This month's web hangouts:

• July Pregnancy Calendar
• Fit Pregnancy - Pregnancy at a Glance, Month 8
• HomeArts - How Your Baby Grows - Month 8 (also available at ParenthoodWeb)
• Life with Baby - The Third Trimester
• Mayo Clinic - The Third Trimester
• The Mining Company - Pregnancy week by week
  • Week 33 (July 1-7)
  • Week 34 (July 8-14)
  • Week 35 (July 15-21)
  • Week 36 (July 22-28)
  • Week 37 (July 29-August 4)
• Storksite's BabyGrams
  • Week 33 (Changes in Body)
  • Week 34 (Pregnancy Difficulties)
  • Week 35 (Preparing for Labor/Birth 1)
  • Week 36 (Preparing for Labor/Birth 2)
  • Week 37 (Preparing for Labor/Birth 3)
• Women's Link - Your Baby at 8 Months

  For Dad

  • PartnerGram for Month 8

Conceived Dec 3, 1997
Due August 27, 1998
Labor August 29-31
Born August 31, 1998

Reality is setting in - this baby is due to be born next month! Joe and I have begun to realize that we do not have anything "ready" for the baby. We have set a goal of buying something for the baby each week from now until I go into labor. So far we have only a few basics.

On the 10th, I had another appointment with my midwife. We asked questions for nearly 40 minutes and found out that everything we want in our birth is her normal routine. This is so refreshing! The doctor came in and did an ultrasound. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see as much this time as we could at 22 weeks, since the baby's so much bigger and has less space to move. The baby turned and is now head down, weighing somewhere around 5 lbs. We're right on schedule for having the baby at the end of August! After the ultrasound, Nyasha measured my uterus - 32 cm. We wrapped up the appointment by showing her our birth plan - which she thought was great. It's great knowing that she has so much the same philosophy about childbirth as we do. Our next appointment will be on August 5.

This month has been quite exciting. Aside from getting ready for the baby, we also had our first house guests - Joe's family visited us from Taiwan from the 12th-21st, and his youngest brother stayed with us through the end of the month. Everyone seemed quite surprised at how "big" I am! While they were here we visited the "World of Coca-Cola Museum", shopped, saw a few movies, relaxed, and caught up with each other. We talked to 2 of the kids about staying on with us, but they've all decided to return to Taiwan for now. It had been over 2 years since we'd seen them (right after we got married), so it was great to see them once again.

Joe and I finished the month off with the purchase of a Dutalier glider-rocker. We decided it would be good to have a new piece of furniture to relax in during the last few weeks of pregnancy...and we're looking forward to rocking with the baby soon after s/he arrives home after birth.