Whoa . . . Only 3 More Weeks (or less)!!

We had a doctor's appointment today and Nicolas Alexander has gained almost a pound in the last two weeks! He is now at an estimated 5 pounds and 1 ounce. Dr. Lacey is pleased with his progress, though our little man is still only in the 25th percentile for size at this point. But, he is proportionate and appears healthy. We have just over 3 weeks until the due date and Dr. Lacey explained today that it is not healthy for the baby to go over his due date because small babies have certain risks with blood pressure and other issues over a certain time period. While I would rather not have him medically induced, we agree that we will do what we need to for the baby. With that in mind, if Alexander has not arrived by March 20th, we will induce either on the 20th or 21st. It is crazy to think that he will be here within 3 weeks!!!

Growing

Well, I have gained about 4 pounds in the last two weeks since Alan has been feeding me extra well. Now, I have the flu so I am hopeful that I don't lose any of the weight that I have gained. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check Alexander's growth and we hope he is up to at least 5 pounds.

The baby has started perking up as soon as he hears Alan's voice. It is really bizarre because he is so responsive to his daddy. Alan will be gone all day and come home and start talking and immediately, Alexander will start moving around and responding to his voice. The other day, Alan would say Alejandro toward my belly and he would immediately kick. Alan did this several time and got a response each time. It was really cool. He hears my voice all the time, so I am sure it is nice to hear his daddy's voice for a change!

Ice Cream and Babies

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and was suprised to find out that Nicolas Alexander is under weight. I feel like I eat all the time, but I have only gained 19 pounds at 35 weeks and the baby is estimated to only weigh 4 pounds. My doctor would have liked him to be at least 5 pounds at this time if not more. So, he has instructed me to eat as much as possible over the next few weeks and he took off the sugar restriction. He went as far as to tell me that I should stop on my way home and get an ice cream sundae. He is going to do another ultrasound in 2 weeks just to check to make sure that the baby has grown some by then. He is still moving a lot, so that is good. Alan is monitoring my food intake and trying to get me to eat more. I am eating several small meals throughout the day to get enough food. I don't have much space in there, so I don't feel like I can eat much at one time.

As most of you are aware, I am quite a big worrier, but I am trying not to worry too much about this. I just want to make sure he is healthy and I am trying to make sure that I don't go in to early labor. :)

32 week ultrasound

I am a little delayed getting this picture online, but c'est la vie. This is from our ultrasound at 32 weeks (2 weeks ago) and is a close up of his face. You should see Nicolas Alexander's whole face and his hands resting under his chin. Tilt your head a bit to the right to see it better. He is already pretty darn cute. We think he has my eyes and Alan's dimpled chin :)!

We have a Name!!!!

Nicolas Alexander Brady

We have finally decided on a name!! About 2 weeks ago, Alan woke me up in the middle of the night and said "What about Nicolas Alexander?" and then he fell right back asleep. After months of nothing really making me think, yeah, that is what I want to name my son--I finally have something that just sounds right. We both realize that we love the name, so Nicolas Alexander it is! And it all came to Alan in a dream :)!

Warning-Scary Photo Ahead

I really don't like the following picture, but Alan wanted to post it so I relented. I have had the flu (or something like the flu) and have been sick for several days, so be prepared for a pretty scary picture. I am luckily feeling better now, but still not 100%. Alan has been taking really good care of me, though, and I am starting to get my strength back. I couldn't keep anything down for over 2 days, but Alan got me to eat some couscous and chicken today and that has settled well.

Baby Decepticon

Here's a quick foto of Megatron in the womb. Steph is feeling under the weather but is on the road to recovery.