31 Weeks.....

Here is what Jay is doing this week:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) 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.

We did some more shopping this weekend. We got our travel system (car seat and stroller). Now...I've been catching a lot of heat from friends and family about how much stuff John and I have already bought. Let me take a moment to defend myself and my actions. First....any of you that really know me know how ridiculous I am about planning and also about being tight with money. So, rather than wait until the 8th or 9th month to buy up all the stuff that is still on the registry and go into the poor house, John and I decided very early in our pregnancy to buy things each month to lessen the blow to our checking account. Second....this is the THIRD travel system I've fallen in love with and registered for. We registered in November, and since then the other two systems I'd picked out are no longer being sold or they are unavailable. So...Friday night John and I headed down to Babies R Us yet again to pick out another stroller. Once we'd decided on one John said we were NOT re-registering for it, we were buying it and taking it home right then so I didn't get my heart broken again when it disappeared! I think my emotional ups and downs aren't as "cute" as they once were. So, we went ahead and purchased the system, brought it home and got it all put together and it looks great. Its a little more colorful than the others we'd liked, we were hoping for something mainly black, but apparently these things are suppossed to be very cute. So here are pics....

Oakley made sure to check things out that they were safe enough for his little brother.

Other than that no news to report, we're enjoying the gorgeous weekend and getting ready to watch the Super Bowl tonight.

Its beginning to look a little different around here....

Things are beginning to change around here in the McGowan house as our due date creeps nearer and the reality of another little person joining our family is becoming more of a reality. I'm finally happy enough with how the nursery looks to post pictures. I'd say its about 99% done and we are VERY happy with it. Hopefully Jay will enjoy it as much as we do. Here are some pictures of the nursery I took today.

Oakley is going to be such a good big brother. Any time I'm in the nursery he comes in and sits right in front of the rocking chair. He's going to keep me good company while I'm rocking Jay.

My birthday was last week and my parents got me the Pack and Play we wanted. We got it all put together and set up in our bedroom to make sure it would fit. I was SO excited to see how well it went with our bedroom. It was only available online so I hadn't actually seen it in person before. We're planning on having Jay sleep in it while he's in our room before he starts to sleep in the crib in the nursery. Now that it is already all set up, we're just going to leave it where it is so Oakley can get used to it being there. Almost every day he's gone in and looked in it, but no Baby Jay just yet!

We also went to an infant care class this weekend and learned all sorts of information about what is to come! It was a lot of fun watching John practice swaddling a baby and change diapers! Can't believe all of this is happening, before we know it, Jay will be here!

30 Weeks...

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29 Weeks....

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

28 Weeks.....The Beginning of the 3rd Trimester!

Can't believe we're already to the 3rd trimester. Its weird, in some ways this whole experience seems to be flying by, but in other ways it feels like it was FOREVER ago that we found out we were pregnant. I go to the doctor this Thursday for my monthly visit and to be tested for gestational diabetes. Cross your fingers all goes well. We also got signed up for some parenting classes at the hospital. We'll be starting a 4 week long childbirth class next month, going to an infant care class in 2 weeks, and a breastfeeding class in March.

Here's what Jay has been up to:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I've been a bad blogger......

Ok, so.....I've kind of neglected the blog the past couple months. Things were so crazy around here and the further I got behind the harder I thought it would be to catch up.....so instead of lengthy descriptions and pictures of what you've missed, I'll give a quick list and then promise to be back to regular blogging!

Most of November is a blur because I was so sick during it. It is no fun getting sick during pregnancy, you can't take ANYTHING. I was miserable coughing and blowing my nose for nearly 4 weeks.

The first weekend in December we headed up to Dallas for our niece Ava's first birthday party. The birthday girl was sick with an ear infection, but the party was still a great time and it was great to see Adam and Shauna as always.

Christmas vacation was a blur of family and travel! Adam, Shauna, and Ava came to The Woodlands for Christmas and we spent the day at my parents house. Adam and John both got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas from their loving wives (Yes Adam is 32 and John is 35) and we spent a lot of time bowling and playing Guitar Hero over Christmas. A couple days after Christmas John and I flew to Myrtle Beach to spend New Years with his family. It was a great trip....the last trip before Jay.

Speaking of Jay.....things are still going just as smoothly as they can. I am continuing to get bigger....and apparently I've started to "waddle" when I walk. I'm sure that is very attractive, I'm getting to the point already that I don't care! We're in the third trimester and I know the next 12 weeks are going to fly by and he'll be here before we know it. The goal for the next month or so is to get all of my lesson plans for school written through the end of the year so I'm ready to leave work whenever this little guy decides to come join us. Its going to be a very busy and stressful time, and I know I'm just going to start getting more worn out.

Believe it or not John is starting the gears turning for another summer at the pools. He has sent letters out to all of his returning lifeguards and will start up training classes at the end of this month. 13 of my swim lesson instructors have already reapplied for this summer, so that will make my job much easier if I don't have to train a ton of new staff in May....a month after having Jay. Yes...I am planning on working my summer job this year again. I've got an amazing boss who is really going to be flexible with me and an awesome group of returning instructors who should help to make the program run smoothly even without me watching over them like a hawk.

Ok....so that is the update, I promise not to be a bad blogger again and will include pictures of something in the next post!

Happy New Year!

Week 22......

We've had a lot going on in the past week here at the McGowan House....but not a lot of pictures to show from it! We spent Thanksgiving with my family over at Mom and Dad's house with Mee Mie. We came back home for the Texas A&M/UT game.....and we'll just keep on going and talk about something else......We watched SO much football this past weekend, I'll be really sad when the season is over, we love football so much here in our house! John and I braved the crowds this weekend and registered at Target and Babies R Us. Then Sunday John started putting the lights on the house and I started on the inside. As soon as it is all done I'll post pictures. I've got a terrible cold now though so decorating is on the back burner while I lay on the couch with Oakley! Here's what Jay is up to....

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Check back for pictures later in the week of the decorated house and updated nursery pics!!