The Waiting Game...

We are approximately 15 days away from the due date and officially on FMLA, so I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands and unfortunately that has not motivated me to do anything productive. I've watched TV, read some magazines, gone out shopping, seen some movies and gone out with R in the evenings. All we can do is wait right now. I've been walking everyday, eating some spicy foods, anything to try to get this show on the road. She is just being stubborn!

In the meantime, the house is truly a pigsty, and I totally thought I would have the whole house cleaned by day 2 of my FMLA...yeah, not happening! I feel so much better this week though! I don't have to be up at 5 am, no more being on my feet all day, no more running around spending all of my energy trying to get the attention of crazy teenagers. I am loving sleeping in, taking walks, hanging out with my puppies and I think that my body is thanking me! My feet aren't swollen anymore (they've been swollen for almost 8 weeks), my fatigue is mostly gone, my headaches are gone, I am wondering why I didn't take a leave of absence sooner!! LOL!

Monday we got to see Ava on ultrasound again:) Too bad she was so large that I really couldn't tell what part of her we were looking at! Last time, she was only about 11 ounces, so I could see her whole body and face in one shot, but this time we could only focus on one body part at a time. The US tech apparently showed me her belly and legs and arms and part of her face, but honestly, I couldn't really tell what I was looking at. The tech did say that she is definitely engaged and pretty far down right now. The doctor also said that he would guess that I am about 50% effaced but he was unable to tell if I was dilated. He also said that based on her size her due date is measuring at Nov. 12! NOOOO!!! You should have seen my face when he said that!

I am really hoping that she is able to make an arrival in October. If not, the doctor said he would be fine with inducing on Saturday, 11/6. Ughhh...I don't want to wait that long, I really want to meet my little girl!! :)

Emotional Video = No More Pregnancy Complaints (for now)

I frequent a few of the "new mommy" boards and blogs, just to see what other women are experiencing and learning, and I ran upon this video called, "I would die for that". After watching it, I could not be more grateful for this whole experience. Sometimes I get so bogged down in the aches and pains that I forget how miraculous this whole time in life really is. To think that this all started with a microscopic cell that has now grown to a dancing, hiccupping little being that keeps me up all hours of the night is truly a miracle!!

So now that I am getting closer to my due date, I am thinking about everything that I have learned during my first pregnancy. Even though the day to day of being pregnant seems like an eternity, when it comes close to being over, it is actually terrifying and I am scared to have it end. It's hard being pregnant, not because it's physically draining most days, but because your life is no longer your own. I never thought someone could consume as much of my thoughts and energy and emotions as this little person has. In the same way, I know that I haven't even begun being a mom and I have this overwhelming feeling that I really don't know what I've gotten myself into.

However, I do know this, I am so blessed to have been able to carry her and take care of her for the last 9 months. It has been the pleasure of my life to feel her growing everyday and I wouldn't trade these days for anything!

PS: If you're going to watch the video and you're a mom, you might want to have tissues ready!

New Dad Video:)

Super cute video following the Google life of a new dad:)

The Last Days of School!

Week 37: We made it to full term!! Baby Ava is probably 6 1/3 pounds and over 18 inches long!!!

Today was my last day of work! WOOOOOHOOOO! We closed on our house refinance this week and I am days away from meeting YOU!! How do I feel?? Super, amazingly, incredibly HAPPY! Thank you Jesus!!!