Yesterday we received a 'sneak preview' of our family photo shoot from a few weeks ago. Our photographer was amazing and I think she really captured the essence of our family. She will come back after Baby Boy is born and take come newborn photos of him, which I can't wait to see! As a budding photographer, I can really see how much better the photos turn out for someone who knows what they are doing, but I will still do my best to capture the memories of our newest addition.

I am still waddling around and waiting for some contractions to start. I am walking A LOT (mostly running after M) as I have been trying to keep M out of the house as much as possible before it is super difficult for us to get places with a little baby in tow. The nursery is fairly well put together, and all the essentials are in place. We haven't done much decorating, but that doesn't stress me as I know now that it doesn't really matter until the baby is older anyway. I am just happy that M continues to sleep in her bed and the crib has been taken down from her room and is hidden away for a bit. We'll probably pull it out once the little guy gets too big for his bassinette (maybe as early as a month, if he really is 8 lbs already!) and hopefully M won't want to sleep in it instead of her bed.

My hospital bag is packed and I am ready to go--wish that this baby felt the same way! It must be pretty comfortable in there...

37 week check up

My doctor's appointment went very well today and Baby Boy is doing great. My BP is fine, his heart rate is great and I even lost 1 lb! My doctor's are not concerned about his size and as one MD told me today, "You've proven that you can deliver a 8lb 11 oz baby, so don't worry!". That's not really what I wanted to hear!

Actually, I felt really good about the appointment and that I was listened to by the doctor and not simply patronized in my late pregnancy. She said that I am now 2-3 cm dilated and she felt that if I progressed this way for next week we could plan an induction at 39 weeks, because I am a favorable candidate for induction. According to her, my risk of C-section will not be different at this point if I go into labor naturally or if I am induced. She won't induce me before 39 weeks though (despite my questioning and encouraging....), and while that is still two weeks away and I am getting so anxious, I still feel good about having a specific end date.

Of course, it would be ideal if this little guy would simply decide to join us on his own! I keep telling him that it's really nice here and he will have all sorts of room to stretch out. Let's hope he starts listening to me!

We'll keep you posted!

July 4th fun

We had a great 4th of July weekend here in St. Louis! On Thursday we kicked off the weekend by going to a cardinals game and listening to some great blues music a little dive bar near the stadium. The rest of the weekend was spent getting ready for the baby, working in the yard and resting. It rained on the 4th so we spent the morning at the City Museum, and then went out for pizza and ice cream for dinner. We were all three asleep before the fireworks, but it was a perfect day nonetheless.

Big Baby Boy

I went to the doctor yesterday for an ultrasound just to check in on our little guy and see how big he is. My doctor's don't want me to deliver a really large baby because of the complications we had with M. At my last visit, I was telling the doctor that I felt this baby was large, and I could tell she was thinking "All pregnant women think that..." but I really meant it! I also explained to her that while my belly is not large, that is just because of the way I am carrying and trust me-there is not a spare inch of room in this belly. So, she conceded and scheduled the ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech was great and she did a thorough exam. She even got us some 4D pictures that Z promptly sent to facebook. Our little guy looks just like M did when she was born. It's crazy! He is also very healthy, complete with chubby cheeks, and even some fat rolls on his neck. Needless to say, when she came back in the room and told us that she estimates him to be 7 lbs. 4 oz right now I nearly started crying. Ultrasounds at this stage can over or underestimate weight by 1/2 lb, so he really could weight anywhere from 7-8 lbs but with three weeks left to grow that means he could be 8.5-10 pound by the time my due date rolls around.

The good news is that I had some Braxton hicks contractions a couple of days ago and I think he is really getting ready to come out. I say, let's the get this show on the road...the sooner the better!!!!!

Zar, the Toddler Whisperer

Last night marked a huge milestone for our little girl. After numerous attempt to cajole M into sleeping in her 'big girl bed', including special toys, book, extra privileges with binkies, I have been unsuccessful at getting her to stay put. We have been talking about the bed a lot and how special it is, but she would still require the confines of her crib to fall asleep.

Last night while I was out, Z decided to take matters into his own hands and see what all the fuss was about. He simply asked M where she wanted to sleep (crib or bed) and at her first hesitation, he plopped her into the bed, let her drink her bottle, handed her a teddy bear and quickly left the room. She cried for a bit, but never got out of bed and eventually fell asleep hugging her three foot tall clown, Gymbo.

Way to go, Z! I guess sometimes you just need to rip off the bandaid.

Wish us luck today continuing this trend!