Week 21 – August 17, 2010
Your Body: Twenty-one is a magic number. It means independence. It means you just won a hand of blackjack. In pregnancy terms, it means you have gotten over the hump and you only have 19 weeks left! You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints. That's not to say you won't have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne. If that's the case, be diligent about washing well with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day, and make sure that any moisturizer or make-up you use is oil-free. Don't take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner. You're also more prone to varicose veins now. As your pregnancy progresses, there's increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You're more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, and sleeping on your left side. As your internal organs are pushed aside to make room for the growing fetus, you may have heartburn, indigestion, and bloating. Your mood swings lessen, but you may have more anxiety about labor and motherhood as the reality of your baby's birth draws closer. You don't have to wait until your baby arrives to begin bonding. Throughout your pregnancy you may have thoughts and impressions about your baby-to-be's personality. Here are some examples of bonding with your baby: talk to your baby-to-be, start a library for your little one, listen to music together, ready the nursery, pick out baby clothes, and keep a journal about your pregnancy to share with your baby when it's older.
Your Baby: Chances are good you're feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what he or she will look like when it's born. All of the facial features are formed and hair is growing on the baby's head, and even acting like a baby, such as the occasional sucking of the thumb or yawn. Aww ... Your little one will begin to fill out over the next few weeks. Fat layers form throughout your unborn baby's body. These layers will eventually keep your wee one warm and insulated once outside the womb. Baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! You may soon feel like the baby's practicing martial arts as the initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also feel Baby hiccupping. Those jerky motions you feel in your belly are a result of little lungs practicing the important task of breathing. Your baby can still move all over in the amniotic fluid. Towards the end of this trimester the baby will begin to settle, usually in a head down position (Although some babies do not turn head down until late in the last trimester). Length does not slow as rapidly, so the fetus may take on an extremely thin facade for a while. Your baby now weighs just under one pound (about 13 ounces actually), and is about 10 1/2 inches long – the length of a carrot.
Ding dong, went the doorbell at Cuddy's home one afternoon when Chase and Cameron had just gotten off work. Hearing the pitter-patter of little feet running to the door was no surprise to the expecting couple as to who would greet them at the door. Seeing the door creak slowly open, a face brightened up when Rachel saw who was at the door.
"Hi Rachel," greeted Cameron.
"Honey, is your mum here?" asked Chase as Rachel slowly pulled the door open further for them to walk in.
"Mommy's upstairs," said Rachel. "She in my room."
"Is she now?" he asked as he picked her up and blew a raspberry on her cheek. "Well, can you take us to her?" Seeing her nod, she wriggled out of Chase's arms and darted up the stairs as fast as her almost two-year-old legs could carry her. But just before she could climb the last step, Cameron came up behind her and carefully picked her up, swinging her onto her hip, making Rachel giggle.
"I got you!" exclaimed Cameron as she peppered the toddler's face with kisses, making them both laugh.
"Hey you two. I was wondering when you would show up," announced Cuddy as she stepped out of Rachel's room. "Come on in."
"Is that box full of Rachel's baby clothes?" asked Cameron as she set Rachel down in her playpen.
"Two boxes," groaned Cuddy as she placed the lid on the second box. "Truthfully, I don't remember buying so much clothing for one little baby. But now I know: babies are messy when it comes to what they wear."
"Well, at least there is plenty of clothes to go around," said Chase as he stacked the boxes so he could take them out to the car.
"How's the nursery coming along?"
"Really well," explained Cameron as she sat down in the rocking chair. "Robert and I spent the whole weekend painting. Now we just have to get some furniture in there."
"Do you have any right now?"
"No, not yet. But there are a couple of sales going on this weekend that we're going to check out," she said as Chase walked back into the room.
"Well, I have an idea," said Cuddy as she pulled out a large box. "This used to be Rachel's bassinet and since she's outgrown it, I want the two of you to have it."
"Cuddy, that's awfully nice of you, but we really want to keep the theme gender-neutral," explained Chase.
"Don't worry about that. I made sure that the fabric on it was a neutral color, so I got it in yellow instead."
"Tell you what," said Cameron. "We'll have to decide on it first, and then we'll let you know in about a week or so. Does that sound like a compromise to you?"
"Absolutely," agreed Cuddy. "I'll keep everything out until you've reached a decision."
"Thanks," acknowledged Chase. Seeing his wife's eyes droop a bit, he knew that it was time to go home. "Okay well, it's time I got the misses home; she's getting a bit tired."
"Thank-you again Cuddy," said Cameron.
"My pleasure. Hey Rachel," she said as she lifted her child out of the pen. "Are you going to say good-bye?"
"Bye bye," said Rachel as she leaned forward to rub Cameron's baby bump. "Bye bye baby."
"Awe," said all three adults at the same time.
"Someone's getting excited," exclaimed Cameron as she and Chase walked out of the house to their car. "See you tomorrow Cuddy."
Over the next few days, the nursery really began to take shape. By Friday, the walls were all painted with a farm animal theme and the crown molding had been added. That weekend, Cameron and Chase were going to attempt bargain hunting for some baby furniture. Their first stop was a baby boutique a few blocks from the condo. Knowing that things would be very expensive in the store, they decided to just take a look and to get an idea of what they wanted for the nursery.
"We have walked through half this store already and still have not found any rocking chairs," complained Cameron.
"We'll find them. Oh, wait a sec," said Chase as he rounded the next turn. "Found them." Gently pulling his wife along behind them, he gently guided her into the nearest chair that had a ton of padding on it. "How's that? Any better?"
"Actually, I like this chair already," said a now spirit-lifted Cameron as she moved around in the chair. "In fact, I like this lounge chair better than a rocking chair."
"I can actually see you nursing our baby in this for the midnight feedings. It's so soft that I bet both of us will like it."
"Well in that case," she said as she gently got out of the chair so Chase could sit in it. "Why don't you try it out and tell me what you think of it?"
"I like it too. You could probably fall asleep in it too if you wanted to."
"Probably. To be honest, I prefer this over a rocking chair, for many reasons."
"Such as?"
"Well, I can actually fall asleep in it if I wanted to. And that when I'm actually nursing or when you're feeding the baby too, we'll both be comfortable."
"I just realized something. We have a lounge chair similar to this in our room, so what would be the point to go out and get another one when we already have one?"
"I know. I just caught up in the moment that I forgot about what we already have."
"Okay now, what do we really need?" asked Chase as he helped Cameron to sit down on the chair's foot bench.
"Well, we really need a crib. But one that is safe and affordable."
"I agree. But do we really need a changing station?"
"No. What we could do is pick out the baby's outfit for the day, and change the baby right there on the floor in either our room or the nursery, or on our bed. It's just easier that way."
"Absolutely. And we don't really need baby clothes because we have those boxes from Cuddy that we still have to go through."
"Yep. So basically, we just need a crib and a few other minor things like the car seat, but that can be dealt with later."
"Oh yeah," he agreed. Seeing his wife roll her head on her shoulders, he took it as a hint that she was tired and wanted to go home. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Okay, let's go through all of these clothes," said Cameron as Chase brought in the first box of baby clothes into their room. With Cameron sitting in the chair, Chase sat on the floor.
"Now remember, gender neutral clothing first. Then when we actually have the baby, then we'll either go back to Cuddy or we'll go to the store and spend our child's college fund."
"Very funny. Okay, gender neutral items on the hassock, the rest on the box lid," instructed Cameron as they began to sort through the clothes. After about an hour of sorting, they were all done with both boxes.
"Well, all of the gender neutral items are mostly onesies."
"And the rest are dresses," finished Cameron as she sat back in the chair. "Well, at least we know who to go to if we have a baby girl."
"Yep," said Chase as he helped Cameron to stand up. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to get the hangers so we can hang some stuff up," she said as she walked out of the room, coming back a few minutes later with a handful of hangers. "At least we'll be ready for when junior arrives."
"At least. But at least we're saving some money by using hand-me-downs."
"Oh yeah." For the rest of the weekend, the only thing that Cameron and Chase did was put the finishing touches on the nursery before they had to decide on what to put in there in terms of furniture Will they decide to take the bassinet from Cuddy?
A/N: Sorry, not feeling very motivated this week. Prayers to the residents of the Gulf Coast.