38 weeks! Progress??

Tiffany:

I just had an appointment this afternoon and I am 1cm dilated and 90% effaced. I guess that means that, despite how it feels, I probably will not remain pregnant forever. Last week I was measuring about 4 weeks ahead, so the doctor sent me for an ultrasound at the hospital to make sure everything is OK. Everything looked fine at that appointment and they determined that, besides just being a giant baby, Allison has very long legs! As of today's appointment, I am still measuring about 4 weeks ahead. The doctor told me that based on those measurements and the measurements from the ultrasound, she would estimate this baby to be about 9-10 pounds at birth. That is a really, really HUGE baby. Maybe she was just trying to scare me for Halloween?

A little, old lady at the post office yesterday told me "that baby girl comin' on Sunday". We'll see if she's right! Until then, you may admire me in all my gigantic glory!

Kitty Bouncer

Tiffany:

Think Rafferty likes the new bouncer? We were so kind to get it for him!

Baby Shower/Pregnancy Update

Tiffany:

The baby shower was absolutely perfect! The weather was fabulous (upper 70s, sunny), my mom's house looked great, the food was amazing (a dessert shower is TOTALLY the way to go when you're pregnant and craving sweets!), and it was so wonderful to see people that we love all in one place. We got so many great gifts and so many things that we need for this baby. It was very overwhelming to realize how loved this baby already is. She is going to have a very happy life with so many people to take care of her and, if the kinds of gifts she got at the shower are any indication, spoil her!

I've been working hard to wash all of the tiny, little baby clothes that we have for Allison and to get her nursery all ready for her. I think we're definitely on the way with that. If she came home tomorrow, I think we'd be able to manage. Of course, I'll take all the extra time I can get to get things even more ready for her to come home!

As far as the pregnancy goes, I feel very, very, very large and quite uncomfortable. I am now just over 36 weeks pregnant and have less than 4 weeks until my due date. I can't believe that we have less than a month until we will be parents. It is surreal to say the least.

This past week has been rough on my body and slowing down has been a lesson for me to learn. My swollen feet, Braxton Hicks contractions, and sore back are all evidence of just how difficult it has been for me to slow down! I would love to not be pregnant anymore, but I know that Allison needs as much "cooking" time as possible. I can handle being uncomfortable if it means she's even healthier.

Here is a link to the pictures from the shower at my mom's house and some pictures at the end of us opening some gifts we received from Kevin's family. Unfortunately, their package was mistakenly identified as HazMat by the post office, so it didn't arrive until after the shower. We were a little nervous to open it in case they sent us some uranium or something for the baby, but, despite the stickers, the box was full of great gifts!

http://tinyurl.com/5lf5v8

And, finally, a picture of me almost 2 weeks ago at 35 weeks pregnant:

Shower Today!

Tiffany:

Today is our baby shower at my mom's house. I am so excited to see everyone and share all the joy of this pregnancy with them. I am already overwhelmed with the number of people that are coming and the messages and gifts we've received from the people that aren't able to come. This afternoon is going to be great!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can.