Cue "Q"

 Yep. Still pregnant.

Not sure whether to be grateful or annoyed that "Q" is allowing me more time to cross things off my to-do list before showing up.  I was hoping that I could pass on my final prenatal appt. that was yesterday morning...no more urine samples, blood pressure monitoring, stepping on the scale.  The non-stress tests aren't so bad since I get to listen to the baby's heartbeat for extended periods of time. I was, however, getting  stressed this morning as "Q"'s heartrate seemed to have a lower baseline.  Doctor, on the other hand, was not concerned as there was plenty of movement and good changes or spikes in the heartrate.

Why "Q"?

Since the loss of Miriam Louise in February of 2017, and more recently, the passing of Greta Eve on June 20th, of 2020 at 13 weeks gestation the numbering convention for our children didn't really fit. Life, and death, can be complicated.  Simeon, while in the womb was referred to as Tie-Tee-Tot.  We refer to this child as "Q". Quelle is a german word meaning "source", a fitting moniker for the early stages of life made possible by our loving Creator God.  There are some theories with regard to a "Q" source with regard to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.  But more personally, one of our early encounters before dating was when Pete was presenting at a young adult gathering about the book of Ecclesiastes.

1 The words of David’s son, Qoheleth, king in Jerusalem:[a]

2 

Vanity of vanities,[b] says Qoheleth,

    vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

Vanity of Human Toil

3 

What profit have we from all the toil

    which we toil at under the sun?[c]

4 

One generation departs and another generation comes,

    but the world forever stays.

5 

The sun rises and the sun sets;

    then it presses on to the place where it rises.

6 

Shifting south, then north,

    back and forth shifts the wind, constantly shifting its course.

7 

All rivers flow to the sea,

    yet never does the sea become full.

To the place where they flow,

    the rivers continue to flow.

8 

All things are wearisome,[d]

    too wearisome for words.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing

    nor has the ear enough of hearing.

Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes is  probably more familiar:  a time to live, a time to die...,...time to mourn,time to dance...., ...time for love/hate... time for war/peace. Nonetheless, Qoheleth was a cool dude worth pondering 12 years ago and author of wisdom still relevant today, particularly in the midst of a pandemic and multiple major life changes. 

And so "Q" it is for this little one as he or she grows, develops, and hangs out in the womb.

BUT... as is our custom here is a post for you to weigh in and submit your guesses for the newest Schafer Babe.  You may submit directly on the blog post in the comments or feel free to add your guess to the Guesses for "Q" spreadsheet.

Here are the guesses from "Q"'s siblings for your entertainment.

Clement's Guess

Interview with Simeon  = Girl named Q-pon or Coupon?? Harry measuring "this big" showing up on July 14th. But hopefully you get the "scoop" from him via the video.

Prizes will be awarded for Most Accurate and Most Creative

Your guess should include:
A.) Baby's name (first and middle)
B.) Boy? or Girl? (Let's face it,with names and trends of the times it's not as easy to distinguish male/female based on name choice)
C.) Proposed birthdate
D.) Weight and Length
E.) Any other tidbits, advice, or anecdotes you choose to add.


We will allow up to two entries per individual if you would like to field a girl guess and a boy guess. We have our names already selected, but your guess is as good as mine when it comes to arrival date and other stats.


If you want more info to base your guess off of, or to see what folks have guessed with other pregnancies, feel free to take a look at earlier blog posts. The "I wonder?" blog is the most recent but it provides links to earlier blogs, and earlier guesses, AND cuter pictures of Luke, Augustine, and Clement -they grow up so fast!!!


I Wonder?


Calling all Guessers of Peter's Successors


Generally though, I'm measuring "right on" and the due date is July 13th. Although I'd prefer an earlier appearance by "Q" be forewarned that Schafer babes tend to cook a little longer. Luke arrived at 37 and a half weeks but all the others went over their due date (see chart below):

Child	Due Date	Birth Date	Weight & length
Luke Francis	March 26, 2011	March 9, 2011	7 lbs. even; 20.25 inches
Augustine John	September 29, 2012	October 5, 2012	8lbs 6 oz; 20 inches
Clement Zechariah	June 30, 2014	July 1, 2014	8lbs. 6 oz; 21 inches
Peter Vincent	April 30th, 2016	May 9, 2016	10lbs. 13 oz; 21.5 inches
Simeon Burkhard	March 3, 2018	March 12, 2018	10lbs. 2 oz; 21.5 inches

**I do have an induction scheduled for July 14th at 7:00am if need be. Classified now as "advanced maternal age" the docs won't let me go more than a week over. After thought and prayer and for the sake of my own physical, psychological, and mental wellbeing I set the date for a day after the due date.


There have been differences with this pregnancy. Does that mean it's a girl?!?!?! Maybe. Maybe not. It's been a weird year and changes in stress levels, physical condition, age, prenatal vitamin and other supplements, etc. could be at play as well.


Still, some of the noticeable differences include:


*Intensified sense of smell and nausea. Although these were symptoms in early pregnancy with other Schafer boys my sensitivity to smell continued well beyond the first trimester with "Q" and returned with nausea in full force during the 3rd trimester. Likewise, nausea would often hit in the evening or at bedtime whereas other pregnancies I had the nausea earlier in the day.


*No major affinities for a particular food. With the boys I remember a particular hankering for BEEF! and that wonderful, heavenly extra pad of real BUTTER (not on the beef ;-) This may have been accounted for by the iron supplement I took throughout this pregnancy after missing the desired range ever so slightly in the full blood workup around week 12. Iron is rather rough on the digestive tract but was prescribed after the high amount of blood loss with Greta. It's not uncommon for women to be anemic during pregnancy but this was not something I had to deal with in others.


*Without going into too much detail,...my digestive system didn't go through it's normal pregnancy routine. Again, maybe it was the iron supplement. I am thankful for the much less, practically non-existent heartburn, barring two flare-ups that woke me with contractions in the last week...then again, I may be adding in hot pepper flakes and siracha liberally to encourage labor ;-)


* Total weight gain has been 15-20lbs. I didn't however, have the big 6-7 lb. jump in the 34-36 week range which has been the norm for my prior pregnancies. This time weight gain was more slow and steady.


* 144 seemed to be the consistent heartrate that I heard for the boys. "Q" has more often than not fallen in the 132-138 beats per minute range but had an intense workout during one of the non-stress tests where he or she pushed the 149-165 heartrate consistently.


*"Q" measured 6 days ahead in the early ultrasound. There was some talk of moving up the due date. I said "don't" but if they had... I'd probably be holding a baby by now. Despite having regular measurements and no other red flags, docs did an additional ultrasound to "check for growth" around 32-34 weeks. Based on measurements at that point they estimated "Q" to be 5lbs. 6oz. Even with the "extra" ultrasound, we received very few, clear pictures in utero. No great profile pictures, fuzzy hands and feet due to position or movements.


*I feel less crammed or tightness in my ribs with this pregnancy than others but chalk that up to gravity and multiple pregnancies. "Q"'s movements and positioning do seem different and I can often spot a butt, knee, or foot protruding across my belly. The heels, or feet in general, do seem to scrape along my right side uncomfortably and reminds me of the blunt dissection tool we would use in anatomy and physiology class to separate the various structures from the viscera.


Here are some bump and belly photos (which apparently I've been doing ALL wrong according to a recent Baby Center read...oh well,...they will have to do):

Feb 23rd approx. 18 weeks

May 8th approx 30 weeks 4 days

June 26th-37 weeks 4days

This morning- 39wks 4 days

Tonight-almost tomorrow- 39 weeks almost 5th day

*Best of luck to all contestants and thank you again for your kindness and prayers.