Ready or Not!

I had a doctor's appointment today. It was very exciting! She did my group B strep test and an exam (neither of these things being the exciting part). But while she was doing my exam she said the baby is definitely head down and I'm one centimeter dialated! I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean that the baby's coming any time soon, but things are moving in the right direction! If I didn't feel completely overwhelmed thinking of all that we need to do before he gets here, I do now!

Parker's New Pediatrician

Parker has a pediatrician! We met Dr. Bailey today - Chad and I really liked him and both felt comfortable in the office. We asked lots of questions and he was really thorough when he explained everything. We never thought about picking a pediatrician as being such a big deal...When you're from a small town, you generally just go to the one who is right in town!

Good Check Up!

I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon with Dr. Henley. I was a little apprehensive about going after my last check up with him when he delivered the news that my weight gain was a little high...which really shouldn't have been a big deal but when you feel huge already, it was a little hard to swallow! But everything went great today. I'm measuring right where I should be and Parker's heartbeat sounded good - 146 bpm! I love that sound! I asked if he could tell how he was positioned - He said he was pretty sure he was head down but doesn't like to worry about it until the baby is full term. He said he doesn't like to ask questions if he isn't going to do anything about the answer, meaning even if he was head up he wouldn't do anything about it anyways...but I can't help but be curious. I keep feeling these kicks and jabs in my ribs and just want to know if it's what I think it is. Hopefully if he is head down he's planning to stay that way!

So Monday night was our tour of the hospital...if it didn't feel real before, it sure did when we stepped into a delivery room! Strange to think about me laying there in a few weeks hooked up to the monitors knowing Parker is on his way! We got to see two new babies in the nursery while we were there. LA - we looked for you, then realized you were probably at small group. Next week is our last week of class. We'll be talking about C-sections and our instructor is all about having a party to celebrate our finishing class. She's an interesting character!

33 Weeks!

So apparently it's pretty obvious that I'm having a boy. I was at the store yesterday and a woman came up and told me she knew exactly what I was having (a boy) because I look like I have a basketball tucked up under my shirt. Then another woman told me the exact same thing this morning when I was out shopping! I asked the doctor a couple weeks ago if I was really big for being 31 weeks because when I tell people how far along I am, everyone seems to be shocked that I still have so far to go. She assured me that I'm measuring perfectly where I should be at this point and not to worry it. I always feel better after talking with her!

I can't believe we only have 7 weeks left until we meet Parker. These past few months have flown by and time just seems to be going faster and faster! Spring break felt forever away and now it's been here and gone already. I'm getting really excited but more and more anxious about the day of his arrival. Going to childbirth classes has been good but I'm having to face all my fears about labor that I have been putting off because June seemed so far away. I've even had a few nightmares and being in labor and have woken up with the shakes! It's one of those situations I want to think positively about but am trying to prepare myself for the worst because who knows how it's going to go. Chad's been so encouraging about the whole thing and I know he's going to be a great coach - I told him he's going to need to be very patient with me though...telling me to "suck it up buttercup" might not be appropriate in this particular situation! :) I know the prize at the end of all it will be more than worth it!

Easter Egg Hunt

Chad's family came to visit us last weekend. Here's a video of our nieces hunting for Easter eggs in our backyard. They were too cute!

Nursery Furniture

Our crib and dresser came in yesterday! It looks so cute in his room. We're still deciding how to set it up...the room seemed a lot bigger in our minds and it doesn't fit in there like we had pictured it. We'll post more pictures once we decide and get it put together.

Baby Shower!

We went to NY last weekend for our first baby shower. We got so many great things. Parker is a very lucky baby! Our family and friends were so generous and we really appreciate everything so much. Who knew a baby needed so much stuff! He has so many new clothes - I wish I had a wardrobe that size! It was great seeing our family, even though it was for such a short time. I can't believe how fast the weekend went by. Riding in the car 12 hours was definitely not the highlight of the weekend. Poor Chad had to drive the entire way. I think I drove about 50 minutes the whole trip because my back hurt so bad. I tried to position my seat every way possible but nothing helped. I was not a very happy passenger! When we got home, I wanted to go through everything we got so I could show Chad but after he saw my ankles were the size of grapefruits, he made me go downstairs and lay down. I was kind of hoping I could avoid swollen ankles altogether...but unfortunately that's not the case. Not sure why I thought I'd be so lucky!
We started childbirth classes on Monday night. The instructor is quite a firecracker, which makes class pretty entertaining. We got an anatomy lesson, learned the stages of labor, and then watched a video that showed all the stages and a baby being born. It's still all so surreal - I know lots of people who have been pregnant and through all this before but it's crazy to think Chad and I are going to go through it in about 2 months! I'm not going to lie- I'm scared to death of labor but as everyone says, it's too late now. He's got to come out somehow!
Our crib and dresser are finally here so we're off to try and make room for it. His room is full from the shower and we've had no time this week to put any of it away. I can't wait to see it all set up!