Week 36: Honey DO Come Out and Play!!!

Baby is the size of a honeydew!! The least appetizing and tasteless of the melons, it is still considerably larger than Mom would like in her belly.

• Sprout is getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own.
• Her skin is getting smooth and soft and the gums are rigid.
• Her liver and kidneys are in working order.
• Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go too - and Mom is ready to get her OUT.

Mom and Sprout: Week 36

This week, Mom has really been feeling (and suffering from) the heat of Florida. It is oppressive! There were some thunderstorms earlier this week that should have cooled everything down. They did not. The storms, however, provided a lot of fun for Hadley. 

Splash, splash!!! 

Weeks 34 & 35: Oops, I Did It Again

Ya'll - posting at this point in pregnancy is HARD and work has been chaotic as Mom is filling in for a few people who have left the school. In any event, we are combining weeks, yet again, but with no less enthusiasm or excitement for Sprout!! She is so active.... like all the time....and doing cartwheels. I see a future gymnast in our future. Sprout is also enjoying giving Mom heartburn, usually at night, with no relief. Good times for everyone.

Sprout has grown from the size of a butternut squash to the size of a cocoanut.

• She's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, which obviously Mom is singing to her
• Her hearing is fully developed, and she responds best to high-pitched noises - like dog whines and her sister's excited noises.

Mom and Sprout: Week 34

Mom and Sprout: Week 35

This week, Hadley developed a cold - which she promptly shared with Mom and Dad. Dad and Hadley are better. Mom is working on it, but colds are definitely hitting her harder at this stage of pregnancy. We went to our friend's gender reveal party and found out they are having a little boy! That's great, because our group is being dominated by ladies at this point. No problem with me though. Boy dogs are awesome. 

Weeks 32 & 33: Condensed Goodness

This week, Mom is taking over the blog and she is condensing Weeks 32 & 33. It has been busy, busy and I haven't been able to keep up with the blogging. That being said, Sprout has been on quite the adventure!!

Here's what Sprout has been working on these last two weeks. She's been a busy and VERY ACTIVE young lady. She just will not stop moving around, nearly 24/7, in Mom's belly. It has been a little uncomfortable, especially since Hadley has been climbing all over her.

These two weeks, Sprout has:

• Been getting ready for her descent-and is likely in the head-down position now (not this little lady! She's still side to side...)
• She's probably feeling even more cramped
• She's keeping eyes open while awake and also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing
• Her bones are hardening and she's going through (more) major brain development-that's one smart baby

Sprout at Week 33 in LBI

This week, the whole family (well, Loki stayed home) went up north for a babymoon to LBI and NYC. Mom and Dad went into the city for a night to see Hamilton and spend some time together. The rest of the trip was spent visiting friends and family and enjoying our last weeks as a family of THREE! 

Parents-to-be....again!

HAMILTON at the Richard Rogers Theater in NYC

Mom, Dad and Keith in NYC

Ladies on the beach!

Airport style - Hadley Edition

Oooooo....it's a little chilly

We also sprinkled Sprout with love (and more than a few gifts of diapers and wipes!) which was so unbelievably fun. We are certainly lucky to have wonderful and caring friends!

And last, but not least, Mom and Hadley came down with a nasty cold that totally derailed any plans for productivity at work or at home. There were a lot of snuggles, a few tears, and thankfully - ear infection aside - some giggles. 

Week 31: Tropical Bliss

Sprout is the size of a pineapple. Delicious, tropical, and fun! 

• She's going through major brain and nerve development.
• Eye development too. Sprout's irises now react to light!
• All five of her senses are in working order.

Mom and Sprout - 31 weeks
Photo c/o P$ (and Dan)

Sprout is starting to get bigger and bigger, and she's very active! The other night, Dad even saw Mom's belly bouncing up and down. It looked so weird. Hadley's been having a great week, and the whole family has been enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. It's starting to get really warm again, but until the oppressive heat really sets in, this family will be outside in the sun! 

Week 30: From squash to zucchini

Sprout is the size of a zucchini! YUM, YUM! 

• Sprout's skin is getting smoother.
• But Sprout's brain is getting wrinklier-to make way for all that essential brain tissue (as if we need to her to be even smarter!)
• She's now strong enough to grasp a finger!

Mom and Sprout at 30 weeks

This week, we don't have a lot of photos. The big news is that Mom and Dad celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary. They went to the Beyonce concert up in Tampa to celebrate. It was a great night of fun! Sprout really enjoyed herself. She danced around in Mom's belly and rocked to the beat. These Hughes babies really love their concerts. 

Sadly, Mom, Dad, and Hadley all got pretty sick after the concert. It was a plague-like cold that really made everyone miserable. Thankfully, we're all on the mend not, but WOAH. Everyone felt really icky.

Week 29: Squish Squash

Sprout is as big as an acorn squash and she still moving and shaking in Mom's tummy! Mom's still having Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing to be concerned about. Everything is completely normal, and Sprout is super healthy.

• She's getting a little cramped in there, given how fast she's growing. But Mom knows that, since she's feeling all those kicks and jabs (and Dad can see them now!).
• She's growing white fat deposits under her skin, and her energy is surging because of it.
• Feeling a subtle twitch? Mom knows it might be baby hiccupping.

Last weekend we celebrated Dad's 32nd birthday with a fun day at the beach with our friends Hartley, Erica, and Taylor. Hartley and Hadley had so much fun playing in the sand and in the water - and eventually fell asleep! Mom and Sprout enjoyed the sunshine as well.

Week 28: Egg(plant)-ceptional

Sprout is getting so big, and so mobile!, inside Mom's tummy. Everyone is starting to remark on how she all of a sudden looks very pregnant. To her, it doesn't seem so sudden though. 

Sprout's the size of an eggplant and she's:

• Starting to develop more fat, so the once-wrinkly skin will start to get smoother.
• Her lungs are mature enough that if born now, she'd probably survive. Wow!

Mom and Sprout - 28 weeks

For comparison: Mom and Hadley
28 weeks

As you can see form the pictures above, Mom basically looks the same with Sprout as she did with Hadley. I actually think Mom looks more compact (and higher) this time around, but that's just my opinion. 

This past week, our friend Carl and his parents (who just moved to Cape Coral, FL) were on our docket to visit. Because we were so busy having fun, we forgot to take any pictures BUT let this one suffice it to say: Hadley had fun. 

And finally, Hadley is starting to play quite dangerously on her toys. I worry she'll get hurt and I'll be blame. She worries about nothing until the injury occurs. Typical toddler thinking.