32 Weeks

Wow, only 8 weeks left until my due date, and five weeks to go until Lily is considered full-term and ready for life outside the womb.  By this time all of her major organs are fully functioning except the lungs, which need just a bit more time to mature completely.  My belly is definitely growing every week by leaps and bounds now, and I'm expecting it to simply grow and grow in the upcoming weeks.  Lily is likely to gain about half her birth weight during the next seven weeks or so, which seems crazy since I already feel like she's using up most of the room in there!  She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair.  Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth, and I can't wait to pinch her chubby baby cheeks!   There's not too much longer to wait at this point - I'm getting so excited!  The nursery is mostly done now which is also really exciting.  I can actually picture Lily in there at this point.  Below is my 32 week belly picture.

31 Weeks

I think I say this every time, but time is flying!  My next couple of doctor visits will be 2 weeks apart, and then I’m down to one visit per week.  How on earth did I get this far along??  Every now and then, I’ll realize that in about 9 weeks or so (if all goes well), I’ll be holding Lily!  I feel her nearly all the time unless she’s asleep, and I’m so thankful for that.  I still tend to forget that I’m pregnant at times, or at least that pregnancy does affect me.  Feeling her move is a great reminder that, yes, I need sleep and rest.  And water.  We had a great Father's Day weekend, but I'm definitely feeling all of the weekend activity today!  Below is my 31 week belly picture.

30 Weeks

I can't believe I'm at week 30.  I feel as if it was just the other day I found out I was pregnant.  It goes fast!  I'm on the final stretch.  I'm feeling healthy, ready for the challenges of childbirth (at least I think I am), and looking forward to meeting my little baby!  Yesterday in church, Kevin scared her!  She was moving around and I got his attention so he could take a look at my moving belly.  Just joking around, he poked the side of my stomach with the back of his pen, making it click.  Lily shot both of her feet up in to my ribs, so it was clear that he had startled her.  It was so funny, and so neat to feel her react to outside stimuli like that!  I can't wait to meet her :)  Below is my 30 week belly picture (getting bigger & bigger).

29 Weeks

This week Lily now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.  Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain.  Lily's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature.  She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected.  I'm feeling great, although my stomach is starting to get in the way a little more than it used it!  Below is my 29 week belly picture.