11.15.09
Only 4 More Weeks
I cannot believe we’re down to the home stretch now. Today I am 36 weeks pregnant.
Kaden is still growing and he sure is putting more pressure on me. Babies at this stage put on about an ounce a day, so Kaden weighs almost six pounds and is more than 18.5 inches long. You could compare him to the size of a Crenshaw Melon. I have no idea what that is. Kyle and I may be able to find out more about Kaden’s development this week when we see the doctor. I asked for an ultrasound at my last appointment.
Baby is about the size of a crenshaw melon
At the end of this week the baby will be considered full term. Babies usually start to turn into birthing position around this time. My doctor did tell me Kaden is head-down, which is good for us.
Kyle and I attended our second of three birth education classes at the hospital. It was good because we got to see the maternity ward and where I will deliver and recover. We also learned a great deal about the labor process and delivery. All of it freaks me out, but at this point, I have no choice to follow through. 
With a month or less to go, I am trying to get everything ready. We sorted through all the wonderful gifts I received from two baby showers, so my goal this week is to wash all the clothes, blankets, sheets and towels and put them all away. I still have a few, important items to buy for the nursery and for Kaden and me. This weekend I had the infant car seat installed by Safe KIDS, a non-profit organization that promotes child safety here in Clark County. I had no idea where to begin, so I figured I should let the experts do it and show me at the same time. It all seemed very real to me once I left the hospital with that car seat attached to my car!
Aside from the anticipated arrival of Kaden, we are gearing up for the holidays. Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! It looks like we’ll put up the Christmas tree a little early this year… hopefully next weekend.
Having this baby is a perfect way to end another great year!
11.08.09
35 Weeks down
Today marks 35 weeks in my pregnancy, which means baby Kaden should arrive in about 5 weeks.
Today he is about the size of a honeydew melon, tipping the scale at 5.25 pounds. He could be as long as 18 inches, leaving very little room for him to move around and for me to breathe!
At 35 weeks Kaden is about the size of a honeydew melon
At this stage, most of the baby’s physical development is complete and he’ll spend the next few weeks packing on more weight, hopefully not too much more for my sake!
I saw the doctor this past week and got the H1N1 shot at his recommendation. I hope I have made the right decision by getting the vaccine. I also was checked for Group B streptococci, which is a bacteria some women develop in pregnancy. If you have it and pass it on to your baby, it can cause serious complications. But, if you have it and catch it early, you can be treated with antibiotics during labor to reduce the baby’s risk of infection.
The doctor said my stomach has already dropped some and a little earlier than expected. That appears to be a good thing, especially since Kaden is in the right position for birth. Who knows… maybe he will come a little early!
Kyle and I also attended the first of three birth education classes at the hospital where I will deliver. It was interesting and full of young couples also expecting their first newborn. We’ll get a tour of the maternity ward at our next class.
To cap off the week I had my baby shower. My mother, sister and sister-in-law did all the planning and, of course, did a great job. We had lots of fun and now I have a lot of gifts to sort through!
The weekend is winding down and I am preparing for the next few adventures, which include a work baby shower, a lesson on how to install an infant car seat and quick weekend getaway with my husband. I’m stealing him for a night and hibernating in a cabin at Mt. Charleston. We have so many things happening over the next month that this could literally be our last weekend together as a couple. Soon, we’ll be a family!
11.04.09
iPhones iSolate people
I’m going to go there; you can flog me later. 
iPhones are awesome. I don’t have one, and I won’t pretend I don’t want one. it’s just not my time. I do have the iTouch iPod, which is much like the iPhone, only without the phone, so I know how cool it is.
But, as you all know how I feel about social media and other technologies, I think iPhones are yet another device changing the way we communicate, and in a bad way.
A lot of people who have them, have their nose in them. They forget where they are, who they’re with and how to talk. It’s rude, like someone whispering secrets in front of you. Put down your phone! Have a conversation with your friends, family and wife or husband and save your minute-by-minute life updates for another time, like when you’re home alone and have nothing else to do but stare at the dog.
iPhones provide it all at your fingertips, as we’ve been reminded over and over again by Apple’s commercials. There’s an app for everything! People are micro-sizing their lives into this teeny-tiny device, and they’re stuck. They are isolating themselves from the world.
And while the idea of this blog came to me last night, I found a study released today about Social Isolation and New Technology.
This is just my two cents, of course, but there is actual data showing the damage caused by people who are consumed by social media, including how it can destroy marriages and relationships. Here is where I’ll thank my husband, who has an iPhone, for not becoming too obsessed. At least we can still carry on a real conversation when we’re in the same room.
I just want to point out that I am not against social media. I think it’s fascinating and entertaining at the very least. I don’t blame social networking for people’s behavior. After all, we’re responsible for what we do with our time. I just can’t help but wonder what life will be like in a year from now… or five years from now. How will it change us, our social skills and personal and professional relationships?
You know this won’t be my last blog on this topic.
11.03.09
Startling Study about Flu Vaccine & Health Care Professionals
This is alarming to me and should be to the general public as well.
Why should I be told to get the flu vaccine if more than half of health care professionals don’t get it themselves? So, is it okay for me to put their life at risk if I show up to a hospital contagious with severe flu symptoms?
And, why shouldn’t vaccination be mandatory for health care workers when food handlers, massage therapists and tattoo artists are required to obtain health cards?
11.02.09
34 of 40 weeks!
With only six weeks to go, I am feeling the pressure of getting everything I want to get accomplished before baby Kaden arrives. That includes shopping, cleaning, decorating, and organizing with a dash of baby showers, holidays, birth education classes, etc. So much to do, so little time!
I’m now 34 weeks pregnant. Kaden weighs about 4.75 pounds, like an average cantaloupe, and is almost 18 inches long. That’s insane. I can’t believe a person of that size is floating inside of me. LOL! But, I can sure tell he is big because sometimes I can feel a foot in my rib and movement in my lower abdomen… all at the same time.
Kaden weighs about 4.75 lbs., the size of a cantaloupe
Everyone keeps telling me to get all the rest I can now, as I will not be able to enjoy sleep and quiet time for a long, long time. But, it’s hard to sleep now. For one, getting comfortable in bed is no easy feat. Also, I have so much on my mind. My weekend was so busy, and I have no idea how I managed to accomplish everything I wanted to without collapsing. There’s just no time to rest now.
Kyle and I are supposed to begin birth education classes this Thursday, but I am not sure if that’s going to happen. Kyle had a death in his family this weekend that may require a trip to Sioux Falls. We’re still working out the details. If he does go, I have to figure out whether I should attend the class alone or skip it. We are signed up for two additional classes over the next couple of weeks, so I imagine going alone this first class would be the right thing to do. I just won’t have a partner.
My baby shower is Saturday, and I am really looking forward to it, even though I don’t normally get excited about bridal and baby showers. I have family coming to town so it makes it extra special. Kyle and I are also scheduled to take some pregnancy photos on Sunday. That should be interesting. And, next Friday, my boss is throwing an office baby shower for me at her house. So, lots happening in the next week.
In the middle of all this, I am reading about labor and breast feeding. All of it freaks me out. Nevertheless, I am preparing myself for it all. I’ve made my list of things to take to the hospital and working on a small birth plan. I am not someone who will have rigid guidelines for the doctor and nurses, but I do want a couple of things to happen a certain way. I’ll pack my hospital bag in the next couple of weeks just to get it out of the way.
Last but not least, I am preparing for the holidays. I started my Christmas shopping and will work on Christmas cards in the next few weeks. If I can get those done before Thanksgiving I will feel relief. I want them ready to send since Kaden is due right around the time I would be spending nights filling out cards and mailing them out. And, while I haven’t told Kyle this yet, I want the Christmas tree out and decorated the weekend before Thanksgiving. If I don’t decorate early this year, it won’t get done. There is no way I’ll have the energy to put holiday decorations out a week or two out. Not to mention the fact I could deliver early.
So, wish me luck. I’ve got lots to do in six short weeks!
