Yay for progress!!

I am ALL SMILES over here! At my doctor's appointment this afternoon, I found out that I have not gained a single pound this week. I tested negative for the Group B Strep test (that's a good thing). AND...I have made progress "down there."

At 36 weeks I was: 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby was at a -2 station
Today (37 weeks): 2cm dilated, 75% effaced, and baby is at a -1 station!!

Woohoo! The first thing she said while doing the exam was, "Wow...he's really down there." She also said that she would be surprised if I made it to my due date!!! Craziness. It's getting so real. We're having a baby!! (in the next couple of weeks, that is)

fake babies and car seats...

So in order to acclimate Mona to our soon-to-be new routine of walking into the house with a car seat in tow, I came up with an idea. Every time that we leave and return, we are getting into the habit of carrying the car seat to and from the car. To make it even a little more realistic, I decided to stuff some cloth diapers into a sleeper and hat to make it look like there is actually a baby sitting in the seat. It looks strangely realistic and is actually a bit weird. The good news, though, is that after the first couple times with large amounts of sniffing and jumping, now Mona pays zero attention to the seat. Pretty impressive. I know, I know...just wait until there's a screaming, wiggling little baby in there! Haha. It'll be quite funny to see her reaction when she discovers that the little baby-shaped thing is a real, live baby for the first time! We should get it on video. Anyway...here's a pic in case you aren't able to picture what I'm talking about:

Just about three weeks left!!

It is the strangest feeling ever to have no idea when this little guy is going to make his big entrance into the world. Could it be today? Tomorrow? Next week? After he's due? Only God knows. And I should really just rest in that truth! I received a very sweet comment from a women sitting behind us at church this morning. As we were leaving, she leaned over and said, "I just have to say...you look really good. I don't know what you looked like before, but you look like you are all baby!" She then looked at Kevin and said, "You must be proud of her!"

As a very pregnant woman, there is no greater compliment than to be told that you look wonderful. Because especially toward the end, you just feel HUGE. I am still in awe of how great I feel. God has been SO good to me! I really hope that the labor and delivery go as well as this entire pregnancy has gone. That would just be beyond wonderful! We'll see how it goes. :o)

Here are some pics from this morning (just about 37 weeks):

I love my Mona Lisa!

Why I LOVE this dog....

I could seriously just eat her up!

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And here's my 36-week belly shot:

wowzer am I HUGE!

Our NURSERY!!

Thanks to Kevin and his dad putting in a lot of hard work this weekend (okay, and me too)...the nursery is FINALLY finished (well...almost)!! I just have to work on curtains for the second window and hem-up the ones that are already hanging. Only problem: I don't know how to sew!! I'm working on it, though. Hehe. Anyway...here are some photos of Isaac's room (I hope he loves it as much as we do!!):

Here's looking in from the hallway.

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." -Psalm 139:14

Where all those fun diaper changes will take place! :o)

My new FAVORITE place to sit and relax! (It's a swivel, glider, recliner!)

Isaac already has quite the book collection! Hopefully he likes to read!

My first baby...

Mona has adjusted to my ever-growing belly. :o) Isaac likes to kick her when she lays on him.

We're almost there!!!

So I had my 35-week appointment this morning. And it was full of shocks. Here's why:

On the scale: expecting to have gained 3+ lbs...actually only gained 0.5 lb (in two weeks)...even got a "kudos" from the nurse
Blood pressure: expecting to be higher than normal (have been swelling a bit lately)...but it was actually 96/64..."nice and low"
Internal exam: expecting to find that I am all closed up, with baby not engaged at all...but actually found that I am 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby is at -2 station (head down, ready to go)!!! For more info on what "stations" mean go here: http://xrl.us/stations. And here's an illustration of a baby at a -2 station:

Wow...I was/am in complete shock. Now, I do realize that I could still go another 4-5 weeks with these stats. So I am still not getting my hopes up for going early. However, when the midwife mentioned that he could be here in a couple of weeks...I almost freaked out! I'm SO not ready!! This is getting so real. AH!!!

Guess what today is...

It's only the season premiere of my FAVORITE TV show!! Woo hoo! :o) And lucky for me...we finally have Tivo. So now I never have to worry about being home on Tuesday or Wednesday nights! Yeah!

On the list of things to do this week:

Make appointment with a pediatrician

Make appointment for haircut and pedicure

Doctor's appointment Wed. morning

Assemble baby equipment (swing, bouncer, monitor, etc)

Work on birth plan

Finish painting nursery

Start working on window treatments

Continue reading baby books

Think about what to pack in hospital bag

I'm sure there are many more things to do...but these are my primary goals! :o) We'll see how they get accomplished!

Home Sweet Home

After spending over two weeks away from home, it is so nice to be back. I am SO antsy to get the nursery done, but am limited on what I can do to help. UGH. I'll definitely post pictures once it is finished, but that may not be for another few weeks! YIKES! Hopefully this little guy doesn't come early! :o) I'm still feeling great and Isaac is still active as ever.

Here's a series of belly shots to show the progression of my pregnancy...and in case you're wondering...yes, I look HUGE.

Happy New Year!

Well...I can officially say that we are due NEXT month!! AH! How crazy is that?? :o) Time keeps flying by. I can't believe that we have less than 7 weeks left. And we still have SO much to do. I'd be okay if time slowed down a bit for the next several weeks. We need it! I have had a sore throat/sinus infection for the past several days. No fun. But other than that...I still feel WONDERFUL. Praise God! I was sure that I would have been miserable at this point in the pregnancy. But God is good...and I still LOVE being pregnant. :o) Here's another photo from my shoot with Heather...enjoy!