Working 9 to 5

A co-worker of mine has been wanting to take pictures of me "big and pregnant" as she says. So today she came in armed with her camera. Please ignore the swollen face. It is still early in the morning!

I will be 36 weeks tomorrow, so these will have to count as my belly shots. I know I have been getting worse at keeping up with that! Please forgive me! Anyways, enjoy my modeling shoot.

35 weeks

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete - he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34 1/2 weeks

Here I am on my way to 35 weeks! I went to the doctor Friday because I was having a lot of pain and found out that the pain is a result of Cooper's head being down into my pelvis. This is a good thing, but it usually doesn't happen until right before labor begins. So it can be quite painful. But on the positive side, the kid is not moving, so we don't have to worry about him turning on us. We went ahead and put the car seat in the car this weekend just to be on the safe side, but I feel like we still have a ways to go. Matt is just convinced that he is going to come a couple weeks early, but I think he is probably content where he is. Oh another note from the doctor, he commented that I am having a very big boy. I have been measuring about a centimeter over, but none of the doctors have made that comment yet. I'm definitely waddling a lot and people comment that I look like I'm ready. I honestly didn't think I would be ready (I thought I would be freaking out!), but I think God has been preparing me. The lack of sleep and comfort makes you get ready faster. Oh well! I have a friend who is due Friday, so I am waiting for her baby to come before becoming impatient! :)

34 weeks

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers - which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born - are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

33 weeks

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look 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. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32 weeks picture

Cousin for Cooper

I'm so excited to announce that my sister Brandy is having another baby!!! She already has these two precious girls, but now she is having another one. This baby is due the beginning of October. Cooper and his cousin will only be about 5 months apart! So excited!

Baby Mattice at 9 weeks!

32 weeks

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) 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.

Belly Picture!

I decided to take a real belly picture for all of those out there who wonder what it looks like. Matt wasn't home, so I had to get creative. Here I am at 31 1/2 weeks! Only about 2 months to go. So far I don't have any stretch marks which is why I decided to go ahead and take this picture. I feel like he looks really low (and huge!). It is just so weird to look at these and not see my waist! But it is so worth it! And Matt is getting so excited. He loves to talk to Cooper and playing the "poking game" with him. Basically Matt pokes my stomach and Cooper pokes back. I generally don't let this last long because I don't like being poked from the inside and outside! :) I can see that they are already ganging up on me! Anyways, do y'all like the bare belly picture or do you think I should go back to the full body shots? Just wondering what your opinions are.