32 Weeks (8 to go!)

This past Thursday (9/30) was 32 weeks which means our lil’ turkey (and all your Thanksgiving turkeys) is due to arrive in 8 short weeks! I shocked myself by walking all around NYC this past Saturday when our friends were visiting - my pace was a little slower than normal, but I still did great keeping up all through Central Park, Times Square and around Ground Zero. My friend works as a NICU nurse, so she made sure to keep me filled with fluids and pause to take breaks so I wouldn’t go into early labor. I told her what I tell everyone else, “I’m pregnant, not an invalid!” Ha!

Here is what our lil’ turkey is up to this week according to What to Expect:

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that's a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). You're likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby's signature rocking and rolling. That's because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in preparation for birth. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first.

While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before you'll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas).  In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby's digestive system is all set and ready to go.

And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his or her skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over.  Though weeks away from D-day, your baby's looking more and more like a newborn. And speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you're likely feeling these days).

Last Thursday we had our 31 week ultrasound to see where our baby is at in terms of weight gain. I know ultrasounds in the end of pregnancy can be a little harder to read because of the cramped position, but our little girl is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule, weighing in at an estimated 4 lbs. 7 oz. already! That in addition to the fact that she’s had her head down 2 weeks sooner than they normally due and I’m really hoping she is on schedule for coming a little early. Heaven help me if she’s just a big baby!

Here are some cute pictures we have from that ultrasound:

Every time we try to see her this pregnancy, she has her left hand covering part of her face. Hubby says she sleeps like her mama. Look how insanely cute those chubby cheeks and lips are…can’t wait to kiss them!