35 and 36 weeks ... and who will she look like?

We had an OBGYN appointment today, to see if she was still breech (she was), to see how big she is (~7 lbs and in the 85th percentile) and if there is enough amniotic fluid to attempt an EVC (there is).  So I will go in next Wednesday to do a quick U/S to check her position and then on Friday we will go to hospital to do the inversion.  The coolest thing about the whole visit was we got to see her practicing her breathing (which the DR says they do less than 15% of the time) so we were super lucky to catch it.  

Now I am not a sentimental crazy person, but it has been really amazing to watch her change from a alien -manatee blob to a real life human ... our daughter, Helena.  BA is getting super anxious to meet her, always commenting how he can't wait to see what she looks like and what her personality is.  I on the other hand, can wait and tell her everyday she needs to wait until at least 18 Oct to make her debut, not a day sooner.   

36 weeks!  

Its really crazy to think about how she is going to look ... because I can't imagine how you would mix the two of us evenly.  Until we did the 3D/4D pictures at 29/30 weeks, I imagined her to me a mini-me.  But now I am sure she is going to be a Francoistjie (little Francois).  But until 18 Oct, all we know for sure is she is going to have blue eyes (or she better have according to BA).  

Here's a few pictures of my African Jewel as a baby/toddler: 

BA and his mama ... isn't she so pretty?!?  We laugh at this picture because he is about 1 yr old and half her size!

I think he looks like an alien here with his big blue eyes.

I think the big yellow thing is suppose to be a diaper of some sort.  Why it takes up more than half his body, I do not know.

Happy 1st Birthday .... and probably why he still to this day is obsessed with chocolate :)

BA and his baby sister Etrechia, who he admits he was always really mean to.  Poor girl!

And pictures of me: 

I was one fat baby!  And where Leentjie gets her size from! 

Poor child both her parents have huge alien heads .... no doubt she will too.

BA's favorite picture of toddler Elizabeth.

Me and my brother Ben ... I wish Navy uniforms were as cute as the ones we are wearing.  

34 weeks ... turn baby turn!

But of course she hasn't (or at least from what I can tell).  But we have 2 weeks and 2 days to keep trying.  Of course it doesn't help that the stupid baby on the due date tickler (above) is already head down taunting me, everytime I come to update!

Here's some of the things we have been doing to encourage Leentjie to turn:

Moxa.

Inversion.

Walks.

And some baby holding :)

Joseph Holden Foster (he kept making eyes at me all afternoon).

And Elizabeth x2 ... Miss Effy Watson! 

31, 32 and 33 weeks ... its been a while!

So I promise I haven't been slacking on updating Leentjie's blog ... we went to the midwest to visit my grandparents and my BFF Christain's wedding and as soon as we got back I had to take two finals in three days.  So here's some pictures from our  trip.

At the Grandparents (week 31):

BA and I at the Lake.  Don't we look happy?

Very Pregnant sitting on the porch.

Uncle KG (posing), grandma and papa.

All of us (minus BA the photographer) ready to stop taking silly pictures.  Of course we waited until the very last day we were there to take any :)

At Christain and Jake's farm wedding (week 32):

BA thinking he's funny.

Our little sweetcorn baby :)

Side profile of my big belly ... BA was a bit drunk so he wanted to takes lots of pictures of the pregnant lady around the farm.

Drunk monkey wearing my fake eyelashes.

Part of our presents from Megan ... can you guess who got the Kansas City BBQ sauce and who got the 85% Pain hot sauce?

Aftermath of the farm wedding.  Of course BA didn't get ONE bug bite!

And back home (week 33):

BA hiding behind a mountain.

Down under angle ... doesn't the light just catch the beauty of my hairy belly and gross belly button?

What a belly that measures full term looks like!  I still have seven weeks to go!!!

This week we also had a midwife and OBGYN appointment.  At 33 weeks, I am measuring full term (37 weeks) and she is still in a breech position :( So between now and 37 weeks we have to get this big baby to turn head down!  So to hopefully avoid an EVC (WATCH AN EVC), I started to do acupuncture to encourage her to turn.

Only the needles of the very outsides of my pinky toes are for turning her, the others are to help my swelling to go down. Afterwards she also stimulated the point on my pinky toes with moxa burning.  She sent a moxa stick home with me, so I could do some moxibustion at home.

If she is still breech at 37 weeks, BA and I have decided to do the EVC procedure to avoid a C-section. Having to do a C-section is the LAST thing I want to do, but if she doesn't turn we will do one.  So keep your fingers crossed she turns so we can have our home birth as planned.

I was just introduced to amazing reflex that babies have called "self attachment" by our midwife.  Here's a short video of what it's all about:  AMAZING!  And one of the many reasons why I want to have a natural, drug-free birth at home.  Not that I am telling (or judging) anyone who wants to or uses drugs during labor.  I believe that every woman should be in charge of her body and part of that is having a birth how she wants it ... not how a doctor or nurse or even her husband tells her to.

And just because this post is already too long:

Frankie and I getting our fitness on.  

One of the two pieces of furniture we bought for Helena.  A changing table/dresser!

And a crib that she might or might not use.  We still haven't decided if we are going to co-sleep or not.  But it was on sale, so what the hell?  Keeping all of our options open.

Her sheets ... a splurge at $35.00 ... crazy stupid price but too cute to pass up :)