Week 39 - 6 days until due date

Greetings from Week 39.  For the rare few people who haven't called, emailed, texted, or sent a message via Pony Express the past few days, there is not much new to report.

If you recall, last week we found out Melanie was dilated 1 cm and 50% effaced.  At today's visit, we're still around 1cm....  bummer.  On the positive side, he's dropped a little more and there's been some additional "softening."  So, for all of you who haven't voted in the Due Date Poll (don't forget), keep this new information in mind when casting your votes.

Changing the subject briefly, there appears to be some slight interest from a few in knowing the name.  Apparently these people don't think his name will be Baby Blackwell...

...and they're right.

With that said, we thought it would be fun to start putting some hints on the blog.  So, here are your hints:

• He shares the same first name as a passenger on the Mayflower.
• He also shares his first name with a successful NFL receiver.
• The middle name is shared with a famous poet's first name.
• The middle name is also shared with a famous NBA guard's last name.

Hopefully that helps settle it for everyone.  We were a little reluctant to just completely give away the name, but we thought you'd appreciate it.   :).   EDIT:  If you want to send us emails with your guesses, go ahead.  We'll post a follow up after he's born announcing any winners and how smart you are.

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The end is near! (Week 38)

38 weeks and ?? to go!

Hi All! Today we had another doctor's appointment. Over the last week I have been feeling a lot more pressure as the little guy continues to drop. I have also had more intermittent nerve pain in my left thigh, but no real contractions to speak of. Given all this, I was hoping the doctor would tell me that these symptoms were signaling that the end is near.

So.....all was not in vain, as I found out today that I am officially 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced!! Yeah! I'm so excited! Now, this doesn't mean that I'll be in labor tomorrow, but does suggest that things are moving along and hopefully Baby Blackwell will be here in the next week or so.  So stay tuned because our next post may be the best one yet!

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Week 35

It's week 35!  4.5 weeks until baby time!

We're all settled in after our little babymoon trip to Gulf Shores, AL (some of us still wishing we were there....).  Here are a few pics from the trip.  We stayed in Gulf Shores, but also ventured over to Orange Beach, AL, Pensacola, FL, and Pensacola Beach, FL.

We FINALLY got a crib....  well almost.  It's purchased, just not at our house yet.  We got a matching dresser, too, so now maybe we'll have a place for all those new clothes.

As of today's doctor's appointment, Melanie and baby are right on track.  He's still measuring about 1-2 cm ahead of schedule (i.e. 36 cm in week 35) and appears to have begun "dropping" - not much, but the doc noticed it.  He's still head down and the heartbeat was strong.  The doctor feels that everything is going well and presumably headed toward a typical labor.  Good news!

Here's a picture!

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Hello pregancy symptoms! (Week 33)

Hi there! Melanie here! So things have been going pretty well. Time flies and we're in week 34! I'll start going to the doctor every week now.  As you can see...I get bigger every week.  Here are a couple Week 33 pics.

 

As the second trimester passed, so did any major pregnancy symptoms. Getting closer to the finish line, however, I'm constantly being reminded of the ~4lb baby I've been toting. Here's what going on now:
1. Poor sleep...for me as I struggle to get comfy, and for Tim as I snore more often and louder.
2. More breathlessness as the kid pushes up on my lungs.
3. Heartburn! Ouch! I've only had it like 2 times, but I do not like it!
4. Swelling in my feet and ankles...and foot aches if I am up and walking too long. Good-bye major shopping trips :(

Hello cankles! Being pregnant is so sexy :)

Other than these symptoms, the little guy is moving more and more despite having little room in there. His new favorite thing is to stick out his foot into my right side making it look like I have some weird growth poking out my side. I guess you need to stretch every once in a while when you are all cramped up in a little ball most of the time!

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Week 32

Wow!  Week 32 already.  Seems like the past several months have just blown by.  Baby Blackwell is doing well and is still 1-1.5 weeks ahead of schedule for his growth.  The doctor told Melanie that she may do another ultrasound around week 38 to get a better idea of how big he is.  Melanie thinks that she may be induced around that time if he's big.  If not, we'll just ride it out a couple more weeks and wait for him to let us know he's ready.

I should have mentioned last time that Melanie is the real victim when it comes to sleeping.  Between the middle of the night bathroom breaks, waking herself up with her own snoring, and the baby's continually increasing kicks and rolling, Melanie's definitely getting a lot less sleep than she used to (and definitely less than her preferred amount).  Despite the lack of sleep, she's feeling great and as happy as ever!

Here are some recent pics:

LOOK AT THAT BUMP!!!

Melanie's "sleeping pod"

A demonstration of the "sleeping pod"

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Week 31 - Pregnancy Snoring & Labor Class

Last night, Melanie's pregnancy snoring woke me up - and I was wearing earplugs!  Maybe it's her subtle way of preparing us for many more nights of waking up at 2:00am (and 12:00 and 4:00 and 6:00....).


Despite Melanie's ever increasing sleep deprivation, the baby is doing his thing.  He's moving like crazy in there and according to our most recent Dr.'s visit, his growth is about 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule!

Saturday we went to Forrest General Hospital for their free class about labor and delivery.  It had a lot of good information, from round ligament pain to lots of details about the different stages of labor.  It won't be long and we'll have to pack our hospital bags!

Here are some pics.

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It's the Final Countdown!

The 3rd trimester is here and we have begun the final countdown.

Some big changes are happening as you can see.  Here's Melanie in Week 23 and again wearing the same shirt in Week 28.  According to all the books, in the last few weeks Baby Blackwell has doubled in size.  Despite the growth spurt, Melanie is doing great and looking as good as ever!

Week 23

Week 28

Here's another Week 28/3rd-Trimester-Kick-Off photo for your viewing pleasure.

June 20th, HERE WE COME!!

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