Not A Melon

I should have posted this Thursday when I got it (that's the day the baby week count changes) but I was hoping for a sunset to photograph...

Jen's email for Baby Julianna's size descriptor for this week was NOT a melon (Snoopy happy dance):

Here is the size descriptor for 37 weeks.

Your baby is now considered full term, even though your due date is still three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

Yay for as long as swiss chard baby Julianna. Jen said her Thursday doctor appointment went well and that Julianna is considered full term from this point on, even if she is born before her April 14th due date. Jen said the doc thinks she is a shade under 7 lbs and should be over 7 lbs by her next appointment later this week.

I'm at the "any day now" stage of impending grand-motherhood -- any day now (or night) my phone could ring with the news that Jen's in labor and I'll be dropping everything to head over to Portland. Every time the phone rings and I see the caller id indicate "Jen", my heart speeds up and I wonder if this is the call.

Perhaps this week Mother Nature will finally cooperate and I'll finally have at least semblance of a sunset to photograph and share with the next size descriptor -- or pictures of Baby Julianna Renee.

Overcast Crenshaw

Still haven't had a sunset so instead, I present this photo of the overcast blanket of clouds that have been covering the sky above the bay (and everywhere else) for the past couple weeks. I took this yesterday at what would be considered sunset according to the clock. Sure can't tell by looking at the sky. I'm starting to long for the sun and some color besides gray.

On the positive side, my daffodils are starting to open so there is bright yellow on the deck. On the down side, the metal pole at the corner of the deck that holds the bird feeder and my wind gauge rusted out at the bottom (where it connects to the deck) and fell over last night. The wind gauge stayed attached to the pole and fell onto the deck with no damage. The bird feeder hanging from the hook on the pole fell onto the ground below the deck (sigh) and broke (another sigh).

I haz a sad. That was the feeder Teddy gave me. Luckily he also gave me a smaller matching one and Jen gave me a new feeder at Christmas. I'm going to have to find a new way to hang them now. I was able to stick the surviving top half of the metal pole (with the wind gauge) into my very large rosemary pot and the gauge is working well, spinning happily along with no interference from my rosemary plant below it. It is not an ideal location but it is an ok temporary home until I find a more permanent solution.

From Jen's Baby Julianna size descriptor email for week 36:

Here is this weeks update for 36 weeks: 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.

Another forking melon! I'm beginning to think this is getting downright cruel -- what's next? Pumpkin? Watermelon?

Interesting factoid: Jen was 5 lbs 15 oz and 18 inches long when she was born -- about the same size baby Julianna is now.

Baby Honeydew

Crap, I realized I had not posted Jen's baby Julianna size descriptor for week 35 that she had sent me this past Thursday. What with all the excitement and stress of evacuating early Friday morning, I totally spazzed on posting it.

Here it is with my apologies for the delay and, unfortunately no sunset picture to accompany it:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete – he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

This coming Thursday, Jen will be 36 weeks and in her final month of pregnancy. Her due date is exactly one month from today!!! I'm hoping to have a wee bit of sunset to go along with the next update later this week.

Home

Sorry for not updating earlier... when we got home late this morning, I didn't have an internet connection so i tried to sleep instead since I had been up for 24 hours or so.

No damage here that I can see. The water I saw driving home on the roadway appeared to be from rainfall and not a surge.

It sure felt good to crawl into bed and tonight I am sure it will feel even better now that I've got some food in my belly.

We dodged a big one here on the coast. It was good practice in any event. I realized that loading the car took me longer than it should have and that I should not have stacked stuff by the door to take down all at once. I would have been better served to taken them down to the car as soon as they were packed up.

The critters and I are fine.

Evacuating

Am headed to higher group -- probably going to Lee's Camp on highway 6 which is quite a ways inland. Have Token and Bailey in the car and will update when we get the all clear to return.

Baby Cantaloupe Sunset

Sorry for not getting this out until today instead of Thursday, but today was the first time I've had any sunset at all. Tis been a grey week with a blanket of clouds hiding the skies and although the daffodils are blooming, the air still has a bite to it. The sunsets have moved north again, to behind the trees -- a sure sign that spring is on its way.

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 34:

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.

Jen and Mike had a photo shoot today of maternity pictures. Can't wait to see them!

Steamroller Blues

Steamroller Blues -- James Taylor -- from 1979. This is one of my favorite versions of this song -- from the Utube page:

James Taylor - Vocals, Guitar
Waddy Wachtel - Guitar
Don Grolnick - Keyboards
Danny Kortchmar - Guitar
Russ Kunkel - Drums
David Lasley - Background Vocals
Arnold McCuller - Background Vocals
David Sanborn - Saxophone
Lee Sklar - Bass

Tis some prime ear candy.