Change is a'comin!

I think everyone in the house, including the cats, feels a sense of change hovering in the air. The cats are adjusting (rather well, to their credit!) to being kicked out of our bedroom at night, and eating in a different location. They also are very interested in checking out the nursery and all the new baby stuff. Amos has decided that the bouncy seat was put together just for his comfort and convenience. It was sort of a hoot to watch him climb in it and start batting around the little toys. Had to nix that kitty behavior pretty quickly though, as I didn't want him to start thinking of the bouncy seat as "his" when Babygirl starts sitting in it!

We're at less than two weeks now from our induction date, and of course know that anything can happen between now and then. I had an OB checkup today, and asked the doc more questions about the induction process...like how long, on average, an induction takes. Basically, if you haven't dilated at all prior to arriving, you can count on it taking "24-30 hours until you reach 10 cm". Oh, and then he says, then you will probably be pushing for around 2 hours. Hmmm....not quite what I wanted to hear!! I asked if I would be able to get up and walk while I was hooked up to the Pitocin. Nope, once the Pit starts, or the epidural is in, you are essentially bedbound. This may end up being the longest 24+ hours of our lives! I told Keith we can get through anything as long as the end result is our Babygirl.

We have a forecast for tomorrow that includes snow, freezing rain, sleet, and general yuckiness. We'll have to see what it's doing in the morning, but already several schools have closed for the day. I have a feeling we will both be taking a snow day as well. There's really no reason to even attempt driving in that stuff. As Hoosiers, we've been trained to drive in winter weather, it's our fellow North Carolinians who are the danger!

Big Mama!

While we were out on a walk around the neighborhood tonight, I told Keith that I officially feel huge. He gazed lovingly at me and said, "you are". I love my husband! Here's Big Mama at not quite 37 weeks along.

Quote of the Week

The Past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshiped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness.

Pierre Trudeau
Canadian politician (1919 - 2000)

Baby Stuff is too Complicated!

Well, last night, we attempted to tackle the task of installing our car seat. We have the infant seat that snaps into a base. We got 2 bases, which will stay in each of our cars, so we don't have to keep reinstalling the darn thing. Little did we know, in spite of included directions, it was near impossible to get the little booger installed. The base still slides around the backseat and feels wobbly...we know we did something wrong, but can't identify the issues. So, we're taking a trek to our friendly fire department this weekend to have them install it correctly! Did you know the Fire Dept had that service? I think we learned that in Childbirth Class. Or maybe Jen told me about it...like everything else these days, I can't remember. We're packing our hospital bags slowly, and once that's done, we're done with major baby preparations! What a relief!

Of course, I still have a list of "wouldn't it be nice if this got done before baby's arrival" things, but I'm being realistic about most of that not getting crossed off before Feb 13th. The lower this baby sinks into my pelvis, the less I feel like doing. She showed me no mercy today!

We had our last visit with the high-risk doctor yesterday, and have officially switched to the regular heparin shots. I don't like these because there's a lot more liquid to inject, and I have a lot less loose skin to pinch. It's not fun! The last ultrasound was yesterday, and Babygirl is now an estimated (and rather hefty) 6 pounds, 13 ounces. She gained 1.5 pounds in the past 3 weeks, and I sincerely hope she doesn't gain another 1.5 in the last 3 weeks! I'll have Keith take a pic of me this week, since it's week 36 and been a month since the last one.

Have a good weekend everyone!

An Inconvenient Truth

Our church sponsors a Friday Night Forum every other month in which timely topics are discussed in depth, in order for the Average Joe to learn and become a more informed citizen. This month, the topic was global warming, how to live more simply, and reducing your environmental footprint on the planet. It was most interesting (and guilt-provoking!). As part of the forum, we watched the 90-minute film, "An Inconvenient Truth"...made famous by Al Gore. No matter which way you lean politically, or what your own personal opinions of Al Gore may be, we think this film is a must-see.

The film was bursting with hard scientific facts about global warming and the ongoing climate crisis that is happening on our planet. It definately made you sit up and listen (often with your mouth hanging open!). Here is a link to a website that correlates with the film. You can calculate your own personal environmental impact, get simple tips, and find out how to take action to reduce your CO2 production. You will likely be stunned, as I was, by how much you are contributing!

Also, after reading an article in our local paper about reducing the amount of junk mail you receive, I want to this site to get your name on the National Do Not Mail List and reduce junk from direct mailers. There is a link on the lefthand side to sign up...it's free and only takes a sec!

Finally, there's a site called www.newdream.org This site talks about several ways to live more consciously, more simply, and also has a link to a service that will get you off 95% of junk mail lists, for a fee. But, there's lots of neat info on this site for people to look at regarding how to live more simply and reduce your environmental footprint.

Allow me to step off my soapbox now...

Finished Product

Well, the nursery is finished as of this afternoon. We are really pleased with how it turned out...see for yourself!

Baby Date!

We got scheduled for our induction today...Tuesday, February 13 at 2pm. That means we will likely be having a Valentine's baby! I'll be sure to bring a pink outfit to bring her home in.

Happy Birthday to Jen!

My best friend, Jen, is having a birthday today, and being the forgetful pregnant woman that I am...I totally missed sending her a card. So, instead, I decided to do a little blogging tribute in her honor!

Jen and I cemented our friendship in January 1996 on a college trip to Nicaragua...actually, it was on a 10 hour drive on the back of a cattle truck, sharing Pepto, and reassuring each other we hadn't made a disastrous mistake in embarking on this journey! (We didn't, the trip was fabulous!) Alas, our friendship was born, and it's been 11 years now and going strong!

Jen is a woman of many talents...she is also a Physician Assistant and just took a huge step by accepting a new job in a completely different field. She's been doing pediatric heme-onc since she graduated, but has very recently made a switch to adult GI. She is an extremely competent provider, very compassionate, and will positively impact patients' lives no matter which specialty she works.

Jen is also extremely devoted to her family. She and her hubby, Chad, welcomed a daughter (Sophie) in July 2005. I love reading about their family happenings on Jen's Blog
She is a great writer, and captures such amazing photographs of Soph...just a joy to read! Speaking of reading...Jen is the most avid reader I have probably ever met. She always has great recommendations for books, I've enjoyed each one she has told me to read!

Finally, simply put, Jen is an amazing friend. She is a supportive listener, knows just when to send a card, give advice (or withold it), and always makes me laugh. I love spending time with her, which is somewhat scarce since she lives in Cincinnati! Maybe someday soon, we'll get lucky and live in close proximity again...

Happiest of Birthdays, my dear friend. I hope you know how much I love and appreciate your friendship!

TGIF! (and a three day weekend to boot!)

Man, I'm so glad it's Friday! It feels like it's been a really long week. We both get Monday off for MLK Day, so we get an extra-long reprieve from the work week. Thank goodness!

Tomorrow afternoon we are attending a baby shower being thrown for us by my coworkers. It will be the 4th shower I've been to in one week. So much baby stuff is making it's way to our house, we're being overrun! It's really fun to open up the boxes and put the stroller together, etc. Only FOUR more weeks, and she'll be here....but who's counting?! The nursery is about 75% finished now. One of my goals for the long weekend is to wash all the new baby clothes and get them put away. This kid is going to be very well dressed!

I found a very cool website this week, where you can create your own personal icon. They will email it to you in jpeg format, and you can put in on your blog, email, stationary, etc. I made an initial one, but Keith thought it looked too prissy to be me. I admit, I did get a little carried away with the fun accessories. So, I made another one and put in on the blog. Check out the site

Also this week, I came across a site that was interesting, and philanthropic at the same time! It's from the pasta company Barilla, who is doing a special promotion online. They have a free celebrity pasta cookbook you can download, and when you do, they will donate $1 to America's Second Harvest--the Nation's Foodbank Network, up to $100,000! I checked it out, and you can get recipes from the likes of Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Sela Ward. There are about 12 recipes total, and again, it's free! So, click away, and support a good cause!

Good News Ultrasound!

I had my repeat ultrasound on Tuesday to check the ventricle size in Babygirl's little brain. If you recall, the last US showed one measurement which was slightly large. When we looked again, all three measurements they took were totally normal, as was everything else they looked at and measured. Yippee! Babygirl is growing like a weed, and is in the 81st percentile for her weight, already a hefty 5 lbs, 5 oz. Oh Lordy, and I've still got 6 weeks to go! I'm really hoping not to break the 8lb barrier!

Our big weekend plans include: sleeping in, working on the nursery (or course!), doing some computer upgrades, going to a huge consignment sale at the State Fair Grounds with nothing but baby/kid stuff, and attending a baby shower being thrown for us by our church family!

Monday night, we're attending an infant CPR class. I think that will be the last parental preparation class we attend, with the exception of a breastfeeding prep class I want to attend in early February. We're both reading baby books right now, while we actually have some time to study up...goodness knows that once Babygirl arrives, all free reading time will be tossed out the window for a while. Keith is reading "What to Expect in the First Year" each night while he takes his soak, and fills me in on what he's learned.

I'm excited to say, I only have to fly for work for one more week! I will stop driving to clinics in about 3 weeks. For the last 2 weeks before delivery, I will stay in Durham at our main office doing administrative projects. Sounds so good to me! Today, it was all I could do to muster the gumption to get out of my chair and see my patients. I'm definitely slowing down and feeling less energetic. It doesn't help that Babygirl's new hobby is kicking my ribs. She tends to be most active at night, just as I'm ready to go to bed. As they are fond of saying in the South...bless her little heart!