Joie de Vivre

Week 38: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.


The photo above was taken by my dear, sweet friend Ashley who is a wonderful photographer. Click on her name to browse her blog...you'll be swept away by her dreamy photos :-) Ash and her family moved to Sacramento in January, and I've been telling her ever since then that I would come up and stay with them....hang out, see where they live, etc., etc. At 38 weeks pregnant I just couldn't put it off any more. If I didn't do it then I would never be able to do it. I am SO glad we were able to have the time to hang out. Jason (her husband) pampered us to no end. We had home made lentil soup (with ham hocks, which add such amazing flavor) and crusty bread for dinner, played some Candyland with Kyla (their daughter), watched the original Footloose since neither of us had seen it, and had peach infused caramel apple cider. How's all that for a rainy night? Jason even slept on the couch so that I could sleep in the bed with all of my pillows :-) The next morning Ash and I awoke to Starbucks beverages and breakfast treats; seriously, I could get used to living at the Maxwell's.

The rain lifted by mid-day, so we were able to spend a few hours on a fun prego shoot for me and baby Baer. And since my wardrobe mainly consists of jeans and t-shirts (boring, I know) I let Ashley take the reigns on styling me...so glad one of us has some fashion sense!

I am so grateful we were able to get some girl time in before the arrival of baby Baer. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing friend...Ash, you are beautiful inside and out...selfless, spontaneous, caring, creative, energetic, and loving. You love people like no one else I know, and you inspire me to love with all my heart. Thank you for being you!

Week 36: Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath.

Week 37: Your baby is now considered full term, even though your due date is still three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. She weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.


I am definitely started to get a bit more uncomfortable as due date approaches, but i'm not complaining...I would take this stage of pregnancy any day over the "morning sickness" stage. My back hurts, my sciatic nerve hurts, I pee far too many times, and I don't really sleep. Everyone keeps telling me, "take advantage of this time and sleep, sleep, sleep....". Ya right, not happening. Oh well, I guess it's preparing me for having a newborn, right :-)

We are definitely excited about the soon-to-be arrival of this little one, but it almost doesn't feel real yet. I feel like she could stay in there and cook for a few more months. I have to keep reminding myself that she could literally show up ANYTIME!

Week 34: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers – which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born – are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.


Week 35: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete – she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Week 32: Baby by weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Week 33: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal (ouch!). These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

We had an ultrasound last week so they could make sure she was gaining the weight that she was supposed to, and sure enough she was just fine! He even said she was measuring ahead of where she is "supposed" to be. All in all, things are looking good :-)

Week 28: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Week 29: 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. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain.

Week 30: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Week 31: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.

I haven't really had many pregnancy cravings...unless you count my diet of pizza, bagels and cream cheese, and coca-cola during my morning sick period "cravings," but I more so consider those the only items that sounded somewhat appetizing. But, within the past few weeks I guess you could say I've been getting cravings. I have been dying for baked goods! Seriously, every time I am out and about I have to keep myself from stopping by Gayle's or The Buttery to purchase myself some sort of delicious, flaky pastry, fresh cookie, or moist cake slice with butter cream and ganache...it's a good thing I'm not traveling through Europe right now!

Last night it was Thai food...all i wanted was curry and Pad Thai. Luckily, I had two cans of coconut milk and green curry paste on hand, score! I whipped up some delicious thai green curry if I do say so myself, and it only took about 30 minutes start to finish...it would have taken longer for me pick up the take-out. The only problem is that I ate far too much and ended the night with that horrible pregnancy heartburn, but it was worth it :-) And I have enough leftovers for dinner tonight! As for the Pad Thai, I didn't have the ingredients on hand and I had never made it before...does anyone out there have a good pad thai recipe?

Week 27: Baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, baby's brain is very active now.

This coming Friday marks the beginning of my third trimester....WHAT?!?! How did that happen? I'm still feeling great, which is SO nice! Except I think that my hands are starting to get swollen cause my ring is fairly tight....is there anything you can do to not swell? Also, I think my feet have grown. Some people have said that they could just be swollen too, but I honestly think they have gotten longer, haha, I guess I'll know after the baby comes if my new bigger feet are here to stay :-) And the newest thing is my sore bellybutton, yes, you heard me correctly, I said sore bellybutton. Who knew a bellybutton could be sore? So if I see you and you touch my belly just be sure to steer clear of the bellybutton...thanks!

Week 20: This is the day that we found out the little one is a GIRL! Our ultrasound tech said she weighed 12 oz. and she was about 10 inches from head to feet...about the size of a banana. She is still quite the mover....It took the doctor a bit longer then normal to get all of the necessary photos because our baby doesn't like to hold still :-) This is also the first week that Brian was able to feel her move!

Week 21: The little girl is about the size of a carrot....10 1/2 inches from head to feet.

Week 22: Weighing in at almost 1 pound and about 11 inches, baby is about the size (length-wise) of a spaghetti squash. We haven't been very good at taking photos every week, but here is one from week 22....

This week our little baby Baer weighs about 8 1/2 ounces (crazy that it weighs so little) and is about 6 inches, head to bottom. One site said it was the size of an heirloom tomato and another said it was the size of a mango...I like mangos better, so I'll go with that :-)

I'll be 20 weeks this Friday and we have our ultrasound appointment that same day....if we get a good view we may know if baby is a boy or a girl, woot-woot!!!

Brian and I had told no one that we were entertaining the idea of starting a family. Anytime people would ask us, "So, when's your turn..." We would respond with some answer consisting of work, school, house remodel, etc. and say maybe sometime in the next few years. So, it was quite the surprise to most people when we came out with the news, and we had SO much fun telling people. It would have been fun to get photos of everyone's reactions like our friends the Garaways did, but we were only able to snap a few here and there.

The first people we told were Brian's parents, who were in Kauai at the time. We tricked them into getting on skype because we told Brendon that Brian had broken a pipe while working on the house and we needed him to look at it for us. Brian told me to bring the pipe over, but instead I showed up with a positive pregnancy test....I think they were a bit shocked and excited, and Brendon was relieved that there was no broken pipe :-) This is their first grand baby, and I am so excited for the amazing grandparents I know they are going to be...they couldn't be happier about the news!

My parents had invited the two of us over for dinner, so the timing was perfect. We wanted to get a photo of their reaction, so Brian took the camera and asked to get a photo of the three of us.... "1, 2, 3, Emily's pregnant..." *click*

It's a strange thing having your body change in ways it never has before, but it's exciting knowing that there is a little life in there who is making all of the changes worth it. For some reason I didn't start taking belly photos until week 11, and even since then we missed weeks 14 and 16. But hey, at least we have documentation of the progress.

Week 11: don't mind me, this was during my sick period...the last thing I wanted to do was take a photo. At this stage baby is the size of a fig (just over 1 1/2 in. long).

And the news is out, we're joining a new club...the parenting club! We're looking forward to Fall when we get to meet our little one some time around October 21st. Though we are looking forward to it we are in no hurry; i've actually been very thankful that pregnancy is 9/10 months...I think that time is crucial to prepare yourself in so many ways (though I don't think it is something that you can ever fully prepare yourself for).

We are both so excited about this next step in our lives and are so thankful for the love and support of our amazing family and friends. This baby is joining the world during a major baby boom here in Santa Cruz and the surrounding area, so there will be no lack of friends for our little tyke, and there are plenty of people for me to talk pregnancy details with...we feel so blessed!

This ultrasound video was taken at 10 weeks, 6 days (i'm now 13 1/2 weeks). Seriously, it was one of the craziest things I have experienced. We have a mover and a shaker on our hands...i'm just wondering if that will continue into newborn phase...only time will tell.

Video disclaimer: please don't mind my annoying voice saying, "I danced for 9 years...." A sweet friend kindly reminded me that how dare I take all the credit for our dancing baby, when Brian used to be the one (pre-knee surgery days) who would bust out with the splits at weddings...and she couldn't be more correct.