At last we have progress...

We had our baby appointment this afternoon. Finally we have progress!! I am 2cm dialated and the doctor swept my membranes (ouch!) and now we are waiting. The doctor is going to call tomorrow morning with our next appointment date. He wants to induce before the week is out. Seeing as how it is a holiday weekend, we may have to wait until Monday, but yay!! I love having a plan and information. I am really hoping that we go naturally. I am crampy. Last night I had actual timeable contractions. I thought it was so great that it finally happened! I was so hoping that maybe we would have to go in, but no. Still, we had progress and that is all I was hoping for! We are still praying that maybe I'll go tonight or tomorrow. That would be great! I can't believe that within a week, I'll be holding my little girl! Blake had a dream that she was actually a boy and we named in Ivan. I don't think that will be happening. Mom had a dream that she was a boy too. I am really hoping for her sake that she is a girl! We have no clothes for a boy. I guess he would be one cutely dressed boy until we got some different things!
Well, here's hoping that the next blog you see will have a birth announcement on it!!!! Thank you for all your prayers!

40 Weeks...Will she ever arrive??

40 Weeks

So here we are at our due date. Our little baby is due today. I don't think she's coming today. We had our 40 weeks appointment yesterday and the results were grim. Okay, so they weren't "grim", they were just the same as they were last week. No progress. The doc says if I am still at this no progress stage at my appointment next week, they'll let me go into my 42nd week. However, if I have any dialation at all next week, they will schedule a NST and try to get the baby out next week. Blake was on leave since this is the due date week, but since it looks like she won't be coming for another week, he is going back to work. He now says it would be okay if she came next Friday. Now that I have a plan, it's not so depressing. I can wait another week. I had a dream last night that she was so big when she was born, she didn't fit into the little outfit she is supposed to wear home from the hospital. Mother laughed at me...I have to admit, thinking about it, I laugh at myself! Mother's stay is already half over. I can't believe how the time has flown by. Here's hoping that maybe you all won't get a next week update...maybe she will be here by then! Either way, I am really glad she is healthy. That's all that really matters.

Trying to get a good family picture...(the cat was coughing...)

Mom's pick for our pic

The two of us...Blake and a barn.

I'm just trying to get some love...

39 weeks and counting...

We had our 39 week appointment this past Friday. I am sad to say there is nothing going on yet. The doc thinks 41 weeks is a good reality to look foward to. Oh well, at least she's healthy...and getting bigger everyday! I do seem to get bigger by the week. It is so nice having my mother here. She is such a stress relief! She thinks she isn't doing much, but just having her here makes me feel so much better. Some mornings I wake up and come down the stairs and can hear her and Blake in the livingroom, talking or debating something interesting. I think Blake is loving having someone else with a brain in the house. I've been a bit brainless these last few months. Our next appointment is on Wednesday. I cannot believe we will have gone the entire 40 weeks by that point. It just amazes me. I was just telling mom that the last 9 months have just flown by. All my stresses and worries are gone and I am ready to be a mom. I can't believe the time is here. I still can't really imagine what it's really going to be like. I try, but it's just too much to imagine, I guess. I am excited, as is Blake and Mother (and everyone else). Here's hoping that maybe we won't make the next appointment....(yah, yah..I have high hopes).

38 Weeks

So we are 38 weeks along. I cannot believe we are finally at the end!!! I had my doctor appointment this morning and it looks like everything is progressing along nicely. I am not dialated, but I am at station 0. The doctor was quite shocked at how low she is sitting. He said all I have to do is dialate...everything else is ready. I am so excited! He didn't say it would be a few more weeks. He said it could happen anytime now. It probably won't happen for a couple more weeks, but that's totally okay. I am feeling great today!

My mother is so awesome. I am so glad she is here. I can't get over how de-stressing it is to have her here. I didn't realize how anxious I was about just everything in general until she got here and I'm not anymore! It's fabulous!! Blake is way more comfortable having her here. He doesn't have to stress about me going into labor and him not being able to make it home to take me to the hospital that's a half hour away in good traffic and no weather (which rarely happens). We have been having such a wonderful visit so far. It's hard to believe that she has been here for a week already. We started watching Gone With the Wind. I have never seen this before and it is fabulous. I can't wait to finish it! We have also watched Sense and Sensability. I have never seen that one either, I rather fell in love with that one as well!!

On another note...I just got the most wonderful gift in the mail today. My sister is the most wonderful person in the world!! She made and printed off all my baby announcements and address labels to go with them! I just got them today and they are wonderful! They are exactly what I had envisioned. I cannot thank her enough for this. She is just the best sister ever!!

As you all can probably tell, I had just a really wonderful day. I love when I am in a spectacular mood! I hope you all had a fabulous day too!!

Baby Shower

What a wonderful day! My friend Kimberly threw me a fabulous baby shower. We got so many things from so many people all across the world. People are so generous and kind, it's rather wonderful! Here are a few shots from our day.

All in all, it was a great day. We were blessed with some great gifts that we really needed and wanted! Thank you everyone!

(I'm still hoping for the little one to make her appearance today...I have a few more hours to keep hoping!)

A Mid Month Picture

So, everyone wanted pictures every two weeks...this is almost two weeks after the last picture. She has actually gotten bigger since the beginning of the month! I know I gained 4 pounds from the 20th of December to the 8th of January...I'm hoping not to have gained that much again by the next appointment on the 25th. You can really tell the weight gain in my face! Oh well, it's worth it!!

I am so excited that my mother gets here on Friday. I can't wait to see her! I have so many plans for when she gets here. I have to take my christmas decorations down...Blake was so nice and said I could keep them up until she got here. Woo hoo! It's always sad when christmas ends, I never want to take the tree down. I got a few extra weeks this year. Yay!

An excellent day!

So the day before yesterday was such a wonderful day! I woke up with more energy than I have really had in weeks...the sun was shining...the birds were singing, you know the drill! A group of people from Blake's work were going up to this resturaunt to eat in a town about a half hour away. We were invited to go along, so we did. Excellent food!!! Good food always make's my day (unfortunatly, this is not just a pregnancy thing!). We then came back to base and went bowling. Now, for the record, Blake has not let me go bowling for the last month. I have been so sad, becuase it's just so much fun. Well, he caved. He said as long as I quit if I get tired and don't push myself. We ended up playing three games. It was so awesome!! The first two gmaes, I bowled my regular 80 points a game (I said I liked blowling, not that I was any good!!). The third game, however, I pulled out a record 135!!! I have never done that in my life. My high score before that night was 107. We didn't end up getting home until about 1:30 in the morning. I have to say, it was just a wonderful day!
Then the next morning hit!!! Yesterday I was paying for my bowling excursion! I was so achy all day. I had to admit to the husband that he was right...this is something that I'm used to doing as he's right a lot, but I didn't want to do it about the bowling. Needless to say, I think I learned my lesson about bowling at 9 months pregnant. It may seem like fun at the moment, but there will be achy sore consequences to bear!
It is now 7:30 am two days later and I seem to be feeling better. I still woke up with energy, so I'm hoping the achiness will have dissapated somewhat so I can get some work done. My mother gets here on Friday and I have a little bit of cleaning to do before she gets here. I'm so excited!!!

Gratch and Jordan

(They are both cuddled on one small pillow)

:)

So, my cat has a new best friend. I just can't get over the difference in Gratch with Jordan here. I forget that Gratch grew up with Tipsy, so the year here has been his first expierence without another animal around. He absolutly loves having Jordan here. I told Blake that if we end up moving on base, we might have to get Gratch a kitten. I couldn't believe it when Blake agreed with that! I feel bad, now, knowing how much Gratch has missed having a playmate. Kimberly is coming over today to pick Jordan up, so I will be dealing with one lonesome cat for the next week or two. He's kind of a whiner! I have no clue where he gets it from (yes, Dad, I know you think it's from me....). Hopefully it won't hit him too hard....

3rd of the month

So we are at out 2nd to last 3rd of the month picture. I'm hoping that it could possibly be our last...but as the women in our family tend to go overdue...I'm thinking I'll have one more. We are 35 weeks along and feeling every bit of it! I was told tonight that I waddle. I can't believe I actually waddle! It's crazy. What's even crazier is that if the baby comes early, I could totally have her in, like, two weeks! I feel so unprepared. I am so thankful that my mother is coming. She is going to be such a life saver (possibly cherry flavored!). So, here's to hoping that Cara will make her appearance just a little early so that maybe we won't have a February 3rd picture.

:)

Happy Anniversary!! (a day late)

Happy Anniversary to Bud and Amy!!!

4 wonderful years have passed.

We love you!