Here's what's going on this week with Whisler Baby Boy 2009:
Baby Stats:
Size: 19-20 inches
Weight: 7-8 pounds
Baby Developments:
At birth babies have a total of 300 bones. Some of the bones will fuse together later, which is why an adult has only 206 bones. Fascinating, no? Babies vary in size at this point, but the average full-term baby weighs around 7 to 8 pounds and hovers around 19 or 20 inches. That's about the size of a ... BABY!
Yeah, we've made it to week 40! Nine months ago it seemed like this day would never come and now it seems like just yesterday we found out we were pregnant. It's been a fun ride but it's not over yet. Although the due date is approaching, we haven't seen a baby yet. I keep reading that more than 50% of women go up to 2 weeks past their due date. At least I know he'll come out eventually and will be good and ready!
What We're Doing:
This week we were at the hospital Saturday night and into the early morning hours on Sunday with contractions. I started feeling contractions earlier in the day on Saturday and they got progressively worse through the evening. Mark and I walked around the neighborhood in an effort to make them stronger and more regular and Mark diligently timed them. By about 9pm I was having contractions every 5 minutes and lasting 2 minutes each. We decided to shower and get our final bags packed for the hospital and left around 11:30pm.
Upon arrival, the triage nurse hooked me up to fetal monitors and confirmed that I was having regular contractions. After many laps around the labor and delivery floor of the hospital and 3 hours later, the nurses decided to send me home. They believed I was in early labor and fully expected to see me back before 7am Sunday morning. They gave me medicine to take the edge off the pain of the contractions and help me sleep. The medicine worked so well that I didn't wake up until after 10am Sunday morning and all contractions stopped. I was disappointed but we reluctantly realized he wasn't ready to make his grand entrance.
Farm Report:
Week 40's fruit is a peach. Peaches actually originated in China where they have been cultivated since the early days of Chinese culture. Peaches were mentioned in Chinese writings as far back as the tenth century BC and were a favored fruit of emperors. Although Thomas Jefferson had peach trees at Monticello, United States farmers did not begin commercial production until the nineteenth century in Maryland, Delaware, Georgia and finally Virginia.
Mark's rating: 10 out of 10
Laura's rating: 10 out of 10
We are really enjoying eating fresh peaches everyday. This teamed with blueberries and strawberries from Mama Jean's (a local organic market) have made a nice healthy alternative to Andy's Frozen Custard - the typical dessert of choice the last 9 months.