37 Weeks and Holding...

Audrey's Nursery (my mom made the curtain and dust ruffle; Amanda made the "Audrey's Room" sign).



Yesterday was my first "Once-a-week" visit to the doctor. This was the first appointment where the doctor checked to see if I had dilated yet. At week 37 the baby is considered full term, so Audrey could come anytime now. Although she is ready to come out of the oven, I have still not dilated yet and I am not in any hurry.

Saturday my mom came up to Tyler to help me finish the baby room and get last minute items. My mom is probably more excited about Audrey's arrival than I am (She has nothing to worry about: she does not have to go through pain and she knows what it is like having a kids). Since we have finished the baby room, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I am not as scared about Audrey coming as I had felt. I still feel like there is so much I still need to do but I know that I will never be completely ready for a new baby.


Audrey's Crib (I painted her name)



The doctor said that I was measuring about 38 centimeters at week 37. I had gained two pounds in the past week and Audrey is in position for coming out. A little over a week ago I started experiencing menstrual type cramping and the doctor said that these cramps can be considered false contractions. He keeps reminding me that if the cramping is intense and does not go away with change in position or by eating something, then I should go to the hospital. It is really neat to think that we could have a little baby here at anytime. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Ladybug Shower

Me and my hostesses (Dene, Amanda, Brooke, Janet, Cheri, Lauren not in picture)

A couple of weekends ago I had the last baby shower before the baby comes. It was the blowout baby shower of the summer! My Mom and a close friend Amanda, headed up the shower with the help of four other ladies. Since the shower was at my Mom's house and I was staying with her that weekend, I got to see the behind the scenes work that went into this awesome baby shower.
The first two baby showers I had were kind of early in the pregnancy and we did not know exactly how we wanted to decorate the baby's room . For this last shower we had already picked a theme and were running with full force in the the direction of "Ladybugs". So it was neat to have a baby shower that was centered around ladybugs and to see what kind of odds and ends others had picked out to decorate with.
At the shower we had games, food, and lots of friends. I just want to take a quick moment to thank all of you who helped with the baby shower and all the effort and love that went into such a great party. I also want to thank all of you for the sweet baby gifts.


(My Mother-n-Law, Me and my Mom)

There are rare occasions where you will be in the middle of an event and realize that "this is a special moment I will remember for the rest of my life", well this baby shower was one of those moments for me.

Baby report: We are at 36 weeks and counting! Audrey will be here in about 4 weeks give or take. We are taking birthing classes, getting a pediatrician squared away, assembling all the necessary baby items, and getting very excited/nervous about meeting and seeing our little girl.

Our Little Cutie!

Audrey's face: lips are open with nose above, hand is kind of hidding chin.

We have found a doctor in Tyler and have started child-birthing classes. We are really pleased with our new doctor and the technology and efficiency of the office staff.
On Monday we had our first appointment with our new doctor. We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. We voiced our concern of a low lying placenta that was seen at our last sonogram, so our doctor scheduled for us to come in for another sonogram today to get information on the status of our baby.
Audrey's face: you can see chubby cheeks, hand / foot still blocking chin area!

Every time I see a sonogram of our baby I am amazed at the technology of our times and of the miracle of the baby inside me. It was re-confirmed that our baby is 100% girl and that she is healthy. The person performing the sonogram checked out baby Audrey's organs and vital signs. It was awesome to see how her body had progressed since our last sonogram. Her bones looked stronger and she looked like she was really filling out to be a plump baby.
Matthew said she had chubby cheeks like me and that it would be hard for those cheeks to fit through the birth canal. I think she has Matthew's forehead...Big! We are both ecstatic and proud of our little girl.
Audrey's face: She's kind of all squished up (placenta is half circle to left of face).

I never imagined myself going to a birthing class but here we are doing the new parent thing. The class was just like they portray them on TV. We practiced breathing through fake labor pains. We learned how to He...He...He...Hoo (Who)! Matthew and I keep talking about how he needs to talk to me as if he were hypnotizing me or leading me through a deep relaxation session. We keep picturing the scene from Office Space where the main guy gets hypnotized by a big guy who has a heartattack in the middle of the session. "Relax....Deeper and Deeper.....Deeper and Deeper..."