Welcome Sophia Terese

As many of you have already heard, our daughter finally joined us in the outside world on Thursday night. We would like to send out a resounding thank you to all of you who have sent your well wishes either in person or via this wonderful modern technology we have. As always, our family and friends have overwhelmed us with their amazing love and generosity. We must say, we agree with all of you that Sophia is absolutely beautiful and we love the hair, too!

We are going to try our hardest to keep up with the posts still. We have been wearing out both the camera and camcorder, and love to share all the photos. She changes every day, and we want to make sure that anyone who wants to follow along with changes can no matter where they might be.

Once again, thank you to all for sharing in the joy of this most amazing blessing with us.

14th Doctor Appointment

Had to head back to the doctor again tonight officially past our due date. They assured us that you don't stay pregnant forever and the baby will have to come out sometime. They performed a Fetal Non-Stress Test. The result was the baby seems to be very comfortable in there still. So, now we have to figure out how to get the baby uncomfortable and to want to come out. If nothing happens by the end of the weekend, we go in for another check-up on Monday. Hopefully that doesn't happen and we don't have to visit that office for another 6 weeks. Well, off to eat some spicy food, do some jumping jacks, take a long walk, and any other old wives' tale that starts labor! :)

Week 40

We've finally hit the week 40 milestone, and Baby should be making its way out any day now! We have what will hopefully be our last prenatal visit tomorrow. Below is the latest description of what's going on with the baby right now - this one doesn't have any really cool facts like previous weeks, but contains lots of truth. The beautiful weather the past couple days has definitely allowed us to get out and do the walking with big sister, Daisy!

Congratulations - your baby is now fully formed and ready to be born. If your due date passes, your doctor will check to see if the baby has enough amniotic fluid. If he's fine, you and your doctor may still want to discuss induction.

Don’t be surprised if you get discouraged now. Relatives may be calling regularly to find out if labor has started. Ignore them and make plans every day - see a movie, take a walk, read or simply lounge around at home. Relish this peaceful time while it lasts!

Shower Pictures

We were going through our blog posts last night, and realized we never posted the links to our baby shower photos. There are just too many different computer accounts to keep up to date! :) So, if you haven't already seen the pictures on Facebook, enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to check out the pics from Nick's "Daddy Diaper Party" at Hooters. It was like a baby shower, but for dudes!

http://picasaweb.google.com/npmetros/BabyShower11610#

http://picasaweb.google.com/npmetros/BabyShower13010#

http://picasaweb.google.com/npmetros/BabyShower21310#

http://picasaweb.google.com/npmetros/DaddyDiaperParty#

13th Doctor Visit

We had our 13th visit to the doctor on Thursday and the result was (drumroll please)...We're still pregnant! :) By all the attention we've been getting, we can tell everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Metros, but it seems he/she is content to hang out in Mom's belly until our due date or beyond. Mom is still feeling pretty good, so I guess the little one can hang out in there a little longer, no need to hurry it along. Just don't get too comfortable sweet child.

Otherwise, everything else was pretty normal. Baby's heart beat was 140bpm, tummy measured 40cm, and 0lb weight gain from last week. The doctor did say if we make it to our appointment next Thursday, she will perform a Fetal Stress Test. This is normal protocol once you go past your due date to make sure the baby isn't getting too cramped.

Make sure to check back often for any updates!

12th Doctor Visit

We would like to let everyone know, yes, I'm still pregnant and don't worry...we'll let you know when anything happens! :-) We've received many correspondences from much concerned and well meaning family members and friends and everyone can rest assured that we will not keep this event a secret...everyone will know!

We had our 12th Dr. visit tonight and there is nothing new to report. Mom's belly is still measuring at 38cm and everything is business as usual. We were also informed that we will not be allowed to go past our due date any further than March 27th, which is 10 days past so let's send the prayers up asking God to please let us go on our own before then! Although we are certain that this little boy or girl will come when he or she is good and ready and at the perfect time. All around same 'ol same and just preparing for our little miracle in these last few days!

Here's what's happening this week!

You're in the home stretch! After nine months of growth and development, your baby is ready to be born, or nearly so. At week 39, your baby is fully developed and anywhere from 17-23 inches long and weighs 6-10 pounds. Don't be frightened if your OB-GYN says your baby is large: It's extremely difficult to judge a baby's weight accurately from the outside. Your baby is adding neural connections and growing hair and still gaining weight. Researchers have theorized that when babies are ready to be born, they send a chemical signal of androgens to the placenta, which increases the production of estrogen and leads to labor. If so, it's proof of the old saying that "only a baby knows when it's ready to be born."

Baby Brain!

So, many of you have heard us talk about Priscilla's terrible memory ever since she became pregnant...our books kindly refer to this as "baby brain!" So, today she was down in the basement bringing up her carry-on to pack her hospital bag and stumbled upon a pair of shoes she had hid back in October for her wonderful husband's birthday...she hid them so well she even forgot about them! :-) We got a good laugh out of it and thought it'd be a fun story to share!

11th Doctor Visit

We had our 11th doctor visit this past Thursday. Not much new to report, which is never a bad thing...another "normal" visit means everything is going exactly as it should! Mom's weight is still playing nice holding fast at 15 pounds weight gain...must be all that activity she is still getting in...God bless prenatal water aerobics and yoga! Mom's belly measured at 38cm and the baby's heartbeat was in the 130s. Our "What to expect book" says this is pretty normal for the baby's heartbeat to slow down towards the end of the pregnancy...not much room in there anymore! Mom is still feeling great but just a bit s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d! Our due date is "officially" 2 weeks from today!!

Here's what is happening at 38 weeks....

The average newborn has a length of 21 1/2 inches and weighs 7 1/2 pounds. She is fully developed, though still adding connections between neurons in the brain (this continues well after birth). Her nails have been growing and now reach to the ends of her fingers and toes. Her movements are quite restricted by her close quarters.

10th Doctor Visit

We had our 10th doctor's visit this past Thursday and again, all has checked out well! The baby's heartbeat was in the 140s for the first time ever and he or she was also making their transition to the left side of mommy's belly, which is what we want to help avoid any back labor! The results of our Group Beta Strep Test came back negative as well...woo hoo! Mom's belly measured at 37cm...exactly where it should be for this stage of pregnancy. Mom is still keeping up with her water aerobics and yoga, so this must really be helping to keep her and baby so healthy! We had another "routine" normal visit and still feel very blessed that all is going exactly as it should be!

Here's what is happening at 37 weeks...

Your baby has likely hit the six-pound mark by now, and her length is approximately twenty-one inches. The weight on your abdomen probably feels like twice that. Your baby is practicing her breathing, but she has increasingly less space to practice stretching and kicking. Your baby' intestines are also building up meconium, a greenish-black substance made of baby by-products such as dead cells, shed lanugo, and amniotic fluid. It'll become your little darling's first bowel movement, hopefully after she is out of the womb. Her body fat has increased to about eight percent. By birth, it'll be about fifteen percent. If your baby is a boy, his testes will have descended into his scrotum. While your baby could be born at any time, the longer she stays in, the more time she has to develop the connections in her brain in the pleasant peace and quiet of your womb. At this point, she can do all the things a newborn can, with the exception of breathing air and pooping in a diaper. Just as you're feeling stretched, your baby is being squeezed on all sides. Some of your antibodies are crossing the placenta, giving your baby's immune system some support for her first days in the world. If you breastfeed, you'll later be giving her immunities in your milk.

"Babymoon"

So, about a month ago we took a "babymoon" to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We searched for quite some time for the perfect place to vacation for this very special trip. We finally ended up deciding to travel to the same spot where we honeymooned 3 1/2 years ago...we figured why not...it's our special place and it just keeps getting even more special with each visit! The resort was as beautiful as we remembered and we really enjoyed every moment we spent there. Being 34 weeks pregnant led to Priscilla's lack of ability to do much so we spent lots of time relaxing by the pool and thoroughly enjoying all of the yummy all-inclusive resort food! Mom-to-be was a trooper and we did do one excursion, which consisted of swimming with sting-rays and sharks...it was very cool! The one souvenir we decided to bring back with us were our maternity pictures...the scenery couldn't be beat! The really awesome thing about these photos is the fact that Arturo, the same resort photographer, who took our honeymoon photos shot these as well. He's an awesome photographer...we've attached the link to the photos below...we hope you enjoy as much as we do!

http://picasaweb.google.com/npmetros/MaternityPhotosInPuntaCana#

9th Doctor Visit

We started our weekly visits to the doctor on Thursday. We had another boring, normal (aka all is good) check-up. My stomach measured 35 1/2 cm, which is about average. They say your stomach measurement should roughly correlate to the number of weeks along you are. The baby's heart rate remained steady at around 150 bpm. The prenatal water aerobics and yoga is paying off for Mom, as we're at 15lb weight gain overall. They also performed a Group Beta Strep test.

We decided to pass on the more intrusive exam. The doctor said they normally start checking now to see if the cervix has started to dilate or efface. However, they said its only done because most people want to know and any measurements they get are meaningless. After hearing this, we decided the nether regions will be violated plenty soon enough. There's no reason to start early.

Here is the latest on what is happening with the baby's development at week 36:

With one month to go, your baby weighs about six pounds and is fattening. Her full length from crown to feet is about 20 1/2 inches. Has your baby's movement slowed down? If so, you shouldn't worry. Five to ten percent of all mothers report that babies start to slow down as they grow larger and get more cramped for space. Still, you should be able to feel your baby move more than ten times a day. If you're concerned, try drinking a sweet beverage, such as orange juice, and then lying on your side for a while. Most babies will wake up and start to move. If you're still concerned, contact your healthcare provider.

8th Doctor's Visit

The visits to the doctor have started to come fast and furious now. We're going every 2 weeks, and after our next visit we'll begin going once a week. Everything checked out normal once again, which is music to our ears right now. Boring is good! The scale is staying kind, Mom's blood pressure is good, and Baby's heartbeat came through loud and clear. We were given some information on some new supplements to take to help with the thinning of the cervix and group beta strep test that we take next appointment. With all the pills I'm popping right now, I'm starting to feel like a walking pharmacy.

Many Thanks!!!

So, we've been slacking a little on new posts, but we've returned refreshed from vacation and have dedicated ourselves to keeping up the blog with plenty of new posts from now until Baby's birthday. We're not making any promises once Baby makes his/her grand appearance because we've been told by many a parent that our free time might be lacking :)

Anyways, we wanted to use this post to say thank you to all who have sent gifts or attended one of our first two baby showers. We've been overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! We have received so much that our house is starting to feel very cozy! The help in providing the material needs our baby will require has lifted a great burden off of us.

Of course, thank you to the hosts of our showers, too! We love you all very much and appreciate the time and love you spent in preparing these grand shindigs for us. They've been great!

Finally, we know we have one more shower planned and we thank all of you in advance. We can't wait to spend some time with you all in 2 weeks!

Preparing for Childbirth Class

We attended our first Preparing for Childbirth class at the hospital last night. The first class was mainly an introduction to what we'll do in the next 5 weeks and we didn't learn too much new or exciting. We did get to watch a video of a birth and were promised there would be another one each week. Some random thoughts that popped into our head when we were told this - Do you really need to watch a video of a birth each week? Isn't one enough? How do they find the goofiest pregnant couples and get them to agree to be on these videos? On a more serious note, next week we get to bring the pillows and a blanket to the class and learn some massage techniques. Mommy is definitely looking forward to that.