35 Weeks

So it hit me on Sunday night that I hit full term in a mere two weeks! Little miss Kaylee Bria could be here in as little as TWO weeks! But in as many as five. Ahhh! Very exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I am so much looking forward to meeting my little girl. But at the same time I think I am going to miss my bump and all the little movements. I know she will be very much loved and spoiled by all of those impatiently awaiting her arrival.

Chris and I had our baby party over the weekend. I really want to sincerely thank all of you who came. It was so nice to see you all and we appreciate all of you who wanted to come and celebrate with us.

On Sunday, Chris and I went on a baby shopping spree at Babies 'R Us to get the rest of the stuff we still needed before Kaylee's arrival. Wow, babies are expensive. But it was fun picking out all the stuff again and knowing all the stuff would soon be in full use!

I spent Monday washing everything and putting Kaylee's nursery together. That was fun, but a lot of work, since I am now finding the little things that I used to do so easily a little harder and more taxing. I run out of energy so much more easily now. But her nursery is almost completely done! Here are some pictures of the mostly finished product:

http://picasaweb.google.com/CJGrau/Nursery

Thursday evening, Chris and I have a childbirth basics class. That should be interesting. I have experienced a live birth, as I was present when my best friend gave birth to her beautiful baby boy. So I won't be completely in the dark as to what happens during the birth process. Hopefully both Chris and I will learn a lot of new and interesting things that will help us on the big day.

Oh! Some of you asked me to set up a poll on the blog so we can all guess what color hair Kaylee will pop out with. So by popular demand, the poll is up and open! Have fun guessing!

Update on Kaylee —

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While we will know more about Kaylee's weight and measurements after my next ultrasound, the average baby at 35 weeks weighs in at about 5 1/2 pounds and stretches out to around 20 1/4 inches as they approaches full term.

Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help her regulate her body temperature. It also provides those cute little dimples on her elbows and knees! Most of her growth over the next couple weeks or so before we meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (Kaylee's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Back in the middle of the pregnancy, Kaylee's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent (and will increase to 30 percent at term).

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is Kaylee's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain—the skull—remains soft. Her kidneys are completely developed, and the liver is beginning to process waste. Stem cells in the bone marrow continue to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to maintain a healthy immune system, but there is not really any development remaining for arms, legs, brain or organs. From this point on she will simply continue to grow in size as she readies for her big debut.

She is also experiencing active and quiet wakefulness where she continues to explore the environment around her and her hearing is now fully developed.