The week started with the excitement of feeling Baby Scott's first kick! Mommy felt a few kicks on Friday, then felt many many many kicks on Saturday and Sunday. Even Daddy got a chance to feel the baby kick (with some coaching on where to put his hands). Talk about excitement!
Daddy ran a 10 mile race in Washington DC as part of the Cherry Blossom celebration. Mommy and Baby watched (and bought some hot cocoa - it was COLD!). Then Mommy had Accidental Harmony over for a rehearsal and realized she had better move up her baby shower date, because David, Emily, Abbie, and Jack are all headed to Boston in June! So, in week 21 planning started for Anne and Joshua's Baby Shower!
Now is a good time to mention all of the "baby gender" theories floating around out there about Baby Scott - enjoy!
Mommy and Daddy are happy to announce we have chosen baby names! For a boy, we've picked Jonathan Walter Scott. For a girl, we've picked Ashlyn Elizabeth Scott. Now Baby Scott has a name, though we don't know which one, yet! Ultrasound photos coming soon! Doctor's appointment is April 10th!
In case you haven't noticed, this is the first week in the second half of my pregnancy (thus, the fresh page). Baby Scott (Jonathan or Ashlyn) now weighs about 10.5 ounces and is about 7.2 inches long (about the size of a banana). By the end of this week, the fetal digestive system has developed enough that Baby Scott is now able to swallow amniotic fluid and pass unabsorbed matter to the large bowel.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: April 10, 2003
We're proud to announce that Baby Scott has a name! At our doctor's
appointment this morning, we CLEARLY saw that the baby is ...
So, welcome to our family, Jonathan Walter Scott! Here is a picture for you faithful fans!
Jonathan is now about 8 inches crown-to-rump and weighs just over 14 ounces. My uterus is about an inch above my belly button and I am very visibly pregnant (still). I am still pretty mobile and often offer to pick stuff up that I've dropped just because I still can. Jonathan's eyelids and eyebrows are developing. He also has fingernails. His organ systems continue to develop and start functioning. He continues to kick Mommy every few hours, although mostly he just wiggles around.
By the end of this week, Jonathan weighs about a pound and is about the size of a small doll. Mommy continues to gain about a pound a week, much to the doctor's dismay. Jonathan's face begins to look like an infant! His pancreas is developing - necessary for breaking down and using sugar. Hopefully he'll be able to digest all of the Easter candy we ate!
Mommy also got around to taking the Prenatal Gender Test (see website from Week 21) and the results were clear - more confirmation that Jonathan is a boy! Take a look:
Jonathan weighs about 1.2 pounds this week and is about 8.4cm crown-to-rump. My uterus is now about 2 inches above my belly button! The volume of amniotic fluid continues to increase each week. By August, I'll have about 2 pints of fluid! The baby swallows and processes the fluid throughout the pregnancy. It also gives him room to move around, which Jonathan does quite often!
Here's another picture of me:
Jonathan weighs about 1.5 pounds by the end of this week and is about 8.8 inches crown-to-rump. Mommy's uterus is about the size of a soccer ball! If Jonathan were delivered this week, he would be small and fragile, but he would have a chance of surviving. He is a "viable baby". Congratulations!
Tuesday was also Mommy's doctor's appointment. Everything looks good! Jonathan's heartrate was 167 (after the doctor got kicked in the Doppler a few times!) and Mommy measures perfectly for 26 weeks. The number of centimeters between your pubic symphysis and the top of your uterus is a good indicator of baby's growth progress. So, measuring 26 weeks means that Jonathan is growing normally. That means this week he should be about 9.2 inches crown-to-rump. He weighs about 2 pounds! Too bad Mommy has gained about 26 more than that. Oh well! Soon it will stop raining and Mommy will be able to go out for a walk.
Week 27 begins the third trimester. Can you believe it? We are 2/3 of the way through the pregnancy and in three months will be holding our new little boy! There's so much to do before he gets here, but we're well on our way! By the end of this week, Jonathan weighs just over 2 pounds and measures 9.6 inches crown-to-rump. He is getting big enough now that they can also estimate his total body length (head-to-toe). He would be about 15 inches long if he were born today. Jonathan's eyelids open this week and his retina's develop. He can open and close his eyes now and is able to see!
Mommy and Daddy went out and bought a new dryer, and things were looking up (until Week 29 - read on!). We love our new dryer, which dries clothes in half the time with less wrinkles than our old one. Amazing what a mid-range appliance will do compared to the cheapest model on the market. Oh well - live and learn. Mommy also spent the week trying to get over the cold Daddy gave her without any medication. What fun pregnancy can be! After a few days home in bed (thank goodness for the holiday weekend!), Mommy was feeling better, but still couldn't get her voice back together in time for the Masterworks concert on May 31. Instead, I helped out with the Auction during the concert, which raised $12,000 for our group. Thanks to those who came out to support us!
Baby Scott's development this week: He weighs about 2.4 pounds and is close to 16 inches. His brain begins
to form the characteristic grooves and indentations on the surface (until this point it was smooth). The amount
of brain tissue increases as well. Baby Scott starts putting on fat and looks plumper and rounder. His
eyebrows and eyelashes appear and hair on his head begins to grow. With 12 weeks left, he is in the final
stages of development.
Week 29
Week 29 (May 31 - June 6) began with a CRASH! We thought our house troubles ended when we got our new dryer,
but no, we couldn't get off that easy! As I entered the garage from the Masterworks Auction on Saturday night,
Josh came out to meet me. The worried look on his face told me immediately that something was wrong. He
explained to me very calmly that our living room ceiling had collapsed. In disbelief, I asked if he had fallen
through the ceiling while up in the attic. No, he explained, the ENTIRE ceiling had collapsed. You just can't believe it until you see it!
Need I explain what we spent our entire week doing? With a baby shower to prepare for (see Week 30), we called on Anne's family to make a new ceiling happen. Would you believe within 4 days, our living room looked like this?
So much thanks to Anne's Dad, Mike, Mark, and Mike for all their help in making the recovery process so fast! As if the week didn't have enough excitement, Accidental Harmony, one of the groups Mommy sings with, had a performance on Friday night. It was a welcome change to the ongoing construction at home! The group performed at California Tortilla in Bethesda, MD. We had a LOT of fun singing while Josh videotaped and took pictures. Here is a great picture of Mommy singing lead:
What a great way to end a crazy week! For Baby Scott, who has grown to 2.7 pounds and 16.7 inches, growth continues at a rapid weight. His weight has more than doubled in the past four weeks and he is expected to gain at least 4 more pounds by the time he shows his face to the world in August. Also this week, Mommy receives the test results saying that her glucose levels are normal, meaning I do not have gestational diabetes. One less thing to worry about!
Week 30
Welcome to week 30 (June 7-13). The week started in a last minute cleaning frenzy to get everything ready for
the baby shower. What a great party, though. Friends and relatives from miles away traveled in to wish Mommy
and Daddy all the best with new baby Jonathan! Thank you so much to Meg, Chita, Grandma Hundzinski, and Grandma
Scott, who put the shower together and made everything run smoothly! Special thanks to Pap Pap (Grandpa
Hundzinski) for taking time out on Saturday to help us put on the "finishing touches" before guests arrived on
Sunday. It was wonderful to see our house so clean. Not to mention a beautiful ceiling with lights and a fan
where nothing but rafters existed a week ago! It's just one miracle after another in this house. We're truly
blessed. Here are some party pictures to enjoy!
The rest of the week passed without event (thank goodness!). Mommy began rehearsals for another concert (July 2nd at Strathmore Hall - free!) and performed once again with Accidental Harmony at California Tortilla - this time in Cabin John. We also had a visit to the baby doctor, who pronounced us healthy. Mommy has only gained 4 pounds since her last visit. One pound per week gain is average from here on out (10 weeks and counting!). The doctor also mentioned that Baby Scott's continual hiccups (often three or more times a day!) were perfectly normal. Mommy's blood pressure is doing great and I measure perfectly for this week (meaning Baby Scott is growing steadily and is the correct size for this week). Baby Scott's heartbeat was in the 130's, which is normal. From now until the end of July I have doctor's appointments scheduled every two weeks (6/25, 7/11, and 7/25). Then I get to go every week. It's getting closer! Baby Scott should weigh about 3 pounds and be about 17 inches this week. What a big boy! We can't wait to meet him.
Baby Scott continues to mature and get bigger each week. By the end of this week, he'll be about 18 inches long
and weigh about 3.5 pounds. We've still got lots of work to do before the baby gets here! We've got to put up
the wall border, hang curtains, put the crib together, put in a closet organizer, install the car seat (and
figure out how it works!), and attend our prenatal, baby care, and breastfeeding classes (July 12, 19, and Aug.
2). So while we count down the weeks, we've got to get working!
Weeks 31 - 35
Week 31
And now starts week 31 (June 14 - 20). I am finally catching up again on developments - I apologize it's taken
me three weeks to post updates, but with all that's been happening, can you really blame me? At least I have
LOTS of pictures to make up for it! This week looks to be a calm one, which will be a welcome change from the
past few weeks. Josh is spending the weekend driving through West Virginia and across Kentucky with Brian and
I'm trying to catch up on thank you notes for last week's baby shower. At the end of this week we travel to
Pittsburgh to watch Uncle Tony and Aunt Carolyn get married. And of course, Mommy gets to sing some more! We're very much looking forward to the trip because we'll get to see a bunch of relatives while we're there as well as watch a beautiful wedding! What a nice trip. :)
Week 32
Hey there! It's week 32 (June 21 - 27). Lots of pictures for you of Mommy singing at Uncle Tony and Aunt Carolyn's wedding.
Welcome to the family, Carolyn! The first picture is from the rehearsal. All the others are from the wedding
and reception. Be on the lookout for Anne's Dad, Conchita, and Great-grandma Hundzinski. Enjoy!
And as if that weren't enough pictures, we also visited Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpap Bernard and Anne's Aunt Sandy while we were in PA. Enjoy some more pictures!
On Thursday, we went to see the baby doctor. Everything is looking really good, except for Mommy's weight, which is still pretty high. I've been experiencing swelling in my ankles and feet, so I am definitely starting to retain water. I've gained *6* pounds in the past two weeks because of it! Neither the nurse nor the doctor seemed to think that was so abnormal. Both said that the increased heat and humidity recently cause increased water retention. The joys of summer pregnancy! I put some books under my desk at work so I can prop my feet up during the day. I'm also increasing my water intake. Both are supposed to help alleviate the symptoms. My blood pressure was 91/70. You'd never know that high blood pressure runs in my family. The baby's heart rate was in the 140's. Perfectly fine. His head is down where it's supposed to be, pressing against my bladder, which makes me feel like I have to pee every time I stand up or walk around. I have two more months of this? My belly measured perfectly for 32 weeks, which means everything is growing at the right speed. Only 8 weeks to go! My next appointment is in another two weeks - on July 11th. Then our first baby class is at the hospital on July 12. Check back for more updates! Baby Scott continues to grow and should be about 4 pounds and 19 inches this week.
Week 33
Welcome to Week 33 (June 28 - July 4). Forgot to add that last week (June 27th) was Pap Pap Hundzinski's
birthday. Happy Birthday! Mommy and Daddy spent the weekend at the beach helping him celebrate (and
relaxing!). We took the dogs to make up for leaving them last weekend and boy was the weather ever GREAT!
Enjoy some more pictures...
This week should be fun as Mommy and Daddy struggle to put Jonathan's room together! We'll also go to watch comedy at the Improv, the fireworks at the county fairgrounds, and start celebrating Mommy's birthday (next week - July 8). Busy Busy! Baby Scott continues to develop - he weighs about 4.4 pounds and is approximately 19.4 inches long. 7 weeks and counting!
Week 34
For your entertainment this week, pictures of our fun at the fireworks with Todd, Muthoni, and Meg. Enjoy!
Week 34 (July 5 - 11)started with a visit to Anne's mom's house to pick up her recliner. What a great addition
to the basement! We also celebrated my birthday with a shopping trip to Potomac Mills Mall and dinner at Josh's
parents house. We even got to see Comedy Sportz (improv) with Allyson and Robert. What a busy weekend! The
week went by quickly, with a simple pizza and a movie birthday celebration at home with Josh. The highlight of
the week was the birth of our niece, Amanda Louise Hundzinski, on July 10! Congratulations to Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy on
their new baby girl! Check out her pictures at www.hundzinski.com.
The week ended with a doctor's appointment - everything was A-OK. At our next appointment, I'll get a group-B
strep test and my first internal exam since my first appointment in January. Jonathan should be about 5 pounds
this week and about 19.8 inches long. He enjoys hiccuping and kicking mommy in the ribs. Fun!
Week 35
Welcome to Week 35 (July 12 - 18)! This weekend was busy, busy, busy again! We started with our first baby
class at Shady Grove Hospital, where I plan to deliver. Our instructor, Tibbie, was fantastic and taught us a
lot about the stages of labor and breathing techniques. We came home after our 6 hour class more excited than
ever about Jonathan's big day! Sunday was Kathy's baby shower, which was a cook-out with the family at my mom's
house in Virginia. Although Amanda couldn't be there (she wasn't discharged until Thursday), we showered Kathy,
Mark, and the new baby with plenty of gifts for her homecoming. Here are a few pictures of the family together in celebration:
The week ended with another baby shower for mommy at her office. Thank you so much to Patti, Karen, and Stephanie for all of your hard work in putting everything together (and for cooking some marvelous desserts)! We now have a bassinet and breast pump kit, so we're really starting to feel prepared for Jonathan's birth. Mommy spent Friday night putting the finishing touches on the nursery, so we're getting down to the wire!
Week 35 marked the beginning of BACK PAIN for mommy! Baby Jonathan now should weigh about 5.5 pounds and measure just over 20.25 inches.
Here are pictures of the finished nursery. Enjoy!
Weeks 36 - Birth!
Week 36
Wow! I can barely believe that we've made it to this last section of my webpage! Welcome to Week 36 (July 19 -
25). We started the weekend, busy as usual, with our second 6-hour baby class. We took a hospital tour,
complete with a trip to the nursery where a VERY proud papa showed off his newborn son. We learned more about
baby care and practiced our breathing techniques some more. At the end of the day, we got certificates saying
that now we can have a baby, 'cuz we know all there is to know (just kidding!). We were able to sneak a visit to
new baby Amanda in, too. What a beautiful baby! And so quiet - really - the perfect little angel. I hope
Jonathan was taking notes during our visit.
Mommy's doctor appointment was a little scary, but ended very well! Everything was looking good, except my blood pressure, which was elevated (138/90). At the end of my appointment they read it again, still high. So, they had me lay on my side for a few minutes, which corrected the problem and brought my pressure back down to normal. They said I shouldn't worry, just try and relax! Anyway, I had my Group B strep test (results next week), which is a bacteria that some women have that is not harmful to adults, but is potentially lethal for newborns. If I test positive, I will have to be on antibiotics during labor and delivery to prevent me from passing the bacteria on to Jonathan. The baby's heart rate was great, as usual. I had my first cervical exam - the baby's head is down and I am 50% effaced (thinned out) and closed (no dilation). The doctor said that is typical for 36 weeks. So everything continues to look good for our new little one! This week he should be about 6 pounds and about 20.7 inches long - what a big baby! :) We can't wait to see him!
Week 37
Welcome to Week 7 (July 26 - August 1)! The week started with Daddy going to Mazda Rev It Up at FedEx Field
and Mommy running off to sing in Old Town Alexandria with Accidental Harmony. Here are a few pictures of the
crowd watching us (and giving us money, which we turned around and used for a nice dinner!):
I also wanted to share new pictures of my very big belly, now that I'm full-term. Yes, that's right, anytime from August 1st on, I can go into labor and the baby is expected to be perfectly healthy and well developed. So we're almost there! Anyway, enjoy these new pics and take a minute to go back and compare them to weeks 20 and 24.
A slow week otherwise, with the highlights being a trip to the Improv to see Greg Proops ("Whose Line is it
Anyway") and the swollen ankles/feet from hell. The doctor chuckled at my ankle/foot issues and assured me
that once I deliver this baby, everything will be better. My blood pressure is creeping up, but I have no
other signs of pre-eclampsia, so they are not worried. Baby is looking great - still head down (very far
down, from what the doctor tells me) and I am still 50% effaced with no dilation. Maybe next week I'll make
some progress! The good news for this week is that I am NOT beta strep positive, so I will not need
antibiotics during labor and delivery. Our next appointment is Monday, August 11, so stay tuned!
According to the books, Jonathan should be about 6.5 pounds this week and about 21 inches long. He begins to
digest the lanugo hair and vernix (creamy protective covering). These become meconium - the baby's first
stool after birth.
Week 38
Jonathan continues to put on about 1% of his body weight each day from here on out and should end up being
about 6.8 pounds by the end of this week.
Week 38 (August 2 - 8) began with breastfeeding class, where Mommy (and Daddy) learned about how to make
breastfeeding Jonathan successful. Much of the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, so that Mommy could
try and get rid of all the water in her ankles and feet! This week we will spend celebrating our wedding
anniversary (4 years!) and hopefully getting the car seat installed and our hospital bag packed. After all,
we're only two weeks away from Jonathan's due date, and he could come at any time! Mommy will also meet with
Jonathan's new pediatricians this week.
Week 39
Week 39 (August 9 - 15) has come and gone. Still no baby Jonathan. Hurry up, little one! Mommy and Daddy spent
the weekend with Uncle Mark and Cousin Craig, who celebrated their birthdays (Happy Birthday!). Here are a few
cute pictures of the event:
The rest of the weekend was spent installing the car seat, mowing the lawn, and packing the hospital bag. There always seems to be one more thing we need for that bag! At least we're pretty close to the hospital in case we forget something really important. Mommy got to spend Monday and Tuesday struggling with the heat. The air conditioning at her office broke down because of low water pressure, which meant two things:
1. Mommy's office was 82 degrees most of the day.
2. The restrooms in Mommy's office building were closed, so she had to walk next door to use the restrooms!
Talk about a fun week! The bad news (well, not really all that bad): Mommy is still 50% effaced and closed as of Monday's doctor's appointment. Darn. And I thought the full moon would help me out! Oh well. Another appointment next Monday, 8/18, at which point I will only have *4* days until my due date. Let's hope something will be happening by then!
Not much more to talk about with Baby Jonathan this week. He should weigh more than 7 pounds (probably more than 8, by my guess) and be about 21.5 inches long. He continues to put on weight. All of his organ systems are in place and fully developed. The last organ to develop was the lungs, but even they should be ready for him to take his first breath of fresh air (and let out a big cry!).
Week 40
Week 40 (August 16 - 22nd) started with a visit to Mom's house in Virginia (the future Grandma Hundzinski).
Aunt Marj and Uncle Ed, who live in California, were in town visiting and brought my Grandparents (the future
Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpap Bernard) down with their dog Buffy for a visit! Here are some pictures of the
gang hanging out. It was a great afternoon for a barbeque (well, once the rain stopped).
We went to the doctor on Monday (August 18th) - still no dilation, but the doctor estimated my effacement at 60%, so perhaps something is progressing. Everything else checked out just peachy, although I did have to lay down again to get my blood pressure into the normal range. My due date was this Friday, August 22nd. I worked full time until Friday, now I get to just hang out at home waiting for baby Jonathan to hurry up and arrive!
Can you believe we've come so far? I will continue to add weeks as necessary until Jonathan makes his big appearance. I'll at least have some doctor's appointments to tell you all about. When he finally arrives I'll be sure to post his birthday, length, and weight. I'm so glad you've joined me on this journey!
Baby Jonathan should be producing cortisone in his adrenal glands right about now. Some researchers believe that this hormone signals the mother's body that labor can begin. Let's sure hope so!
Week 41
This weekend was spent doing last minute baby shopping, mowing the lawn, and watching Uncle Benjamin perform at
the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA. Mommy's doctor appointment was Monday - here is the update:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26th, 2003: Nope. No trips to the hospital yet.
Good news, though! I finally have an open cervix! Yippee! At my
appointment yesterday I was 1 cm dilated. Considering how long my sister-in-law Kathy was
dilated before she went into labor (months), I'm trying not to get TOO
excited, but I have to admit it's so much more promising after not getting
anywhere for a month.
Everything looks fine, as usual. I lost two pounds, but I also was in
during the day this time instead of late in the day, so water weight may
account for that. Josh and I have also been doing some walking, so maybe
the extra activity is doing me some good. I've still put on *51* pounds
since my first appointment back in January, though. Oink Oink. :)
Now onto the "news" about what they do with late babies nowadays. At 41
weeks, which is this Friday, I have to go to the hospital for a round of
testing to make sure the baby is still okay. My doctor thinks I'll
go into labor before then (from his mouth to God's ears!), but just in
case, we did all of the scheduling today. I did some research on the
tests, so here is a quick synopsis of why they will be poking and prodding
on Friday:
THURSDAY, August 28, 2003:
You've never heard from me this many times in one week! Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am still
not in labor and that my doctor's office called yesterday with an induction date. SO, here is the news: If
everything looks good on the tests tomorrow, they will wait to induce me until Wednesday, September 3rd. No
more waiting! Josh and I are now anxiously awaiting Jonathan's arrival, knowing that we only have a week at the
most before we become "Mom" and "Dad" to someone other than our doggies. I'll post another note on Saturday
with the test results from Friday.
Not too much to say about Baby Jonathan at this point. (None of my pregnancy books go past 40 weeks!) He is
fully developed and ready to come out. He is taking up LOTS of room in mommy's tummy, squishing all of my
organs together as he finishes growing. Hopefully soon this little one will decide to come out!
And Week 41 (August 23rd - 29th) begins... And here we still are!
The NST and AFI are part of the overall BPP score. If any of the three
tests show the baby under duress, I'll be induced immediately. If
everything checks out okay, they'll schedule me for induction on September
5. They won't let me go past 42 weeks. So Jonathan will be here soon!
Week 42
Mommy and Daddy got to go to the hospital for lots of tests on Friday! We got to see Jonathan via ultrasound
again during the BPP (see description above). Everything looks great with the baby. He scored an 8/8 on the
profile (perfect scores already - he gets that from his mommy). The ultrasound technician mentioned how large
Jonathan's feet look - he gets that from his daddy! The baby didn't want to move during the exam, so the
technician bounced him around quite a bit (poking mommy's tummy) and gave me some apple juice to drink. Then
she got some movement out of him (sleepiness and stubbornness - characteristics we're both contributing to).
After the good score on the BPP and AFI (both were well within the acceptable ranges), we went for the NST.
Another great result. The baby's heart rate went up as he moved (mommy got to drink some orange juice this time
to get him moving) and returned back to a normal range (in the low 130's) as he calmed down. My blood pressure
was up again (no surprise there), but went down after 10 minutes of laying on my side, so they pronounced us
ready to wait out the next few days.
SO... If nothing exciting happens before Wednesday, you'll hear from us late next week about our new bundle of joy!
JONATHAN ARRIVES! -- THURSDAY, September 4, 2003:
At 6:21am on Thursday the 4th, Jonathan finally made his appearance. Mom and baby are doing well.
For Jonathan's web site, head over to this page...
Welcome to Week 42 (August 29 - September 5th)!