Week 36 - Lightening

Hello everybody! Its week 36 and I'm getting closer and closer to meeting my baby brother for the first time. The due date is almost here! Then again, he could come at any moment. After all, only about 5% of babies are actually born on their due date. Pretty crazy huh? You'd think that they would hit the mark a little better than that. Then again, I was 2 days early so who am I to talk?

This week Baby Brother is weighing in at just over 6lbs and standing about 19" tall. Not too shabby considering that he's living in mommy's tummy, huh? That puts him at about 15% body fat, which is right about where he needs to be. I know that some doctors say that "round babies are healthy babies", but round seems like a pretty strange shape to be in. Does that just mean that we have to roll him around wherever we go? I mean after all, that's what a round shape ends up doing! Its a good thing that our house is level - otherwise he might just roll towards a wall and get stuck! Forget "round babies". Lets go with another shape. If we can't find a better one than round, then maybe I'll just make one up. How about "awesome--shape babies are healthy babies"? That sounds much cooler.

Speaking of shapes, word on the street is that there's a cone shape in little brother's future. He can't really escape through the hatch with that big ol' melon head! Don't you remember how pointy MY head was when I was born? Man, what a weird feeling that was. That's exactly why babies have that whole "soft spot" thing going on on their skulls. When all of those little skull bones move and shift, they'll need some place to move. We don't want to squish baby brother's little noggin if we don't have to. Not only will those bones shift positions to allow for his great escape, but the bones themselves are actually still a bit pliable as well. I can't tie my baby brother in knots or anything (Ill admit I have thought about it if he gets mouthy with me, but then again he won't be able to talk for some time now. Man, its fun having a baby brother! I get to blame him for everything.

And now, a not-so-subtle transition. From talking about soft, pliable bones to - drum poll, please - gums! Those little suckers are tough now. Heck, they have to be! Can you imagine trying to eat when really mushy, soft teeth and gums? What a mess that would be! They even have little bumps and ridges on them. I know what you're thinking - Andrew, aren't those called "teeth"? - and no they aren't the baby teeth getting ready to punch through. Trust me, those baby teeth are still months away from punching through the gums. I remember when mine finally broke through my gums. That was a banner day for me because then I could finally start chomping through some REAL FOOD!

This week also marks a big event in Baby Brother's development. Doctors call this event "The Lightening". No, not lightning - lightening! I know it sounds like some sort of M. Night Shyamalan movie with creepy people and some supposed twisted ending, but I can assure you that this is much cooler. This "lightening" means that baby brother has started moving downwards towards the escape hatch. He's already oriented in a head-down position, so this is just the final "prep" stage in getting him ready. Consider it much like runners at the starting line of a big race. He's already in his starting position and is waiting for the gun to go off!

"But Andrew, why do they call it 'lightening'?", you ask? Great question! They call it that because when the baby shifts down, it'll actually feel "lighter" to mommy. Those kicks to the ribs won't happen as much anymore! Of course now that he's positioned lower in her tummy, his kicks will land more and more on her bladder. Expect to see her mad-dashing for the bathroom a lot now!

While mommy is busy running to the bathroom, Baby Brother is doing one more thing to get ready for his great escape. He is shedding that layer of vernix that covers his body. Remember when I told you about that stuff a while back, and how it coats the body and prevents the baby from getting all "pruney"? He doesn't need it anymore, so that stuff has to go! Where does it go, you ask? (Wow, you guys are just full of questions today!) Well, um…….he, uh…….well, he eats it. Don't give me a weird look! Its not like the menu is very expansive in there. After 9 months of eating the same thing every day, you'd probably be clamoring for a new tasty treat too! That means that the infamous first baby poop consists of a lot of the vernix. Ugh. I think I'll leave that to daddy to take care of. I'm taking a mulligan on this one.

Alright, that's all for this week. Don't forget to vote on the baby names of the week AND the actual date when he will be born. The winner gets the satisfaction of being right! Gotta go potty now, see ya later!

Andrew Joiner, Big Brother