Week 38

Week # 38 is behind us which means Today “Vi” celebrates her 39th weeks of pregnancy, what this actually means that we are now officially in the home stretch and little one can pop any moment now. And yes …Small chunky munky is still in there. He/She’s increasingly cramped, which makes Vi’s belly dancing. I am sure Vi knows a little bit of belly dancing but in this case its her belly which is dancing. 39th week..wow, it is finally starting to hit me…. It is so hard to comprehend that in a few short weeks (hopefully) we’ll have a little person to look after – and if I had a fiver (or even a measly euro) for everyone who said that soon I’ll really know what a fun it is, I could start a college fund to send the child to Harvard ! However so far, the kid seems to be staying in, and happy about it. I am a little afraid that very soon he/she’s going to start ordering Chinese for delivery to his little house. On second thought he already is, that’s why Vi keeps having these cravings. However, there are some signs…, don’t get me wrong, there’s some very early labor stuff going on – she is crampy and all, and her back aches like Hell sometimes, so I figure her cervix is probably progressing some more, but I am not sure id he/she has dropped all the way into her pelvis. Last we checked, the baby’s head is still down..I wonder how the baby knows when to drop…. is it his choice or the gravity plays a big role in this or is it both. Perhaps a good problem to look into !!! –

All the preparation is complete but still in its most basic form. We’ve now got sterilizers, blankets, baby clothes, hats and stuff. Vi spent last weekend washing and ironing these items. The second room is still a mess and I guess we will not be able to clean it out until baby is home as we have no idea on what little bubble is going to need once he/she gets home.

Good wife keeps finding it hard every day to maneuver every day I feel more useless just watching her. I can’t do anything to make the itching stop or the swelling go down – what little I can do in the line of comforting her is, I’m sure, nothing to what she is going through. Even though, I am religiously massaging her belly with coco butter at every opportunity I can. Test results for one thing and another have all come back clear and the doctor’s, in so far as they can tell, are happy.

Oh yeah!! We went to University of Akron Deewali function Saturday. Dee and Moni was there too. I thought the student put a decent show. There were few slides describing “what india is” and few dance performances. We enjoyed it ..the food was decent but we were so hungry by that time that it didn’t matter. Guess what..I used my new camcorder to record the dance performances, it came out really nice. Towards the end they had dance floor open and I can tell baby wanted to dance. They played some really great songs.

Sunday we saw “Lakeview Terrace” at Regal Theatre. In almost every way, its is a pretty typical Sam Jackson movie. Furious ..intense !! The movie is about a young interracial couple who move to California into their first home get increasingly harassed by their next-door neighbor, a tightly wound black LAPD officer. The story basically revolves around the officer picc**ing them off until the guy finally decides to take things into his own hand and take care of the business. The acting was spot on. While driving back we were talking about what would we do if we have a annoying neighbor like him …. Probably move!!!

Baby is continuously gaining weight with increasing fat deposits to control his/her body temperature. He/She might weigh between 6 and 9 pounds now and is 18 to 22 inches in length. They say that boys do tend to weigh heavier than girls. Mom, as I said, is getting extremely uncomfortable now, as baby’s feet extend into her ribs. The weight of your baby is taking a toll on her back, legs, and bladder. There is still some swelling in the feet which I guess have something to do with blood circulation and being farther from the heart…..Can you believe it ..Just another few days and the world would change for the better. The house would look different and sound different and his/her sounds would fill the dull surroundings !!! wow ..

Week 36

Week 36 DONE!!!! I am feeling great. I can’t wait to hold my baby ..just four more to go !! We have been going to the doctor every week for a while now due to mom’s sugar issues but this is officially when doctors starts to check moms every week. We had a fun visit to Doctor last week, Last week we had Group B test, hopefully we will have the results when we go next. Group B test check for viral infection in the birth canal which can be harmful for the baby. Mom is not yet dilated but doctor said the baby seems to be in the head down position… This is wonderful !!! I am sure the baby want to see us as much as we want to see him/her !!

As the countdown continues most of the bones (soft skull aside) in the baby’s body is becoming harder thus provides a good solid structure/shape for their grand debut into the world. In the “NASA mission language” one can say “structure support is go” !! The physical fitness has improved significantly. The mom feel like there is no room left for the baby to grow and she is so tired of feeling so “big“. In the birth class they told that starting this week the mom may notice an increase in the amount of Braxton Hicks contractions. Braxton Hicks, in my opinion, is nothing but the natures way to get you ready for the big day. True labor eventually follow the Braxton Hicks contractions, however, the mom has not yet felt anything significant. While baby is packing on pounds the fine downy hair, lanugo, that has covered the baby’s skin is beginning to disappear, along with the vernix caseosa. Vernix caseosa is the thick, creamy substance that protects the baby’s skin while he/she has been submerged in amniotic fluid. Both of these are swallowed by your baby, along with additional amniotic fluid, which combine together to form meconium, or your baby’s first bowel movement..wow that is so disgusting !! The doctor mentioned that the baby is between 16 and 19 inches long and weighs 6 to 7 pounds. I feel like he/she is running out of room but I swear the little monster is still turning flips in there. I really hope he isn’t turning him/herself into some awkward position that guarantees a C-section. I mean, one might be guaranteed anyway, but work with us, kiddo! This is a wonderful experience ..mom can’t describe it but she tells me she would not exchange this for world !!

Interestingly, I read somewhere that at the end of this week the baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.). For some reason I do have a strong feeling that she will deliever by 39th week. We are going for the ultrasound in the 38th week to find out the size of the baby and if the doctor feels that the baby is big they will induce the labor as soon as possible.

The biggest problem mom is facing is not being able to sleep properly …she keeps telling me how she hates night !!. She often complain with terrible shoulder and back pain. She is also having some breathing issues…but the breathing techniques learned in the child birth classes are a blessing. And yes…swollen feet are still playing hide and seek.

Mom and I had a awesome weekend. We did spent a lot of time shopping around and carefully selecting what all we are going to need . We bought several small things for the baby, though we cannot buy too many cloths as we don’t know the gender. Mom got treated on Saturday evening at “Marconi and Grill”. She had her favorite Mushroom Ravioli. What made her day was when the waitress told that she didn’t even notice that mom was pregnant ..she got herself an extra 10% tip there. We made a resolution that until the baby comes out we got to eat out as much as we can and wach as many movies as we can. We are planning to see the “ body of lies” or “W”.

Here is a funny thing ..apparently the little pumpkin loves the music .. The beats makes her/him Monster wiggle as if he/she is dancing ..well this doesn’t surprise me given mom’s passion for dance.

Week 33

It is now week 33 and I am still amazed how fast the time is going. Seven more weeks to go so that mean only 49 more days left until the big day! Yippy! We can’t wait…everyday we feel like we are more and more (or perhaps less and less) ready for D-Day to arrive. The preparation for the bay shower is picking up. We visited Bombay sitar yesterday and discussed the menu with Ragu (owner cum chef).

Final lunch menu as of today

Ras Malai

Samosa and Veggie Pakora

Naan

Saffron Pulao

Chili-Cheese, Navratan Korma (Mix Vegies) and Tarka Daal (Lentils)

Papad

Sounds yummy !!!

It makes me nervous to think that we haven’t even started the shopping yet, well we visited several stores over last few weeks but didn’t really buy anything. Thanks to Manisha we have our registery up at Burlington, which is kind of nice since its only few block away from us and we can visit several times if needed. So far we have postponed the shopping mainly sue to the gifts we get in the baby shower. We are expecting a big crowd in the baby shower…it will be fun ..

Looking at the mom, it certainly feels as the baby weighs much more than 4.5 lbs, but the books/doctor/internet has to be true. The baby, perhaps is aroud 4-5 lbs and approximately 16-18 inch in height. The little one is getting cuter and pudgier every minute as he/she pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. I can surely tell by the kicks that the baby is getting stronger every day. Its funny that now I can almost see some imprints on her belly as the baby kicks. Other day Manisha was trying to feel the movement and I think she did..but only once. Its like the baby is teasing you ..he/she will kick several time when you are not looking and if you concentrate on the belly to see it ..nothing there…but it’s a neat experience.

We are waiting anxiously for the baby hiccups..Other day Doctor mentioned that good strong hiccups means that the baby’s lungs are working great, and he/she is preparing him/herself for breathing air. The baby also swallow amniotic fluid as well, which is okay since it just passes through their system harmlessly. Mom’s sugar level is ok for the most part except after supper. We met doctor on last Friday and he decide to give another 2 weeks to see how it looks. Sometime she does crave a lot for the sweet stuff and tries to cheat the system. I (and so does the doctor) am particularly happy about the fasting sugar, turns aout that is the most important one. Overall doctor didn’t look too concern which is always a good sign.