Hurry up and wait...

Now 38 weeks and counting, I am SO ready for this baby to be born! And apparently she's getting ready too... My doctor checked my cervix today and I'm dilated 2 cm but the cervix hasn't thinned out much (normal for the second time around.) Bad news is that my uterus is also measuring 2 weeks less than I should be which could mean that she doesn't have enough room to grow in there. I have an ultrasound scheduled on Friday to check her growth and the amniotic fluid level. If things look OK, I can keep un chugging along until she decides to make her grand appearance. Otherwise they will plan on inducing me probably Friday or Saturday. I'll keep everyone updated on the outcome of the ultrasound.

We're all ready for her whenever she decides to come. Even Brendan has started talking more about his baby sister (who he knows will be sitting in the empty carseat that has taken up residence in the seat next to him.) I was even impressed at his reaction to our friends' baby who stayed a few nights a couple weeks ago. They brought their 2-year-old and 3-month-old boys and we all had a blast. At one point I was holding the baby and Brendan said "hi baby!" then he pondered for a few moments and pointed to my belly and said "mommy has a baby in her belly..." pointed to the baby, looked up at me and questioned "like HE is?" And that's when I saw the lightbulb go on in his mind. He was connecting the word baby with the reality of what it really meant. What a smart little guy... we'll see how much he enjoys this baby that will become a part of our family here shortly...

It's never too early

OK, so call us crazy but we decided to decorate early for Christmas. Last weekend the fall decorations were put away and room was made for our Christmas decor. Brendan was a bit confused as to why all the pumpkins had been replaced with snowmen and santas. It wasn't until the tree came out this weekend (yes, I know, it's a crime... we own a FAKE tree!!) that Brendan really got into it.

The poor guy, all the ornaments look like toys... so why on earth would Mommy and Daddy be so mean as to tell him he can't play with them??? Once he got the concept, he was such a big helper, hanging ornaments all over the bottom of the tree (OK, maybe not... most of them were concentrated on one single branch and Mommy had to discreetly move them when he wasn't looking.) But needless to say, it was an exciting time. In my mind, it's never too early to bring out the Christmas decor. We figured we'd have our hands full in the near future and now was as good a time as any. And hey, Thanksgiving came late this year... that's MY excuse!

8 months

8 months and counting (or technically 36 weeks.) I have to say that I am officially TIRED of being pregnant and ready whenever she is... My water broke at 37 weeks with Brendan and I have this slight hope that maybe she'll decide to make an early appearance too. Or maybe she'll be exactly the opposite and keep me waiting past my due date (heaven help me...)

It's not that I haven't enjoyed bonding with her inside me. I'll definitely miss feeling her move and knowing that I'm the one who's providing everything she needs. There's something about that bond that will no doubt make me miss being pregnant. But then there are so many more things that I just want to be normal again. The backaches, the pelvic pain, the exhausting contractions, the heartburn. I'll trade them all for the sleepless nights of the newborn period. And I truly can't wait to just hold her in my arms.

I'll be going to the doctor weekly from now until she arrives. My bag is packed and ready to go, the carseat will be strapped into the van in a matter of days. So now all that's left is the waiting...

Halloween

OK, so I know it's a few days late but Joe was hoarding the pictures on his computer at work...

Halloween was so much fun this year. Brendan was actually excited to dress up and even kept that cute duck hood on all evening long! At first he told me "I no like it!" But when I kept laughing hysterically and told him how stinkin' cute he was, he decided it must be worth it. He had the "quack, quack" down perfect and by the end of the evening was willing to tell anyone and everyone "trick-or-treat" just to see what he could get.

We stopped by daddy's office first to meet up with Kian (the giraffe) and Tracey and to wait for the daddys to finish up work so we could head off to the shops at the Old Mill for trick-or-treating. Of course I'm completely biased but he had to have been the cutest little guy out there.

Neither Joe nor I had time to come up with good costumes. Although the previous night Joe suggested that my two best options at this point would have been a kangaroo (with a baby Joey in my "pouch") or a cow (NEVER suggest this to a woman who is 8 months pregnant... and don't follow up with "we could stick udders on your belly! And look... you already have one (yes, my belly button is completely noticable now that this baby has popped it completely outward)!) Needless to say we just opted for no costumes and decided we'd try for something good next year.

Fortunately the stores must have been reading the mommys' minds because out of about 15 stores, Brendan only ended up with a couple pieces of candy. Mostly stickers and small toys. Definitely geared towards the smaller kids. But he sure was exhausted by the time we got home. After sorting through his loot, he was in bed and fast asleep within minutes. My cute little ducky...