October's Child

I’m a balloon and crave labor pain. I wake up every half hour to go pee, or rather feeling like I have to go! My whole body aches and for some reason I can’t keep mentioning it.
Today I have a doctor visit…so hoping she tells me that the baby’s arrival is imminent.
Of course I’m also hoping that the kids will get over their messy cold before Koen arrives.

Darren put in his request for time off work which I didn’t think that he was planning on.
This will be nice.

Space is getting cramped; your baby’s growth slows down considerably from now on.

This month baby’s weight increase will be about 25% only. For example baby will weigh about 6lbs (2.75kg) and measure about 21in (46cm) or 34cm (13½ in) from crown to rump at the start of the month (currently) but by the time you deliver, its weight and length will be 7.5lbs and 21½in. This applies to an average sized baby; some babies will be smaller and others bigger. Around this time your baby is still growing and there should be no problem if it is born any time from now on.

The lungs are maturing, a process which will continue after the birth. Since it is less roomy in the uterus, your baby cannot move much so you are unlikely to feel as many kicks and elbows.

My bag is packed (with the exception of travel size toothpaste and shampoo) and I have Carly’s bag ready too–she gets to stay with friends who live pretty close to the hospital, I’m so tahnkful that they said they’d take her! With my Deeder delivery I packed all sorts of thinkgs that I never even ended up using and forgot cloths for me to wear home…it was a little embarrasing to walk out in dried on blood on my jammy pants and a wrinkly t-shirt.

I know it sounds a little early to be packing bags, but with my history I imagine that I could go anytime and would rather be a bit of an alarmist than be cutting it short.

Koen’s moving around so much, which is really cool and I’m guessing that he’ll measure in longer than his brother and sister did…I never felt their feet up in my ribs and he’s certainly up there, but on the other hand my belly doesn’t look quite the size that it did with my other pregnancies.
It’s fun to imagine what he’ll look like, unpack those little clothes and count the days until delivery day. It’s October already, ladies! Totally count down time!!

The weekly update that I receive in my email says for the thirty fourth week:

My favorite part was of course the part about the lung development being close to ready for real life! I feel now I can safely start on the heavy house cleaning that I want to get out of the way before Koen’s here.

Our little boy already has all of his infant clothing unpacked…all we lack in newborn diapers and carseat installment. Darren hates carseats and so far doesn’t install them until the moment that the nurse tells him that he has to take us home! I feel fully ready to have this baby, at the same time though I want him to stay in there just as long as he’s meant to be there..well, up to ten days over due, any more than that would be too much for me.

Praying for continued blessing in this pregnancy–all I want is a healthy baby.  

 Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she’ll need to regulate her body temperature once she’s born — are filling her out, making her rounder.

Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her 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.

I have a lot to say about this week–and if you’re someone that I talk to all the time you know about the worries that I’ve been having. It’s been a worry over possibly going into labor before the time is right. The past two days I haven’t had any signs of trouble, it was just really Saturday night and Sunday that I was having heavy crampy feelings and pressure and, um, gross things that shouldn’t happen six weeks before delivery date.

Right now I’m thankful to be feeling fine again after a bit of a hard week and starting baby preparations just in case Koen does come early.

My doctor says that I only need to stay pregnant for two more weeks, I think I can do that.

Having our third child on the way has made Darren and I think about purchasing a van. We both agree that the coolest thing ever would be to own a VW Eurovan. It would comfortably seat the crew (that we hope will include up to five children within the next few years) for shopping trips, weekly church service attendance and yearly drives to Jamestown, ND.

Check out this ride that just appeared on Craigslist.org:

I especially love the photo of the back seats! It’d be like riding in a playhouse.

Darren says that VWs are expensive to maintain but lots of fun to drive–plus they look nice and sleep pretty good too. I’m going to show this to him as soon as he wakes up, maybe even before!

The sad reality though is that we have SO many things that we could spend that kind of money on.

The guy selling it is asking $16000.

Diederick with 2-week-old cousin Claire.

Tonight when I asked Diederick what he wanted to pray for he told me that he’d like to pray that, “Baby Koen have a good birthday coming soon.”

Auntie Lyd just had her 16th birthday. Deeder loves birthdays and is always eager to know who has the next birthday. The first time (a couple days ago) I told him that it was Koen who would have the next birthday and to that he laughed and told me that I was really silly.

Even though he knows birthdays as a celebration for a person who is already here, I am Mommy and in his world what I say is truth. Thus after thinking about the whole idea of someone not yet here having a birthday he’s believing it’ll happen, no doubt with the same fashion everyone else’s birthday has happened–cake and icecream with the merry song that has been sung a million times over…and why not? We can do that.

Diederick attended his sister’s delivery in Brattleboro, VT when he was just 22 months old. We have it written into Koen’s birth plan that Diederick, the 39 month old brother, will be at this October delivery. I’m not sure how many 3 year olds get to be at that very first birthday but for this Mommy it’s so important.

Those 16 months ago when Carly was born Diederick was better than any labor coach I could ever have wished for–for him I had to smile and stay calm.

Deeder’s praying, and I am too. My labor day, and Koen’s birthday will be here soon…just a matter of weeks now.

                                                                                                                May 29, 2008

Koen doesn’t get nearly enough writing done about him by this momma but is he ever anticipated! He’s going to fit in just right…

Our little boy is so active, kicking and squiggling responding now to sounds that he catches from the world around him. He’ll know his older brother and sis when he arrives and I’m so excited to see them together.
According to the pregnancy updates that I receive each week in my email, Koen should

…now weighs around 3 pounds and is about 16 inches from head to heel. An ultrasound image may show your baby yawning or even sucking its thumb, and you may also notice that your baby does not move at all during your Braxton Hicks contractions. This is because your muscles tighten and constrict his or her movement. By now your baby is probably more used to Braxton Hicks than you are!

I’m 30 weeks and 3 days pregnant–Wednesday I’ll see the doctor for this month’s check up, after that I expect to be in every two weeks then before I know it, I’ll be there each week until this little boy is here.

We can hardly believe how time is marching on. The days in and out blur together in my busy stay-at-home life with my two kids that are already here and little Koen kicking around inside my ever growing middle.

Daily I pray for his continued healthy development and am imagining what he’ll look like. Right now I’m thinking he’ll come with curly dark hair, perhaps weighing in at a little over seven pounds. Carly was born at 37 weeks and Diederick came in late at 41 weeks gestation, I guess that Koen will be just between that.

Of course I can’t help but think about what premature birth would be like. Not that it’s likely but how hard it would be he’d look like this

and he’d live, possibly. Inside Mommy is the best place to be for many more weeks.

At any rate, I’m excited and I think everyone else close to us is too.

28 Weeks and 4 Days. 80 Days to Go!

Notice that I look in the mirror and weigh myself far less than I used to? It’s good to be to busy for that really.

Big brother Diederick got to see Koen kicking, or moving around in some quite obvious way, last night and thought that it was really cool.

On Thursday I had a check up and am in perfect health. Good blood pressure, weight’s okay (12 lb gain in 3 months) and happy results on my Lamictal level and other recent tests. My body seems to be built for pregnancy–I’m thankful for such a smooth journey so far.

Koen’s growing so quickly! I can feel and see his movements, my movements are already increasing in limitations. I’m looking and feeling full of baby and so busy with my two kids who are already here.

This morning I’m posting a couple pictures that I took yesterday before cleaning the bathroom (notice the messy mirror!) when we were all in the bathroom. Carly was just about to hop the the tub and Deeder was on the potty.

I love writing out and typing Koen’s name–right now I’m absolutely and fully in love with him, looking forward to meeting him and bringing him home in due time. He’ll complete us, even more than Carly did when she came along.

Having a baby is an amazing moment, painful yes, but incredible. People joke that the baby will be a day late and forever mark him as a Halloween child.

So far, I’ve never landed on the exact date, hopefully this wont be an exception!

Our family at the moment: