The Growing Caldwell Family

Here is the last belly shot with Charlie!  This was taken just before we left for the hospital.  It's hard to believe that sweet boy was inside my belly!

Today at 40 weeks and 6 days I went back for another non stress test and to see the midwife.  Charlie did well on the non stress test showing no decelerations and a reactive heartbeat. I saw my favorite midwife, Anjli, today.  I went in with a lot of anxiety and she has a way of making it seem better.  My two big concerns were the placenta "giving out" and how that actually works and Charlie's size and what that might mean for delivery.   As for the placenta, it doesn't just stop one day.  It's a more gradual process, which is how they can monitor every few days and have me monitoring his movements at home and determine if he is doing well.  I guess the placenta starts to calcify over time and gradually stops providing nourishment to the baby.  If the baby is not getting enough nourishment, vital function for heart and brain are prioritized making things like fluid output from the kidneys slow down.  That's why the fluid level is also monitored t...

This is Chubby's room from the doorway.  I am pleased with how it all came together.  I knew I wanted light blue walls, it just seemed like a peaceful color for a baby boy.  We loved all the monkey theme when we were expecting Sarah Graves and thought we would do that for a boy, but once it was time to decide, we were drawn to the fish.     We found the bedding and that started the whole theme  Jeanne' had the idea to make this darling frame and have his monogram in it to personalize it.  The fish tails font is perfect for his theme! We found this cute photo frame at a festival and just fell in love with it.  We can't wait for him to arrive so that we can put his picture in it! I took this photo before we had the picture from Aunt Nay to put up.    We went to Etsy for a lot of the artwork in his room and couldn't resist this growth chart personalized with his name on it. We found this neat f...

Here we are 4 days past the estimated due date.  It's hard not to feel a little anxious that he may never get here.  I'm really not physically uncomfortable, but I am growing anxious to get things underway and see him. Thursday, I went for acupuncture.  The acupuncture isn't painful and they use points in the hands, ankles, and lower back to try to stimulate the body to move everything downward.   That helped get things moving when we were waiting for Sarah Graves, so I had high expectations that the next day I would be in labor; no such luck.  I went into work as usual, but it is starting to wind down for me and it's hard to keep my mind off waiting for labor to start. I had one more idea that a pregnancy massage might help me relax and let my body get things going.  I called and they had an opening during lunch.  I enjoyed the relaxing experience and wish massage were something I could do all the time, but still nothing seems to be moving. We...

Today I went for some tests to make sure that Chubby is doing well and okay being past his date. Part of that included an ultrasound and a peak at his profile! They checked the fluid levels and there is plenty! You need a measure of 5 cm and I had 24 cm! The placenta looks good and Chubby had a reactive heart rate. His weight is estimated to be around 9 pounds, so he should live up to his nickname! They checked my blood pressure and it remains low, which might explain my persistent headache. I will need to go back on Monday to be sure his heart rate is reactive. We can only hope he is here before then! I am headed to acupuncture this evening and that helped get it going for SG, so we will see!

It's hard to say for sure  how big your baby will be , but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds ( a small pumpkin ) and is about 20 inches long. The biggest part of your baby's body is his head, but his still-pliable skull will give it the flexibility necessary to squeeze through the birth canal. Many parents are surprised by how long and sharp their newborn's nails are from the get-go.  Clipping them right away  (ask a nurse for help) can prevent your baby from scratching his face.  Somehow I am anticipating that Chubby weighs more than 7 1/2 pounds!

We went into the weekend hoping that Chubby might want to come a few days early.  We have pretty much everything in place for him and feel as ready as we will ever be.  Clearly, he didn't share the idea. We had a good day Saturday, but I could tell that Sarah Graves didn't feel quite like herself (a little more clingy and lethargic than usual) and she took a nap for over four hours!  Then, she woke during the night on Saturday night crying that her ear hurt.  We got her some Motrin and I laid down with her until she got back to sleep and she slept quite late on Sunday. Not knowing what the week would hold, I wanted to get her looked at by the pediatrician, but we didn't want to miss her last Little Gym class either.  We hurried to her pediatrician who has hours on Sunday, but they are by appointment only.  So, we headed to a minute clinic in hopes of getting in and out before gym class.  They were super-speedy and really nice to her.  She had ...

 I have some really sweet co-workers who got together and gave us a Baby Sprinkle on Friday afternoon.  I had never heard of a sprinkle before, but it is a small shower for a mom who has already had one or more babies and only needs small things like clothes.  My co-workers gave us a shower for Sarah Graves and I felt bad to have another full out shower, but a sprinkle seemed like a nice way to celebrate Chubby's much anticipated arrival!  Ms. Algia just adores Sarah Graves and was a big part of putting this sprinkle together.  Sarah Graves refers to her as Ms. Gia.  They played the game where everyone takes a piece of string and tries to guess how much is needed to go around me.  My director, Joe, came the closest because he made his very short and was the only one who didn't go over!  Here are some of the members of my team, the Organizational Effectiveness team.    Sarah Graves was just precious throughout the eve...

Yesterday was my 39 week check-up. Chubby and I are both doing fine. He is head down with his head getting low. He is on his side, but he can still rotate during labor. Having his back against my belly would be the easiest for labor, but this can work. I was a little disappointed to learn that because I am now 35 they want to do more testing at 40 weeks before letting me go past my due date. It is one of those statistical things that after 35 the lifespan of the placenta gets shorter. They aren't exactly sure at what age, so they picked 35 to be on the safe side. In order to reduce risk, they recommend ultrasound and being on the monitor to ensure baby is doing well. It isn't that I don't want to know Chubby is doing well, my concern is that this could be the start of interventions that take me away from the birth I want. Ultrasounds are notoriously wrong at identifying a baby's weight and I am concerned it may suggest Chubby is big and they will want to ind...

We have known since before we were married that Aaron wanted to name a boy Charles after his granddaddy. I like debating names, so I kept throwing out possibilities, but he was set. We did agree that we will call him Charlie. The middle name was harder. We had several good family names in the running and have debated them over and over. We finally decided on Matthew for the middle name after Aaron's dad. It also happens that Aaron's great grandfather was Charles Matthew. His official name will be Charles Matthew Caldwell, but I'm afraid he may always be Chubby to us! Let the monogramming begin!

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds,  a mini watermelon . (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. Chubby has slowed his movements down, but he still finds time in the day to kick and squirm a bit.  Gone are the days of rapid tumbling around.  I feel like he has moved a little lower, but a lot of people look at me and say he is still high.  Knowing that he may not really drop until well into labor, I try not to be too concerned with it.   As we get closer to the end I get more and more excited to see this baby's face and share him with his family.  There is a lot of anticipation right now, but we are staying pretty relaxed knowing that babies come when they are ready.  

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like  a leek ). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are  ready for life outside the womb . Wondering  what color your baby's eyes will be ? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old.

Chubby and I had a check-up this morning.  It appears that all is well.  My blood pressure is low and Chubby's heartbeat is strong.  I measured at 38 cm again this week, so he may have had a bit of a growth spurt last week.  She checked his position and he is head down, but he felt a bit like he was posterior or face up.  It's not really a problem for him to be posterior, but if he stays that way, labor will probably be a little harder with more back labor.  I have been doing some of the exercises on spinning babies  and have been really mindful of my posture throught this pregnancy, but he seems to have a mind of his own.  He is stilll pretty high, but that isn't a concern since he may not drop until labor.  I was a little concerned because I have noticed some swelling in my feet that I haven't had before.  She took a look and felt it wasn't a concern, especially since it goes down over night.  I am supposed to drink lots of wate...

I set out to make sure that our freezer was stocked with frozen meals for when Chubby arrives. I have slowly been building up a stock pile and am finally finished. Here is what I made: Chicken and Rice casserole ( Talk About Good ) Chicken Tortellini casserole ( Warm Welcomes ) Pork Chop and Rice casserole (similar to a recipe in Talk About Good, but Aaron found it online) Baked Ziti Sour Cream Noodle Bake (The Pioneer Woman) Beef Enchiladas King Ranch Chicken Chicken and Noodle casserole (someone at our church made this when SG was born and it was perfect comfort food) Strata (recipe from years ago from the Fredrick House Bed and Breakfast) Stromboli (recipe from a neighbor of ours in Texas) Emeril's mac'n cheese Then, Jeanne' thoughtfully made us several meals - chicken enchiladas, hash brown casserole, and a chicken and ranch pasta dish. Because some casseroles make a lot, I divided some to give us more variety and not have to eat the same thing for days! Hopeful...

Jeanne' is our personal photographer and we are so grateful for that.  No other photographer would have the patience that she does with Sarah Graves and be able to do pictures on a whim because a two-year-old is in a pretty good mood.  We supply the camera and she has the ideas. She recently came and took some pregnancy pictures for us as a family.  We captured Sarah Graves' pregnancy in some beautiful pictures and I wanted to do the same for him, especially including his big sister in the action. Thanks, Jeanne'!  We will love these pictures in years to come.

Friday night we had a fun time having dinner with my family and Jeanne' painted my belly!   Mom and Dad cooked for all of us and we had a nice time hanging out together.  Sarah Graves was exhausted from school and not her usual self, but she was glad to see Aunt Nay and Pops as they are often busy with work. My beach ball!

Now that I am in the last few weeks of pregnancy, I have appointments every week.  Yesterday we had a great check-up.  My blood pressure is still good.  Chubby measures at 38 cm, which is still within the acceptable range for 36 weeks.  His heart rate was right at 140 and he is positioned head down. I found out that my iron levels are in the appropriate range, so I will continue taking the iron supplement once a day.  The results of my beta strep test came back negative, which is great because I won't need IV antibiotics when I get to the hospital!  Needing the antibiotics isn't the end of the world, but you have to get to the hospital earlier and it means you have the IV from the start. All in all, things are looking good right now!  Just another few weeks to go!

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. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a  head-down position , but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Chubby and I had a check-up yesterday and all seems to be going well.  My blood pressure remains good and Chubby is doing well.  His heartbeat was nice and strong.  He is still high, but she checked his position and he is head down.  She showed me where to put my hands so that I could feel his head, which was pretty neat.  I asked if it felt like there was plenty of fluid and she said it's hard to tell, but nothing felt like there was a low level of fluid.  I'll take that.  I was worried about his position because Sunday night he was thrashing around and Monday morning I could feel him hiccuping up high on my right side.  I could also feel some strong kicks down low, so I got worried that he was likely breech.  Monday night I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees trying hard to get him to turn and with a few thrashing moves he must have.  I was pretty sure he was back head down yesterday when I felt his hiccups down low and more mov...

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. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.