From the Mouths of Babes... and 31 weeks

Week 31: Watermelon (or Four Big Oranges)

31 weeks: Baby Brayden now weighs as much as four navel oranges (Length: over 16 inches, head to heel.) 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

 

Life Update: 

• Keith was talking to Brayden, aka my belly, last night and Landen decided he would too! Landen put his mouth against my belly and was yelling, “WA WAWA BAWA WAWAWA.” I was covered in drool by the end of Landen’s conversation, but it was possibly one of the funniest things I have ever experienced! I still don’t know if Landen has ANY idea that there is a baby in my belly. 
• We were able to get several things in the house ready for Brayden over the 3 day weekend:
• Pack-n-play
• Cradle (used to be Keith’s mom’s cradle)
• Baby book
• Bottles and slow-flow nipples
• Infant pacifiers
• Baby monitor
• Cleaned and sorted infant toys
• Replaced batteries 
• Landen is seeing all his old stuff (i.e. toys, bottles, pack-n-play, etc .) and thinks it’s all for him… he’s said “MINE” 16,871,846,741,684 times this weekend
• Landen is getting tubes in his ears on Friday! He woke up Sunday night with a nasty cough, so we took him to the doctor yesterday. The doctor said it wasn’t anything to prevent his surgery on Friday, but she gave him some medicine to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything… because dang-it WE ARE GETTING TUBES THIS FRIDAY come hell or high-water! Oh, and he has a double ear infection and he’s teething his two-year molars.
• Landen has become VERY talkative lately… VERY TALKATIVE! He will talk non-stop, but there is always a question of what he is actually saying… some words sound the same as others, some have a slight resemblance at one point of the actual word, and some words sound a little inappropriate…
• Football (easily confused with Momma) sounds remarkably like butt-hole… this we HAVE to work on ASAP!
• Gus (our cat) sounds like “cgusth”
• Cracker, tractor, doctor, play-dough, and door (I think he may be saying ‘the door’) sounds like “duh-doh”… and these can be all be confused with football and momma
• Bee (the buzzing creature), B (the letter), R (the letter… confused with B), and Wee (the exclamation) all sound like, “BEE”
• Boot, booboo, and poop sound like, “Boo” or “Poo” depending on the day
• Paci sounds like, "Bat-thee"
• Car, star, go, shoe, door, and dog sound like, “daw” (but can sound like “duh-doh”, too)
• Please, peas, tree, and piece sound like, “Peeethz”
• Papa sounds like, “bot-BAH”
• Puzzle-piece sounds like, “Buh-duh PEETHZ” (although it periodically gets additional syllables)
• Macaroni-n-cheese sounds like pure gibberish with “EETHZ” on the end
• Cat, hat, sock, and that sound like, “dat”
• Jacket sounds like, “dat-dat” which can be confused with daddy
• In addition to all of these, sometimes Landen will add “yo” to the end of words, just to keep you on your toes…Not to mention the constant sounds and combinations that he says in-between all his old and new words!
• Keith and I have been working on a puzzle that is so tricky and difficult! I LOVE puzzles, and I can usually fly through them… not this one! We have been working on it, little by little, for weeks now! (If you really know me, you would know that NEVER happens!) But it’s fun!
• Our church opened it's new building a couple weeks ago and it has been awesome! We are already bursting at the seams!
• My sweet friend Brooke cut my hair this weekend! It was great to see her and her precious daughter AND my hair hadn't been cut in close to a year... WAY overdue! It looks MUCH better!
• Landen is in the process of moving-up to the next class in daycare... they are letting him spend part of the day in his old class and part of the day in his new class. He seems to be loving it! It is SUCH a blessing that he is SO happy at his daycare!! 
• Apparently, last night Keith realized that we are about to be the parents of TWO children instead of just one... who knew!?

Pregnancy Update:

1. How far along? 31 weeks 0 day
2. Total Weight Gain? 7 lbs
3. Fundal Height? 31ish
4. Baby Heart Rate? 140s-150s
5. Baby Bump?  Absolutely
6. Movement? He is moving and stretching and getting quite strong! He had the hiccups last night and every time he hiccupped, his head would hit me… (TMI WARNING: I felt like someone was thumping me in the crotch every couple of seconds)
7. Cravings? Chocolate, milkshakes, milk...
8. Aversions? Meats, ONIONS, spicy stuff 
9. Symptoms? Contractions, Moody (sorry…), CLUMSY, Pains (back, sciatic, leg, hip, neck, etc), Cramps (stomach, back, and into my thighs), Hands and feet beginning to swell, Legs falling asleep, Headaches, TIRED, Forgetfulness,  Heartburn, and a few very unpleasant unmentionables
10. Sleep? Yeah, right.
11. Gender? Boy! Brayden Daniel Thomas
12. Belly button? In, but shallow
13. What I miss? Being comfortable!
14. What I’m looking forward to? Making some name art for Brayden
15. Concerns? Unpaid maternity leave.
16. Blessings? My blood pressure seems to be maintaining. Having a job. Keith. Landen. Family. Friends. Landen’s daycare.