe supported my weight. Around 12:30 a.m. I suddenly felt VERY nauseous and ended up vomiting. This scared me a little bit as I started having flash backs to my labor with Jaida when I was so nauseous and dehydrated from all the vomiting. Regina assurred me that this was a very different labor and vomiting is very normal and just my body clearing itself out. At this point I could feel the baby shifting postiions and he suddenly felt very heavy and I felt a lot of pressure.

At 1:00 a.m. I clearly think I was going through transition as I remember thinking there was no way I could do this any longer and that the baby was never going to come out. Joe, Mary and Gwen were all giving me tons of support. I remember my cat Percy laying on the corner of the bed. She has HUGE owl eyes and I remember just simply staring into her eyes as I was trying to get through each contraction since they were doubling up on each other. It really gave me something outside of myself to focus on. I got up and went into the bathroom to pee and while sitting on the toilet I suddenly became totally convinced baby boy was going to be born while I was sitting on the toilet. I suddenly felt tons of pressure and a strong urge to bear down. Joe told Regina that I was wanting to push and she brought some chux pads into the bathroom and put them on the bath mat just in case. I made it back into the bedroom and Regina suggested I lay on the bed on my right side. As soon as my body hit the bed I felt my body bear down and the rest of the amiotic fluid came gushing out. Regina warned me that the fluid was padding the baby and now that it was gone I was going to really feel a strong urge to push and a lot of pressure since the water was holding the baby back from really moving down into the birth canal. No more than she got the words out of her mouth I felt the most uncontrollable urge to push. It was incredible. The contractions were there but they didn't hurt any longer and the pushing felt so good and productive. I felt like I could push so hard I would rip in half. Regina reminded me that I needed to make small controlled pushes to help avoid a nasty tear like I had with Jaida. So I tried my hardest to make several small very controlled pushes through each contraction. I think it was possibly the hardest thing I have ever done seeing as how I wanted to just push hard and get it over with. Regina applied warm compresses to perineum to help it stretch and also did a massage with olive oil to help as his head was coming out.

At 1:58 a.m. Jaxon was born and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. Regina told me exactly what I was feeling as he came out. Head crowning (the burning gave this away), his forehead, brow bone, nose, chin, neck, first shoulder, second shoulder and then body. I felt everything. As soon as Jax was most of the way out our doula woke Noa and Jaida and asked them to come in. Jaxon latched on and started nursing about ten minutes later and then when the umbilical cord stopped pulsing and turned white/gray in color the midwife clamped it and Joe and Jaida cut it. We all laid on the bed staring at this new little human being in awe. Jaida was totally amazed at all of it. A few minutes later out came the placenta. We all inspected it and then Regina repaired a minor tear for me. No sponge bath for Jaxon ... he was covered in vernix (looked like a coating of felt) and we just vigorously rubbed it into his skin and that is where it stayed for the first three days of his life. We did not give him the Vitamin K injection and also did not put the antibiotic ointment in his eyes. It was so amazing seeing this little person just gazing at everyone in the room and knowing that his vision wasn't clouded (any more than normal) by the ointment. At 3:00 a.m. Joe brought me a sandwich, fruit and some OJ with an iron supplement in it. At 4:00 a.m. after the midwife, et al. finished their reports, cleaned up the room, started a load of laundry and checked on me they headed out and left our little family on its own. Simply perfect.

Jaxon had apgars of 8 and 9 ... he scored perfectly except on color ... it took him a bit to completely pink up. I have a feeling this is because the room was so cold ... I was a bit hot during labor. He weighed 8 pounds even 19 inches long and was born exactly a week before his edd. The birth experience was exactly like I imagined it should be. We had the lights dimmed and nice Native American flute music playing softly. Everyone stayed mostly silent but when talking happened it was in very hushed tones. Jaxon's birth was amazingly peaceful and I think it has carried over into every aspect of his early life. He is the most mellow and relaxed little guy. He rarely gets upset and peacefully nurses for prolonged periods of time. Just simply perfect in every way.

One Week Old

Jaxon is one week old today. Well, technically at 1:58 this morning.

He is doing wonderfully. He is a very sleepy baby but does have nice periods of quiet alert time where he just sits back and takes it all in. He looks all around and is especially drawn to his sister's voice. He sleeps in th emorning and usually has a short period of awake time right around lunch time and then eventually falls back to sleep and stays that way most of the afternoon. He has quite a bit of awake time in the evening while he cluster feeds. He usually falls back to sleep around 8:30 or so. I force a dream-feed on him around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. and then he sleeps until 4:45 or so. He then has a quick feed and I pump what is remaining and he goes back to sleep until 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. We have only heard him cry a handful of times ... once right after birth, a couple of times during diaper changes and during his only 2 sponge baths. Jax really is the sweetest little guy. He is so relaxed which often makes me wonder if he actually has a central nervous system. :) He has very relaxed arms, legs and hands and rarely displays the falling/startle reflex. So different from Jaida. He sleeps in the bed with Joe and I and we are enjoying every single minute of it. He is such a snuggle bug.

He had his first pediatrician appointment on Monday morning. He was pronounced perfect but then again we already knew that. He doesn't have any jaundice or other strange newborn issues. His umbilical stump was looking a bit funky ... not infected just a little funky. So the pediatrician painted it with silver nitrate to help speed along the drying process and asked us to put alcohol on it at every diaper change. It fell off Wednesday night and I found it in our bed Thursday morning. I don't think it was quite dry yet though as his actual belly button is still a tad bit oozy but hopefully it will dry up soon. Otherwise he is doing wonderfully. At birth we declined the Vitamin K injection and also declined the eye goop. We also decided not to circumcize. So he is a 100% organic baby boy. ;) At the pediatrician we also are delaying all vaccinations for at least several months. So short of taking a tiny bit of blood out of his body for a metabolic screening nothing has been put into his little body. We delayed the vax's with Jaida also and she was still fully vaxed by her 2nd birthday so it is completely doable and just seems to make sense to us to let him get some meat on his bones before we start pumping him full of stuff. My milk came in on Monday morning and I can tell he is definitely already heavier. At his pediatrician appointment he was 7 pounds 14 ounces so he only lost 2 ounces of his birth weight which is amazing since babies can lose up to 10% of their birthweight in the first week.

We are all falling madly in love with little Jax. He is such a joy to be around already. Did I mention that he smells so good? His natural smell is so sweet. Who knew I missed having a tiny baby around so much.

More pictures

The DUDE has arrived!

Jaxon Lamela Rhea "Jax" was born at home at 1:58 a.m. after a six and a half hour labor. My membranes ruptured at 7:00 p.m. and active labor started about 10 p.m. It was a relatively easy labor and delivery. I will write out the birth story in a few days.

For now his stats are:
Birthday: June 30, 2006
Weight: 8 pounds even
Length: 19 inches

And now for the good stuff ... pictures

A few seconds after birth
Me bonding with the kiddos
Jaxon breastfeeding while we all rest
Jaxon getting weighed with the fish scale
A snuggly Jax

Let's get this party started

39 weeks 1 day (LMP) 37 weeks 1 day (gestational)

I had an amazing nights sleep last night. First time in months I didn't wake up multiple times to pee. I woke up in a good mood and feeling well rested. I had another full day of the same contractions but today I didn't sit around wondering what is going to happen. I decided not to go to work today and instead called a friend. Jaida and I packed up and went to my friend's house. Marybeth cut my hair and then took about 6 inches off of Jaida's hair also. After we visited a while Jaida decided she wanted to stay and play with Caleb so I went home for a couple of hours to eat lunch and rest. I went back and we all went to the pool for the afternoon.

When I got home I went into insane nesting mode. Laundry became a very urgent matter for some reason. We tidied up the house, cleaned Jaida's room, moved some supplies, ate a good dinner and got Jaida all bathed and ready for be early. I was sitting on the sofa and stood to go see something Jaida wanted me to look at. I made it half way to the front door when I heard a pop and felt a small gush of water. We called the midwife (Regina), birth assistant (Gwen), doula (Mary) and made sure my sister was on her way to help with Jaida and be here for the birth.

So now I sit here waiting for womething to happen. I am still doing laundry and chatting with everyone and waiting for contractions to pick up in intensity.

I will keep you updated.

This will be my last belly picture. It was taken right after my membranes ruptured. If you look closely you can see the baby's feet sticking out of my side right at the edge of my shirt.

More contractions and other general funkiness

39 weeks 0 days (LMP) 37 weeks 0 days (gestational)

Working on day 2 of 3 minute apart contractions. Fun stuff! I even have them when I am sleeping but like I said not painful at all. Went to work today and I think I might have frightened a few people. :) After going to a retirement luncheon I wasn't feeling too well ... combination of contractions and eating too much likely. Called my midwife and she met us at the house to check me out. Blood pressure was good and low and I dilated another cm and was slightly more effaced (~4 cm and 65% effaced). She did say she could stretch my cervix another cm or 2 ... YIKES! She thinks I am likely losing my mucous plug also. It is sort of coming out slowly and in chunks ... more information than anyone wants I am sure. Anyhow, told to rest up. She thinks when I go I am likely going to go pretty quickly.

Lots of contractions

38 weeks 6 days (LMP) 36 weeks 6 days (gestational)

Well I am officially having contractions. They are three minutes apart and last about 45 seconds but they don't hurt in the slightest. They are just causing my belly to tighten down below my belly button. Hopefully, they are at least causing me to progress a bit. I wonder how long I could go on like this? Then again maybe I don't want to know the answer to that question. :)

Feeling HUGE and ready

38 week 4 days (LMP) 36 weeks 4 days (gestational)

A picture is worth a thousand words ...

Baby Shower

38 weeks 0 days (LMP) 36 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 131 pounds
waist: 38 inches

At this time, your baby weighs about 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg). Crown-to-rump length hasn't changed much; it's still about 14 inches (35 cm). Total length is 21 inches (47 cm).

I had my 38 week midwife appointment yesterday and all was perfect ... low blood pressure, no swelling, GBS test was negative, found out I don't need prophylaxic antibiotics for prolapsed mitral valve in my heart, and fundus was measuring at 38 ... so just perfect in other words.

The sweet ladies at work threw a baby shower for me this week. The boy received many blue outfits, soft blankets, stuffed toys, album, frame, toys and misc other supplies. Everyone was extremely generous and we appreciate it all SO much. Jaida and I had fun going through all the clothes and washing them and hanging them up.

Generally, I feel pretty great for a hugely pregnant woman. I am pretty comfortable except the occassional shooting nerve pain down my leg. I have a fair amount of energy and am sleeping relatively well (in between bathroom trips).

We have everything we need for the boy and the house is all set-up for the addition of a newborn. I have all my birth supplies together and in the master bedroom. Our birth assistant did her home visit this week and gave us some pointers and checked everything out. We also met with our doula a couple of weeks ago and really liked her. She is very laid back and will be a welcome addition to our birth team.

My 38 week belly picture ...

From Visembryo:

Grasp becomes firmer.

ABDOMEN
Body is round and plump due to new fat storage keeping the body temperature at about 32 F above maternal temperature. Fetus turns toward light sources in what is known as the orienting response. Intestines accumulate a considerable amount of meconium which is usually eliminated shortly after birth. If birth is delayed, the fecal material will appear in the amniotic fluid.

LIMBS
Space limitation continues to restrict fetal movement. Limbs are bent and drawn close to body. Bones are flexible and ossification, hardening, progresses. At birth, the tibia, long bone, of the leg is usually completely ossified into bone.

Good news

37 week 0 days (LMP) 35 week 0 days (gestational)

Your baby weighs almost 6.5 pounds (2.95 kg). Crown-to-rump length is 14 inches (35 cm). Its total length is 21 inches.

I had my Group B Strep test today. While the midwife was doing that she decided to do my one and only internal exam also. She said I was slightly dilated, baby was vertex and at 0 - +1 station, cervix was extremely soft and spongy and beginning to efface and most importantly already moved to the anteriour position. The anteriour part is great news as she said that is usually the last thing to happen before labor and more importantly allows the baby to enter the birth canal at the right angle. Hopefully, this will alleviate some of the issues I had with Jaida's labor. Other great news is that I can now officially deliver the boy at home if all works out. The midwives only do deliveries from 37 - 42 weeks.

All good news. The boy is going to be here fairly soon.

Boring update

36 weeks 0 days (LMP) 34 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 128 pounds
waist: 37.5 inches

By this week, your baby weighs about 6 pounds (2.75 kg). Its crown-to-rump length is over 13.5 inches (34 cm), and total length is 20.7 inches (46 cm).

Not much going on really. The boy is still moving around like crazy. I am a tad uncomfortable but nothing too bad. I am getting a little tired of people asking me if I am still pregnant. I have one week left to make it through to ensure I am at least eligible for a homebirth.


Here is my 36 week belly picture ...

From Visembryo:

Placenta is now one-sixth of fetal weight.

HEAD
Gums appear ridged and may look like teeth. Head may now position (head-down) into pelvis before labor.

ABDOMEN
Gastrointestinal system is very immature and will stay that way until three or fourth years after birth. Fetus stores about 15% of weight in fat to keep temperature of body warm. Fetus receives and eliminates nutrition through umbilical cord.

LIMBS
Limbs begin to dimple at elbows and knees and creases form around wrists and neck.

SKIN
Skin appears light pink because of blood vessels close to its surface.

Walking and sitting

34 weeks 0 days (LMP) 32 weeks 0 days (gestational)

Your baby weighs almost 5 pounds (2.28 kg) by this week. Its crown-to-rump length is about 12.8 inches (32 cm). Total length is 19.8 inches (44 cm).

I am not sure if I have ever been so tired, sore and cranky in my entire life. I have been in training all this week. Not such a bad thing usually but this training is in a specific computer language which is pretty darn boring and puts me to sleep. It is a full 8 hour day when I am used to working only 5 hours. Plus it involves a lot of walking since I have been taking the metro into the city and walking several blocks to and from the station and training center. My bladder and pelvic floor muscles may never be the same. Add to that a long day of sitting in one place and well the results aren't terribly pretty. Plus I was the only female in the class and a very pregnant one at that. Every time I moved someone was looking at me like I was going to explode at any moment. Happily, the management gave me my own personal key to the restroom ... that simplified matters a bit.

Anyhow, doing well .... just tired, sore and a little bit cranky. I had my midwife appointment and I have gained 8 pounds in the last month. The little guy is packing on some fat now.

My 34 week belly picture ... fresh off the beach :)

From Visembryo:

Fetus rests on uterus - no longer floating.

HEAD
Eyes open during alert times and close during sleep. Eye color is usually blue, regardless of the permanent color as pigmentation is not fully developed. Final formation of eye pigmentation requires exposure to light and usually happens a few weeks after birth.

ABDOMEN
Fetus begins to develop its own immune system.

LIMBS
Fingernails reach over finger tips and fetus can scratch itself.

SKIN
White fat builds up underneath skin, making fetus appear lighter in color.

If one more person ....

32 weeks 0 days (LMP) 30 weeks 0 days (gestational)

By this week, your baby weighs almost 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Crown-to-rump length is over 11.6 inches (29 cm), and total length is 18.9 inches (42 cm).

asks me when my due date is then sneaks a peak at my belly and groans and wishes me luck I might have to cry. The beginning of July really does seem a long way off and I am getting huge. Not body huge just belly huge. I had no idea a baby could get this out front. I look like I have a projectile belly. The worst part is I am constantly banging it into everything. If the boy doesn't end up with brain damage of some sort it will be a miracle. It doesn't help that the boy still spends a lot of time in a transverse breech position which just really hurts me. It makes it hard to walk without getting pretty bad sciatic nerve pain and sitting is nearly impossible. His head literally sticks out and forms a bulge in my side ... I have no idea how he can find this position even remotely comfortable because I know I don't. From pictures it looks like I am now looking as big as I did with Jaida at 36 weeks or so and the little dude actually feels heavy. This does not bode well for the next 8 weeks or so since I tend to do all my growing at the end of the pregnancy.

My 32 weeks belly picture ...

From Visembryo:

Body growth slows down.

HEAD
Rapid brain growth continues and head size increases as the growing brain pushes the skull outward creating more surface convolutions. This quick growth increases the number of interconnections between individual nerve cells. The iris is colored and the pupil reflexes responding to light. Head hair grows thicker.

LIMBS
Toenails are fully formed. Because of the lack of space in the uterus, the legs are drawn up in what is known as the fetal position.

Woohoo!!!! 30 Weeks Pregnant

30 weeks 0 days (LMP) 28 weeks 0 days (gestational)

At this point in your pregnancy, your baby weighs about 3 pounds (1.35 kg). Its crown-to-rump length is a little over 10.8 inches (27 cm), and total length is 17 inches (38 cm).

The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds. About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the baby and the placenta, and in the volume of amniotic fluid. This growth is mostly in the front of your abdomen and in your pelvis, where it is noticeable to you. You may experience increasing discomfort in your pelvis and abdomen as pregnancy progresses. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound a week.

I am not sure why this feels like such a milestone but it really does. I guess maybe thinking about there only being 10 weeks left in the pregnancy really helps. I am FINALLY starting to feel bonded to this baby. It happened much later this time around than it did with Jaida (I think?). Not sure why though. I guess up until now I was kind of going through the motions of pregnancy but I have Jaida that I needed to care for. I guess it just took the focus off the pregnancy a bit. The boy definitely is developing his own personality though. He definitely does not enjoy tight spaces and seems to spend a good portion of his day looking for a way out. :) He stretches his arms and legs frequently throughout the day. He also does not appear to sleep ... this is a tad worrisome. He doesn't like anything (even my hand) pressing against my belly ... he will immediately rearrange himeself to try to kick it off .... feisty little bugger.

I had my 30 week appointment with the midwives yesterday ... uneventful as always. I gained some weight but not too much or too little. I think I am around 122 pounds now. Really not much to say other than that. We are making great strides in getting all the preps made for the homebirth. Every now and again I feel the tiniest amount of apprehension regarding giving birth at home but then my wonderful midwives remind me that it is completely doable ... even if he is a really big baby. Joe also reminds me how well I did during Jaida's labor and how much more relaxing it will be at home. It all really helps.

My 30 week belly picture ...

From Visembryo:

Brain Surface Convolution

HEAD
Fetal brain's surface appears wrinkled. These convolutions provide more surface area and maximize brain cells. Rhythmic breathing and body temperature are now controlled by the brain.

Lanugo hair has disappeared almost completely, except on back and shoulders. Head hair is present.

LIMBS

Production of red blood cells is entirely taken over by the bone marrow.

SKIN
Skin begins to smoothen as fat deposits accumulate underneath. The fat insulates and is an energy source.

Midwife Appointment

28 weeks 0 days (LMP) 26 weeks 0 days (gestational)

Your baby weighs about 2.4 pounds (1.1 kg). Crown-to-rump length is close to 10 inches (25 cm). Total length is 15.75 inches (35 cm).

Until this time, the surface of the baby's developing brain has appeared smooth. At around 28 weeks of pregnancy, the brain forms characteristic grooves and indentations on the surface. The amount of brain tissue also increases.

Your baby's eyebrows and eyelashes may be present. Hair on the baby's head is growing longer. The baby's body is becoming plumper and rounder. It's beginning to fill out a little because of increased fat underneath the skin. Before this time, the baby had a thin appearance.

Your baby now weighs about 2.4 pounds (1,100 grams). This is an amazing growth compared to just 11 weeks ago, when it weighed only about 3.5 ounces (100 g) at 17 weeks of pregnancy. Your baby has increased its weight more than 10 times in 11 weeks! In the last 4 weeks, from the 24 th weeks of your pregnancy to this week, its weight has doubled. Your baby is growing rapidly!

We have closely followed the baby's weight gain in this book. The placenta is also growing at a rapid rate. At 10 weeks' gestation, the placenta weighed about 0.7 ounce (20 g). Ten weeks later, at 20 weeks' gestation, it weighs almost6 ounces (170 g). In another 10 weeks, the placenta will have increased 10 15 ounces (430 g). At full term, 40 weeks, it can weigh almost 1.5 pounds (650 g)!

This is such an exciting time. Mostly because the baby is really starting to look like a baby. Also, because his movements are so much bigger and stronger at this point. He is quite the gymnist, apparently. Also, very exciting because we are at the point of viability. If the boy was born now he would stand a good chance of survival with a hospital stay which is a wonderful feeling.

I had my GTT (glucose tolerance test) to screeen for Gestational Diabetes today as well as a blood draw for a CBC yesterday. Today the results are back and I do not have GD which is wonderful ... not that I thought the results would show anything else. The midwife did say that my iron levels are in the normal range but on the low side of normal. I did some research and decided to start taking an iron supplement. I have really been feeling sluggish lately and think this might be part of the reason. I am going to take a liquid supplement called Floradix that is suppose to be very easy on the system. Let's hope!

Here is my 28 week belly picture:

From Visembryo:

Week 28 ... Brain Surface Convolution

HEAD
Fetal brain's surface appears wrinkled. These convolutions provide more surface area and maximize brain cells. Rhythmic breathing and body temperature are now controlled by the brain.

Lanugo hair has disappeared almost completely, except on back and shoulders. Head hair is present.

LIMBS

Production of red blood cells is entirely taken over by the bone marrow.

SKIN
Skin begins to smoothen as fat deposits accumulate underneath. The fat insulates and is an energy source.