29 Weeks!

Well....halfway through 29 weeks and I'm posting. It's been busy! Mondays are my appointments, and then straight from my appointment, I go to my photography class, so I don't have time to post. Yesterday was a busy day running errands (I got 3 boxes of Puff's w/Lotion, a bottle of Febreeze and two bottles of Dawn dish detergent for $1.32!!!!! LOVE coupons!!!) and I am praying I'm just reacting to all the dust in the house from John finishing the basement versus getting a cold. I just didn't feel super yesterday. A little better today.

ANYWAY....

Luke is THREE pounds!!! He's moved from the 51st%tile to 52nd%tile to now 54th%tile!!! That's certainly not like his brother, who just went down in the percentile charts as he grew. Of course, I've said it before, he was a perfectly respectable and healthy weight (and CERTAINLY length!) at birth, and just a week before, had been measured in the 12th%tile, so I'm not banking too much on those numbers other than Luke's doing well and measuring ahead a bit makes me feel good about delivering at 38 weeks. Which is less than 9 weeks from now!!!! Dr. Sweeney said depending on how we're doing, we may look at 38 1/2 to make Drs. Polko and Shonekan feel a bit better, but honestly, as long as he keeps growing as he is, and breathing and such as he is, I like 38. We'll start seeing Dr. Sweeney every week now, and while I feel this may be a tad bit overkill, I'm not willing to give up the peace and assurance I get from knowing he's breathing, hiccuping, cord's not endangering him, surprises won't (hopefully) pop up and that he's doing ok. I think my favorite part of this last visit was Luke's eyes open!!!!!! John's was probably the focus on all his boy equipment (which looks fine, I guess!) but I loved knowing that he's in there checking stuff out. Sort of. He was VERY busy--to the point that Dr. Sweeney said we needed to get him out of some crazy inverted-U shape position he'd put himself in to see him better and I had to turn from side to side every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes. Luke does not like going side to side, so that was good to get him in better position! He was CRAZY busy, though, and I loved it!

I am playing the You Are My Sunshine plush for Luke every morning and every night. It's hard for me, but he seems to like it and I'm going to look for another one or two things I can play repetitively (he hears lots of talking and singing, but varied...I want two or three of the same little tunes) for him to see what he thinks of them after he's born.

I've picked up a few pounds, I guess--between 114 and 116 this week, so maybe about 14-16 total gain so far. No swelling yet, thank God, and I'm really keeping focused on the fluids in hopes that I don't swell this time. Rings still go over knuckles, so that's good! Sleeping is still hit and miss, though my allergies were bothering me the other night and I took a Zyrtec and slept STRAIGHT from 1:30 am to 5:55 am!!! That's the most sleep in one block I've gotten in probably a good 18 months!!!!!! I took one again last night, and no such luck, so maybe it's just that my body was so run-down. The third trimester fatigue is really setting in, so just taking sleep where I get it! I had no doubt I'd pass my glucose test (saw Dr. Polko last Thursday) but didn't think I'd still be anemic. Still. Even though I eat tons of iron-rich stuff AND take an iron supplement. She said add another one. I must grow vampires. Actually, anemia (and hard-core anemia at that) runs in my family...probably more genetic than anything.

The Marine Corps Ball is this weekend. Super fun. Super mandatory fun, that is. I'm wearing the dress I bought after Matthew died to wear to John's award ceremony because the front is REALLY floofy (which is why it was PERFECT for after a c-section and a good 25 extra pounds!) and I just do not want to look like a big Macy's Day Balloon again this year. I looked like a black velvet hot air balloon last year with Matthew (16 days from my due date and swollen like a tick!) and hope for no repeat this year!

I also cleaned out Matthew's nursery this weekend to get it ready for Luke. I wrote about it and haven't decided whether I'll post it. I want Luke to know where my head was, but frankly, don't need the judgement for my feelings, and I'm pretty sure I'll get it, even if it's never spoken aloud to me.

Then again, I've gotten pretty good about not caring. I've yet to come across "How to act/think/feel/behave/do/believe after your baby son shockingly dies" on Google, so unless anyone else has and can share with me, I'm pretty much over people feeling like they have 'the right' things for me to do and feel. I listen, I nod my head (or not), I bite my tongue and I wait until they are done.

And then I do and feel and believe what I want. I'm good with that.

Here are some pics of the Lukester:

Yes, Daddy...still a boy!

That's not a paci, but sure looks like one!

Starting to open eyes!

Little bit more open! (Affectionately known as The Stink Eye in our family!)

I SEE YOU!!!!!

Here's how he's developing:

Week Twenty Nine: Movement is more forceful

You are 29 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 27 weeks) Your baby now weighs about 2 and a half pounds (1150gm) and is about 15 inches (38.5cm) long from head to heel. Brain is busy developing billions of neurons. Baby's muscles and lungs are continuing to mature. The fetus can taste and respond to pain. The milk teeth have developed under the gums. The baby's head is growing bigger to accommodate the brain, which is busy developing billions of neurons. The eyes can move in their sockets. They may be able to follow a blinking light. As well as your baby's increasing sensitivity to changes in light, they may also be able to taste. Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences or dislike for particular tastes at this stage. Baby is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, they will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if baby is performing somersaults for an olympic gold medal. Baby may be performing fewer movements because living conditions in the womb are becoming more cramped. The baby is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. Some of your baby's kicks and punches may even take your breath away. Baby hears things better from the vibrations all around, and can now distinguish real sounds and voices. Do not forget to continue to 'teach' your baby in the womb by exposing them to music, literature, and simply talking to them. At this stage baby eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall. At week twenty nine, your baby measures about 11 inches (28 cm) from crown to rump, or a total length of about 15 inches (38cm) from head to heel, and weighs about 2.5 pounds (1150gm).