Week 38

Wow, didn't know it'd been a month since we posted last.  We are now almost in week 38.  The baby seems to respond to my voice, at least according to Rebecca.  She thinks the baby likes my voice better :-) I say it is just because I have a deeper and louder voice.  At the time of the last checkup, the baby was head down and facing the right way.  We have continued to feel movements, but nothing that would cause us to believe the baby has flipped or anything.  We have also come a long way on the bedroom.  The trim is up, the walls are painted and the trim has 1 coat of paint.  I still need to paint more layers on the trim and then do some touching up on other spots.  The carpet probably won't be installed for another week or so as our friend who is doing the installation is in Colorado with the youth at Rocky Mountain High.  Oh, and we have names picked out, mostly, for the baby for whichever sex it turns out to be.  We're still 'tuning' the names a bit, but at least we've mostly agreed on his/her name.  OK, gotta go.  We're hanging out with friends again tonight.

Week 33

To start off a little differently, I thought I'd let you know that Rebecca is really tired, quite often.  Perhaps it is due to us not getting to bed on time, perhaps it is the baby, perhaps a combination :-)  The 'best' part of the last week is watching the activeness of the baby.  We can frequently see the baby move, either rolling or kicking or something.  Haven't been able to identify actual body parts like a hand or elbow or foot or anything, but definitely can see movements.
At times, Rebecca is definitely ready for the baby to come.  Most of the time though, we're not ready at all.  We still don't have the room ready, don't have a name, haven't gone to any birthing classes, so many things need to be purchased yet, how does anyone really do this?

Dad Tip:
-making the home safe for the baby?  Things to check on before it is too late.

Weekly Tip:
-Don't stop eating due to weight gain, both momma and baby need all the calories and nutrition they can get for growth.

Exercise:
-lift arms in front and behind you, strengthening the upper body

We're now in Week 32

Time really flies!  We just passed into week 32, less than 2 months to go.

At this point, our baby is nearly 4 lbs with a total length of 19 inches.  Of course these are averages and/or norms, so who knows actually what Baby Bogi is actually.  Daily now we feel the baby moving.  Last night we just sat on the couch and felt the baby and prayed for it.  Rebecca actually had a piece of paper on her bump and she said the baby "punched" it.  Rebecca is hungry a lot more often now, but still no 'odd' urges and, thankfully, no pregnancy sickness.
We are working on baby names, both boy and girl, and have a few ideas, but nothing has truly jumped out at us.  We also have made decent progress in the baby's room.  I'm taking a couple of days off to make more progress, probably shouldn't be here on the blog, but thought I'd take the chance to update others.  Sorry that we haven't been posting any pictures of the bump, but that's cause we haven't taken any.  We aren't really picture people and I know this needs to change once the baby is born.
We have already gotten some things for the baby, but still need to shop for a crib and changing table.  We've also had 1 baby shower from the library staff and got a lot of good gifts.

So here are some of the 'normal' updates.

Dad Tips:
Time to discuss cribs, car seats, etc and purchase items.
Make a list of people to call prior to heading to the hospital and once the baby has been born.

General Tips:
Rings will feel tighter as fingers swell.  Don't let rings get stuck on and cause circulation problems as they then may have to be cut off.  Instead think about wearing them on a chain around your neck and/or wearing larger 'substitute' rings.

Quick Update

In church today, while the pastor was praying, Rebecca opened her eyes and saw her baby bump "roll".  She said it wasn't a sharp point like a hand or elbow, but more like an arm or a leg.  She was excited, and completely distracted.

Week 30 updates

Our baby is now in the 11 inch range (27 cm) crown-to-rump with an overall length of about 17 inches (38 cm). Our baby weighs about 3 pounds (1350 gms).

I've included the metric system for those interested.  I'm currently doing inventory at work, which is all in the grams measurements, so it is just a way for me to think of the size of our baby, in comparison to what I'm working with currently.

There are LOTS of data points that I haven't even read yet as we've been so busy with other life activities.  We've headed to Chicago to visit the Van Der Bill's and to run in the Elim Christian Services 5K.  It was a great time with friends.  We've also spent the past Memorial Day weekend working on our house.  Kurt (bro) helped us out a great deal.  We have new windows installed and the sheetrock is also up, taped and mudded.  I need to sand, re-mud, sand and texture before we can paint.  I believe the room is going to get shades of green as Rebecca doesn't care for yellow and those are about the only truly neutral colors available.  We still need to figure out carpeting and then furniture, but have wonderful parents who are pitching in to help purchase the crib and dresser/changing table.  Rebecca and I have also done simple "us" things like going on walks.  My schedule has slowed down a bit and with Rebecca being DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL, we have more free time together.
That's right, Rebecca graduated from UW-Milwaukee with her Master's in Library Information Services.  She got great grades!!!  I'm so super proud of her.  We still need to celebrate this milestone, but with the baby coming and all the home remodeling, etc, I've kind of put off any big celebrations.....for now anyway.

OK, I need to get more housework done as Rebecca is working 1200-2100 today, so I'm doing chores and want to have the house looking good for her when she comes home.  I'm trying to be a good husband afterall :-)

the Bogaards

Week 24 - 30

WOW am I behind.  I'll do a quick catch-up and then post more.

Dad Tips

Wk 24 - Find prenatal classes and register
Wk 25 - Do the shopping, or at least help with the shopping
Wk 26 - Take your wife on a date, remind her how beautiful she is, take a photo to remember her loveliness
Wk 27 - Do the difficult chores, like cleaning the tub or toilet, put high things away for her
Wk 28 - Feel for movement of the baby, as dad should be able to feel it now too
Wk 29 - Start making plans for Paternity Leave!
Wk 30 - Start planning your work so that you can take part in the final months of the pregnancy

Tips


Wk 24 - Heartburn is caused by overeating and eating too late at night, skip the bedtime snack
Wk 25 - Let the man know he is an important source of emotional support during the pregnancy
Wk 26 - Rest on your LEFT side as it provides the best circulation to the baby
Wk 27 - Take a childbirth education class
Wk 28 - Start planning the trip to the hospital, what if the man isn't around, who are you gonna call?
Wk 29 - Listen to the advice of your doctor, it is for the good of the baby
Wk 30 - Maintain good posture as it will relieve your lower-back pain and discomfort

Exercise


Wk 24 - Stand against something solid, lift your leg, hold your ankle and stretch your quadriceps
Wk 25 - Sit upright in a chair, arms crossed and raised in front of you, lift a leg at a time to strengthen your abdominals
Wk 26 - Get in the ab crunch position and do crunches holding behind your knees to limit the range of motion
Wk 27 - Do creative exercises, i.e.; calf raises, side lunges, clench your buttock muscles, Kegel exercises, tighten your abs
Wk 28 - Sit upright in a chair, hold the seat, extend your leg in front of you to parallel the floor, strengthens your thighs and stretches your hamstrings
Wk 29 - Kneel on the ground with your feet under you and toes on the ground, press your toes into the ground stretching your feet and calves, helping to eliminate leg cramps
Wk 30 - Sit upright in a chair, hold a towel above your head, shoulder width apart, twist to the side as far as is comfortable, stretches the spine and strengthens your shoulders and upper back muscles

22nd or 23rd Week

I know, this would be a more effective blog if we really knew which week we were in :-)

Our baby is now in the 12 oz to 1 lb range and is nearing 8 inches in length.

One of the notes says "Morning sickness has probably passed and you're feeling pretty good", for this we are truly thankful.  Rebecca hasn't experienced ANY morning sickness!  She is still hungry at more times of the day than just "normal" meal times, but hasn't had any odd cravings either.  Maybe this is an odd pregnancy, maybe Rebecca just excels as a pregnant mom :-)

Our baby has well developed eyelids and eyebrows as well as having nails that cover the fingertips.  Jaundice is caused by the baby's liver not being able to process the amount of bilirubin in its system.  Bilirubin consists of broken down red blood cells.  The pancreas is also producing insulin.  The rest of the chapter spoke of TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome), so I skimmed it at best.

Dad Tip: Be helpful while driving.  Help your wife in and out of the car, adjust the seatbelt, seat positioning, and if you have more than 1 vehicle, let your wife use the one that is more comfortable for her to get in and out.  Symptoms for an expecting father include nausea, weight gain & food cravings.

Tip for the Week: Drink extra fluids throughout pregnancy to help your body keep up with the increase in your blood volume.  As the old saying goes "Drink until your pee is clear".  Consume less sodium, which will help with fluid retention.

Exercise for the week:  Lie on your left side on the sofa (if you have one), with your left knee bent.  Bend your left arm, and place your head on it.  Lower your right foot to the floor while keeping your leg straight.  Hold for 10 seconds, then lift to a 45 degree angle; hold for 5 seconds.  Do 5 reps and then repeat with the opposite side.  Helps ease sciatica; strengthens hips and upper buttock muscles.  Sit on the edge of a chair, raise your arms above your head and using only the thigh muscles, raise your foot off the floor about 10 inches, repeat with the opposite foot, holding for 5 second times.  Tightens thigh, hip and buttock muscles.

My wife, Rebecca, also has a glow to her!  Seriously!  I think she is more beautiful than she has ever been.

Love you honey, -me.