Baby update - 31 weeks

The weeks seem to be flying by as we wait to know for sure if we are really and truly moving ... in only 9 days. Yikes! Despite the moving question, and potty-training, and the traveling that Patrick has and will be doing this month, and the kids' birthdays coming up, and all the craziness, the wee bairn (aka baby boy) is growing and developing and seems to be well and healthy. I had my glucose test a few weeks ago, which came back normal (hooray!) and the blood tests done again. The Rh antibodies test was negative (yay) but my iron was still low, so they actually increased my dose. I was very much hoping to be able to quit taking the iron, but it isn't the worst thing in the world. It's just a lot to remember - twice a day, not with the prenatal vitamin, but with food, but not with dairy, which inhibits the body's ability to absorb the iron ... Anyway, I got my regularly scheduled RhoGAM shot two weeks ago, and was only sore for a couple of days. Yuck. I think that was my 7th dose over the past 5 pregnancies? Maybe this time the wee bairn will be Rh negative and I won't have to do it again after he is born. =) Now we are back to the quick, boring appointments - every 2 weeks for now.

According to the baby development book, the wee bairn is now approximately 16-17 inches long, 3-4 pounds, and almost a skinny little version of his full-term self! He is still very active whenever I am not, and pretty still during the day while I am busy. Soon he will start to run out room for all this activity, but we are enjoying feeling his big crazy wiggles for now. Molly is not at all sure she wants to be able to feel the baby move, and usually frowns on him if he happens to move when she is snuggled with me. But the rest of us think it's great. =)

Patrick and I went on a tour of the hospital where I'll be delivering, just so we know where to go and what to do when it's time. I think it's crazy that we have had to do this with each baby - learning all over again at a different place with different procedures. I should get a job writing reviews of maternity wards around the country. (Queen size beds in the maternity ward, people. Dads DO NOT like those horrible fold-out chairs!) I'm glad to have that done, though. Now we just have to map out the best route from the new house to the hospital. Of course, we don't want to have to use any of this just yet - hopefully we'll have more than 10 days after the move before the baby comes this time.