33 Weeks

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

Thanks to help from baby's Uncle Brenden & Auntie Andrea, the nursery has been spackled, sanded, and primed! Due to Shawn's perfectionist tendencies (hey, that's ok!) we will probably do 2 more coats of primer before painting. We're still not 100% on paint color(s) anyway.

Aside from making it through a few smoltering Kansas summer days, we're doing awesome!

Maternity Portraits by Unruh Photography

OUR friends at Unruh Photography took some beautiful 32-week maternity shots last weekend. We are so pleased with the results and had so much fun during the session held in Wichita's OldTown. We will treasure these photos for years to come. It will be neat to show them to Baby Harris and say, "that's you!" Be sure to look up Unruh Photography the next time you need professional photos! 

KHF Shower

THE Foundation hosted a shower for me and "PeaNut" on Friday. They provided my favorite dessert, Connie's Cookies, and had lovely gifts snuggled into the hamper I've been wanting. I'm so grateful for such supportive coworkers. The baby will have lots of adoptive aunties and uncles--how cool!

A few of the gals at work

32 Weeks!

BY now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (like a large jimaca) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

Happenings:
My ankles and feet swelled for the first time this weekend--not a pretty sight!
I discovered the exercise ball will be nice to sit/lean on/rock with during labor...
Nursery is slowly progressing--about 50% done with wallpaper removal (I wasn't uber enthused to work on it this week)

Heroes over Lunch

SHAWN rarely uses his lunch hour for food consumption. He's either working right through the hour, at meetings, or playing foosball. Newest development at SHS: Guitar Hero (I personally loathe the game because it's loud and repeats the same songs over & over). These dudes were inclined to not let others at work get a try, so they made the requirement that one has to wear ridiculous get-up in order to play. Here's an example:

Mind you, both of these men (I favor the one on the right!) are going to be dads to little sons in August...

Viva La Vida

ONE of my favorite bands, Coldplay, released their new album this week. Shawn bought it for me! So last night we listened to it all the way through while eating pizza and watching the bunnies eat dandelions from the backyard...good--that's less for me to pull. We also read some Shel Silverstein (thanks, Ash) and took Marley on a walk. Every night should be like that--unrushed...

Here's the link to one of the newest Coldplay songs--maybe you'll want to sample it?

And, here's to summer nights!

Never too Old to Color

MY friend Amanda gave me a belated Birthday gift--a Barbie princess coloring book and a box of 96 crayons (with sharpener)! Now before you judge my general level of maturity, let's discuss the benefits of such a gift:
I'm forcing myself to RELAX and enjoy personal time before the arrival of our son. Coloring is a nice, relaxing activity. There's also an end result I can be proud of.
And, secondly, I'm gearing up for a many a color session with our son, except the objects of our artistry will not be that of princesses and ponies, but of superheros and frontloaders.

I rest my case.

31 Weeks

THIS week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying 4 navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Developments (well, only one):
I've been on a Panera Chocolate Chipper Cookie (no nuts) kick..this isn't the best thing because 1) cookies aren't healthy 2) all the Paneras in Wichita are so busy that I'm not guaranteed they'll have that cookie in stock 3) lately the cookies have been kinda brown...I'm really close to sending in some correspondence!

from A Time to Be Born

i've been waiting for you now
no more wondering about me---
whether or not this miracle of life
would ever happen inside me


now i can wonder about you--
about what color threads
He's weaving you with


brown eyes or blue
will you like to swim or draw
bake bread or engineer buildings
will you throw your head back
and laugh hard
or just grin


i don't know
i don't know


but i do know that i will
love to hear you call my name
i will love to feel your tiny
hand in mine
i will love to watch your tummy
rise and fall
in sweet sleep


and i know that sometimes you
will hate me
sometimes you will shrink from
my touch
sometimes your fevered breathing
will rattle my soul
in the dark night


but until then
please baby grow strong
take all you can from me please


until then
i'll be waiting for you


~Julie Martin

Projects! It's a "nesting" thing, right?

I'M unsure as to when the nesting phase of pregnancy typically commences, but this weekend really felt like "go-time" in that department. I started on closets and drawers--purging right and left, refolding towels in the linen closet; reorganizing things--all the while being bewildered/disgusted by my hoarding tendencies. It felt good to bid the junk "bon voyage!" Also, we finished painting the guest bedroom this weekend, although I won't have "after" pictures for awhile, as we still need to hang curtains and organize furniture.

Then, for the best news of all, last night I discovered some untapped energy (it's got to be hormonal, because I had gone grocery shopping during the 5pm rush, and made brownies) and started on the nursery walls! I may have only gotten a small section of paper removed, but, it's a start! And I just know someone's going to tell me standing on that ladder is a "no-no"!

30 Weeks!

YOUR baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.

Good things

--feeling lots better

--really close to starting on the nursery
--hospital isn't such a scary place
--baby is moving around ALOT!

Time in Chanute

WE went to Chanute for Hil and Cyrus' wedding this weekend. The wedding was so beautiful and we were glad to be there to congratulate the couple. It was a blessing to have some quality time with my sisters, whom I won't see for another 8 weeks (!).

Needless to say, the weekend wore me out and I had to go to the hospital for 1/2 day today--had some cramping that seemed abnormal, but everything is ok. I'm supposed to go get one of those belly supporters...and, if you find me saying "no" to things, please don't have hurt feelings! Time to take it easy (kinda hard in the summertime) and just focus on getting to work every day.

Posing prior to running errands

Max & Elmo!

Meg's pretty dyed shoes

Pat the tummy...

Kick up yo heels!

With the beautiful bride!

A & B

29 Weeks!

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) 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 make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Shawn took this picture of me in my childhood bedroom, before heading out to a wedding..pics of that to come!

Good things:

--I don't have gestational diabetes

--The previa is gone

--We'll be home this weekend