35 Weeks- The end is near!

I had my 35 week check up yesterday at the doctor's office. Everything looks great so far, and despite the fact that I am feeling a lot of pain and pressure, all looks normal. I've lost track of the weight gain at this point, but I think its somewhere in the 32-34 pound range. I am hoping to just stay under 40 at this point before I go to the hospital. :-) Speaking of the hospital, I am scheduled for another c-section on Monday, October 26th (unless he comes out on his own before then). I am so happy to have it scheduled in Week 39 because yesterday the doctor measured me at 37 weeks. I KNEW this was a big baby, but I am hoping he's not TOO big. :-) If he continues to measure large next week, we will probably have an ultrasound just to check in and make sure all looks good. My blood pressure was 110/70, which was great (and normal for me non-pregnant). Jake's heartbeat was 138, which seemed low to me, but the nurse said that as long as it was above 120, they were fine with that. I had a test for the Group B Strep...if I test positive (will know next week), then they just have to administer some sort of antibiotic at the hospital at the time of delivery.

Note to self: Pre-register for Women's hospital this week...just in case.

My mom seems to think that October 10th is the day of delivery. Wishful thinking. :-) I am hoping for after October 15th because then I am finished with evening work meetings. However, my doctor is on vacation and at a wedding until after the 18th, so the 19th is looking pretty good to me now. :-) Just as long as his little lungs are healthy.

I am sleeping horribly these days, waking up every hour or so, but also having a real hard time going to sleep because of heartburn and some "restless leg." It makes for some rough mornings, and with work hours changing tomorrow, I am concerned that getting to work at 8am is not gonna happen so easily for either me nor Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is doing well, considering all the craziness that is our life. As I mentioned, I just have another two weeks of evening meetings, and then I will be home much more for her. She is having some crazy separation anxiety, and this morning was the first time in 5 school days that I didn't leave her screaming and clawing for the door. And its not just school...even when she was going with her grandparents on Saturday it was full-on screams and fits. I cannot even begin to understand what is going on in her sweet head at the moment. One of the disadvantages of having an "only child" for so long, I guess. If she were younger and more unaware, I think things would be easier, but I hope that once the baby gets here and she understands that we are ALL here to stay, things will be better for her.

How your baby's growing:
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.

Way Back When-esday!

Here are a bunch of random Way Back When-esday pictures! :-) But I am proud that I start doing much better taking pictures once October rolls around.

Year: 2005
Age: 7 + months
*This was Brooklyn's first Congregational Retreat with our church in Arden, NC, but also her first walk in the CROP Walk for hunger. She did an excellent job riding in the stroller while I walked. :-)

Year: 2006
Age: 19 + months
*This was Brooklyn waiting for her daddy and Grandpa to cross the finish line at the first ever Girl Scout Thin Mint Sprint 5K race.

Year: 2007
Age: 2 years, 7 months
*Brooklyn and Allie loving on each other outside of Panera Bread, one of our favorite Sunday morning breakfast spots at the time.

Year: 2008
*No picture of Brooklyn this week, partly because we were so busy getting ready for my college friend, Jennifer's, wedding that weekend. She and Jay had a fun photographer, and I loved this shot she took of the girls. Happy one year anniversary, Jennifer and Jay Weaver!

Goodbye, Catfish Hunter! We'll miss you!

In completely unrelated baby news....Chad had the honor and priviledge of "relocating" my parents' catfish to a bigger and better location. Long story short, 6 years ago, my dad caught this 6 inch baby catfish at a local lake in Greensboro and brought it home to live in their backyard pond. After 6 years of eating regularly (fish food and some of his smaller "brothers and sisters"), my dad decided that ole Catfish Hunter was getting too big for their pond. He would occasionally flop around the top of the water and even had the ability to splash water out of the pond (and scare the pants off a certain 4 year old princess). So, my dad and Chad set a date and Chad came over with his gear excited as he could be.

Day 1: Catfish-3, Chad-0
On the first day, Chad broke three lines and lost two hooks to Catfish Hunter. We weren't sure how big this guy was, but Chad knew he needed to bring in the "big guns."


Day 2:
Armed with his dad's salt water high test fishing line and a large net, my dad and Chad succeed in pulling Catfish Hunter out of the pond. He was MUCH bigger than we had ever anticipated.



Catfish Hunter was returned to his original pond that afternoon with no injuries- just a bit shaken up from the experience. We hope that he has a long and healthy life at Hester Park (and didn't become someone's dinner that evening). We are just all believing that he will spend his remaining years in a larger, more accomodating space with new friends.

And Brooklyn's happy that the catfish can no longer splash her on the swing set.

Weeks 32-34...Told you I was busy! :-)

I knew it would happen...I'm already behind in documenting poor Baby #2's life and he's not even born yet! :-) The last few weeks have been so busy with work, but in a way, that's great because it is also making this (incredibly uncomfortable) third trimester go by pretty quickly too. I had a 33 week doctor's appointment last Friday. Stats are good for both of us. I have gained about 31 total pounds and continuing to gain about a pound a week. More than I had hoped, but less than with Brooklyn, so I am not too disappointed. My blood pressure stays consistently at 120/70 and my belly is measuring right on target at 33-34 cm. Baby Jake's heartbeat was 143, and he has been sooooo active. He was laying horizontal for a while, but I think he is starting his journey "downstream" based on where I feel the most movement. I will try to enjoy the last few weeks of uncomfortable nights, constant peeing, arms in my rib cage, and head in my groin area seeing that I am 99% sure this is my last pregnancy. Its a miracle, a blessing, and just an all around wonderful thing to grow a child in your body, but I am ready for it to be over. Here are some pictures that we took at the 32 week mark.

And here is a brief synopsis of what Babycenter.com says has been going on in Weeks 32-34:

By Week 32, 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. Jake 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. By Week 33, your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (half 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. At Week 34, 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.

So many posts to do...so little time!

There is so much I have to catch up on. Unfortunately, this is my busiest time of year at work with Girl Scout Recruitment (aka: working about 3 nights a week in addition to days). I hope to get some posts up in the next few days...or maybe in a few minutes if I choose to procrastinate some on work. :-)

Way Back When-esday!

I told you last week that September is usually a slow picture month for Way Back When-esday. :-) So, as a compromise, here are several pics from one "event."

Year: 2007

Age: 2 1/2 years

*Here is Brooklyn playing dress up with her "big sister" Allie (6 years old). They have always had a blast playing together.

*Uncle Joe gets Brooklyn ready for her "debut."

*Ta Da!

*Allie's turn!

*The daddies just sitting back and relaxing.

The boy has a name!

After Friday's quick confirmation that our baby is still indeed a boy, we decided to finally commit to a name. Many of you know this has been an extremely difficult process for us (me), and I have toyed with hundreds of names from tons of sources. There was one name that I liked, a lot even, but tried very hard to find something "wrong" with it since I seemed to find many things wrong with everything else I liked. (You just try to match a boy's name to the last name "Johnson" and see what you can come up with!) After weeks of debating and Chad always coming back to this particular name, and after a quick approval from Brooklyn, we have decided to name our baby boy....

Here is a pictures of his (unfinished) nursery. Once we decided on the name, I just couldn't wait to put it on the walls. :-) We still have some stuff left to do to complete the decor, but thanks to our wonderful god-family, the Henzlers, he is using their bedding, a Classic Pooh print with dark blue alphabet letters.

His official name will be Jake Edward Johnson. Edward comes from both our brothers' middle names, which came from their maternal grandfather's middle names. We just loved the way "Jake" sounded with Edward and with Johnson...but as a bonus the meaning of "Jake" is "Supplanter" which is also the meaning of "Jaclyn." Coincidence? I hope not! :-)

So, we are excited as we start calling our baby "Jake" now...and it sounds so sweet coming from Brooklyn's mouth.

Week 31- Still a boy!

I went to the doctor's office today. Officially, I am 31 weeks, 5 days and measuring at 32 weeks. I gained 2.5 pounds since the last visit and my BP was 120/72. The nurse was a GYN nurse and had a hard time getting a clear fetal heartbeat, but Dr. C found it right away and it was 150 BPM. We had a SUPER quick ultrasound (no pics and no face shots), but Dr. C did a "ball shot" (if you knew her, you would know this was normal terminology for her). He is definitely still a boy....so now I am off to wash 0-3 month clothes and organize his closet. :-) Things are going great with this pregnancy (despite the normal aches, pains, nausea, heartburn, nosebleeds, etc.) and I am so grateful to God for a so-far healthy baby.

Here's what Babycenter says is going on:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four 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.

Happy Anniversary, Adams Farm Parkway!

We spent last Labor Day Weekend painting and moving into our new home. I REALLY cannot believe we have been here a year already. I went back to this post where I kind of gave a "2 week update" of how things were going, and I wanted to revist, one year later, things that I thought I would miss about our old house and things that I thought I would love in the new house. So....here's an UPDATE to the UPDATE one year later. My new comments are in purple.

Things I will miss about Eagle Road:
It's our first home: Well, it does hold, and will always hold, a special place in my heart, but as I stated before...it's just a house. Um...not really missing it so much now...:-)
Brooklyn's first (and only home): She made many memories in that house, and I look forward to the many will be make together here at the new house. After months of wanting to "visit" the old house and wondering who lived there now, she is asking about it less and less.
The backyard: We have a great backyard here- thank goodness! Chad has done a great job maintaining our new backyard. We have added a swingset/playground, and despite a "bee problem" right now, we have spent many hours outside with Brooklyn.
My gardenias: Seriously, I am kind of over them already. Sadly, I never did have a green thumb. However, Chad keeps telling me that we will plant some more gardenias in the front yard...probably in the spring.
Vaccuming: I have found that I can vaccum the new house using two plugs, so that's not too bad. Since becoming pregnant Chad has done most of the vaccuming so this really hasn't been an issue for me. :-)
The hole: Dad and I looked, and although we don't have a wall where we can make another hole, the space is open enough, I think we will be OK. :-) I am surviving without a "hole in the wall." The Stevensons: We will always miss you guys! Actually, the Stevensons bought a house closer to us, so even though we are not a block away (a mere 60 second run proven by Jon), we are still within 5 minutes. :-)

And now an update on things I had looked forward to at the new house:
Duel sinks in the master bath: Honestly, the duel sinks are not that great (more to clean) but the COUNTER SPACE is incredible in the master bath! Still loving the bathroom and counter space. No complaints here.
Cool sink nozzle/sprayer in the kitchen: Yup, love it! Still love it though I have been so busy lately its amazing I even SEE my kitchen much less cook in it.
Hardwood floors: Spills have been great to clean up downstairs (no stains on the carpet upstairs yet!) I should probably mop them more often, but I do like not having the stained carpet in high traffic areas.
A place to have a big Christmas tree (in the LIVING ROOM): Yet to be determined since, thankfully, I have a few weeks until the holiday season. We had a GREAT first Christmas in our new home. The tree (about 8 feet) fit GREAT in the space and we were very excited to have Christmas in the living room and not our kitchen/dining room as in past years.
New carpet and paint upstairs (that I didn't have to do!): Some rooms I like, some not so much now that we are moved in with our stuff (like the master bedroom). Over the summer, Chad painted the master bedroom and both full baths upstairs. I love the new colors and am very excited about doing some more "decorating" in the next several months.
Side by side fridge with an ice maker (that's connected!): Once I figure out the best way to store food efficiently, it will be great. Fridge has been organized; ice works; life is good.
Retractable, remote controlled awning on the patio (cement, not brick- yay!): We've already spent a lot of time outdoors and that extra shade has been nice. Still LOVE the awning and back patio.
Neighbors with kids (three years old, too!): We met Peyton, a three year old, next door- VERY cute and friendly! Peyton and Brooklyn still love playing together and its nice to have a young couple our age living next door.
A dutch barn (as opposed to the "out house" looking contraption we call storage now): Already filled with crap; I'm gonna have to get in there and clean! Filled with lots of baby stuff and empty maternity clothes bins that will soon be in use or given away over the next few months. It's been great to have the extra storage.
A bonus room (or as Brooklyn calls it, "her dancing space"): Been a GOD SEND for all her toys. Now, is also the home of an elliptical trainer and the office furniture so it's a bit cramped now, but still a great space for us to have.
CLOSETS: Like the dutch barn- already filled up but up for a good cleaning out when I get the chance (or when we move again, whichever comes first). They are currently filled with tubs of my regular clothes and maternity clothes that are "off season," but after November, they will be GREAT wrapping paper and craft storage closets.
A breakfast table (more chairs for everyone!): We LOVE our new table from World Market. Still love it and wish that we ate at home more to enjoy it. :-)
Surround sound: Not hooked up yet; Probably will never be. Actually, Chad did hook up the stereo so we have sound coming from our two main speakers, but as for surround sound, nope, not yet. :-)

Way Back When-esday!

Boy, am I embarrassed this week. I only have two pictures for WBW! I am gonna blame it on work and say that since September is usually the BUSIEST month of the year for me, that MUST be why I barely have taken any Brooklyn pictures in year's past. :-)

Year: 2006
Age: 1 1/2 years
*My good eater looks like she was cleaning the spaghetti bowl that night!

Year: 2007
Age: 2 1/2 years
*We said goodbye to the potty seat and hello to the regular potty. This was Brooklyn's "Farewell Tour" as the potty was sitting by the front door waiting for its owners to come pick it up.