Contractions are not a little party in your uterus

So Travis and I went out to dinner last night. I fell victim to the ads from Olive Garden and their new Chicken Crostini. Oh my goodness, it was so good!
So when we were seated at the table, I started having contractions. They were about 15 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. This went on for about an hour and a half. I KNEW that even if I was really in labor, that we had time to kill. So we had our overly garlic-ed meal and even stopped at Rite-Aid for more Rolaids before I went home and hopped into the bathtub.
Sure enough, as soon as I got home and into the tub, the contractions stopped.
Maggie (you can visit her blog, it is posted on my side bar) was very sweet. She is going to be my assistant coach, so I called her to tell her about my false labor. When she heard that I was having contractions, she said, "well I am going to go to bed extra early in case I need to drive up to LA early in the morning. She lives in San Diego, and is expecting a baby too.
I have been taking it easy today. I am tired, and my uterus has been contracting on and off. Nothing as regular as last night though. It generally aches, and Alton has discovered my pubic bone makes a great percussion instrument. I am still very thankful though. I am generally comfortable uterus aches aside, and I haven't started swelling, or developing cankles.
Who is reading this? Leave a comment for the crazy pregnant lady who thinks her carefully documented thoughts are being sent into the cosmic void of the net without landing in front of anyones eyes.

Alton's nursery

Alton's Room is
Done!

Click on any of
the pictures to make them bigger

You can't tell,
but the stars are the same color red as the letters for his name.

Alton Update

Week Thirty-Three
Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

Baby Update

We had another growth scan on Friday. My fluid levels are awesome, and Alton's little belly caught up with everything else. I really think the small tummy and low fluid level from 3 weeks ago was the result of my flu. Oh, his head is now measuring smaller than the rest of his body, but not alarmingly small. WHOOT!!! Anything to make labor easier. Travis and both have huge heads, so I was afraid Alton would be a melon head coming out.

Travis and I went to Target on Friday night after eating at Daphne's. Alton's wardrobe has gotten quite large, so we needed more hangers. Travis actually picked out an outfit for Alton. It is a cute little onesie done in light blues and greens and it says Surfer Dude. He wanted me to make sure to remember that he bought it for Alton and to be sure to tell his mom. See it here.

I finally look pregnant!



What is Alton doing in the womb this week?
Week Thirty-Two
-Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
-You might notice he's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! He's fine -- just running short on room. He still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
-All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
-He may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that he also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
- Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eighth month. What do you suppose your baby is dreaming about?

What's Alton Up to This Week?

Week Thirty-One
The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though he doesn't get much longer, he will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.
Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns his skin from red to the rosy pink he will have as a newborn.
Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and his bones are growing and hardening.
Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)
His brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!
He may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that he also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on his own.

Picture Time

PICTURES!!!

Click on them to make them bigger!

Alton's Nursery

I am still going to stain the pegged
shelf, I just haven't yet.

Yes, those are Rolaids chews on top of
the book shelf.

I love this part of his room, these two
walls are my favorite in the whole room.

His dresser / changing table and crib

Alton's Crib. I am going to paint the
letters and the star, I just haven't yet.

Notice the Baseball glove and baseball.
Those are daddy's contribution to the nursery.