Happy 31 weeks to us

Today is another milestone...we hit the 31 week mark. It's a relief to know that Cubby is growing bigger and stronger every day. He has use of all his senses now and has his eyes open. Here's what else is happening in his world:

"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."

It makes me so happy to hear about how he's progressing every week and to know that every day is vital for him to stay in there and keep cooking. When I look at the picture above, it's hard to fathom that there is a baby that big in my tummy. Our baby. Our Cubby. Incredible.

Hopefully I will be going home a week from today. My doctor said that I have to get re-measured before I leave to make sure that my cervix is still at .9 cm and hasn't gotten any smaller. I feel confident that I will pass the test and be able to go home. I have to....it's time. Next week will be a month that I have been in the hospital and needless to say, I've had my fill.

I'm getting a lot more tired lately. It's hard to get much rest in a hospital when nurses are coming in every half an hour. It's taking more out of me to get work done every day but I'm thankful I have the opportunity to still work.

I'm getting very excited about being so close to the baby being here but also completely unprepared. The baby's room is still just a room with boxes in it,. I have no idea what to do in there. Do we paint? Do we leave it as it is? We don't have any baby items, not even a diaper! Well, ok, that's not true, we have tons of clothes for him. This kid is hooked up in a major way, but let's be real here, there are things like a car seat and stoller that we will most likey need in addtion to all those clothes. I can't help but feel helpless because I'm still unable to do any organizing or unpacking and it's just so frustrating. I know there is nothing I can do about it, and I will just have to find a way to deal with the fact that my hands are tied for the time being.

Because of the difficult nature of my pregnancy these past five weeks, I had to cancel our baby classes. You know the ones, where they tell you how to breath through contractions and how/when to push/not to push, basically the ABC's of giving birth. Because of this, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I have no idea what a contraction feels like, I don't know how far apart they should be before heading to the hospital, I don't know who, if anyone, I'm supposed to call when that happens (it seems in the movies people call their doctor to tell them?) Rob and I are pretty much flying totally and completely blind with this whole thing. But you know what? I'm not too worried about it. I figured that the nurses will tell me when to push, when to breath etc and as long as I have Rob there holding my hand, cheering me on I know it will be ok. We make a really great team and he has a way of keeping me calm and focused. Maybe I'm being completely naive about the whole thing, but I feel confident in us and the staff here at Hoag, and I'm good with that.