finish line is in sight...

....though on some days it seems more like a mirage. We have five weeks officially until Harper is scheduled to arrive. However, similar to airlines, buses and dentists, babies don't always arrive on schedule! I am still hoping that Harper might want to show up a week or so early (which is not at all like the airlines or buses - those guys are never early!). She isn't ready to join us quite yet, but I am sure getting antsy carrying this extra load around!

I saw Dr. Koeritz yesterday for a regular visit. He informed me that his daughter gave birth last week to a nine lb, some odd oz, baby boy. Lord help me if Harper grows that large over the next few weeks! Oddly enough, while Harper appears to be growing as expected, I have not gained any weight in several weeks. I definitely appear larger in the stomach region, that much I can assure you! I seemed to have plateaued at twenty pounds, so we'll see if that changes. I'll go back to see Dr. K in two weeks after which our appointments will occur on a weekly basis. We're getting down to crunch time!

Dr. Koeritz and Jeff had an interesting conversation earlier this week, too. Jeff may have a chance to play in a golf tournament in Abilene over Labor Day weekend, which happens to fall about two weeks before Harper's due date. We couldn't make up our minds as to whether or not it was a good idea for us to travel four hours away, so Jeff called Dr. K to get his opinion. Dr. K said that nothing is likely to happen at that time, and if something were to progress, then there would be sufficient time to get back to Waco. Jeff was pumped that Dr. K gave us the green light - until Dr. K realized they were not on the same page as to who exactly would be making this trip! He laughed and said that Jeff was cleared to go, but that I was not. Later on, Jeff repeats the details of this conversation to me, and I am okay with staying in Waco. He did challenge me to defy doctor's orders and go to Abilene with him anyway. I told Jeff that while I believe Harper is not likely to come that early, there is no way for us to know that for sure! He assured me that if I started feeling contractions, then we would immediately return home to Waco. Uh, yeah, because a four-hour car ride sounds awesome, especially while experiencing labor contractions! Long story short - I will be playing in Waco over Labor Day, so be sure to let me know if anything fun is going on!

On an unrelated note, I received a random e-mail from HEB today along with a coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of ice cream. HEB must be on to me! Hehe... :) This could only be more perfect if the coupon were for Haagen Daas Fleur de Sel! (Jeff, don't bother looking in the freezer when you get home tomorrow - it is already gone!)

That's all for now, folks!

it's raining, it's pouring...

I've been a bad blogger again, and I apologize! The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity to say the least--we've had a couple of showers (of both the baby and rain variety), my ten-year high school reunion, out of town trips, friends in town, our one-year wedding anniversary and more!

My office threw a shower for Harper week before last, and it was great fun. My coworkers put a lot of effort into the event, and it all came together so nicely. It really meant a lot to Jeff and I - we were definitely touched by their kindness. Besides, where else could I expect to see a "Waco We Do" baby bib? I can so picture Harper dragging that sweet bunny rabbit by his ears once she becomes a mobile bi-ped! To any of my Chamber friends that may be reading this - thanks again for everything!

I'll spare you too many details of my high school reunion. It was great to catch up with some old friends, and I wish I had been more proactive with my digital camera. There wasn't enough time to talk to all the people I would have liked to catch up with, but I should have known that would be the case. It didn't help that two late-night events that I would have loved to participate in were held at smokey bars. I didn't think Harper would appreciate the smog, so I passed. Wrigley joined us for the tour of the Ellison HS that morning, and I think she thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm confident she can pass the TAKS test, and we are hoping she can graduate in the spring! ;)

Alyssa came in town on Saturday to hang out and do a little prep work for the shower on Sunday. I'd insert a photo of our time on Lake Waco, but unfortunately, Alyssa's digi cam died a quick, yet tragic, death as a huge wave jumped into the front of the boat and drowned our bag. I'll just tell you that we looked good, and you'll have to take my word on it. :)

The shower on Sunday was absolutely wonderful. It was graciously hosted by Breyer, Alyssa, Lara, Tiff, Sherri (Breyer's mom) and Linda (Tiff's mom). I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of everyone in attendance (and even those that couldn't make it). Everything was perfect - the food, the subconscious coordination of all of us wearing shades of blue, the crossword puzzle (I'm not surprised few could guess my pregnancy craving of fresh pineapple and yogurt!), the quiz guessing Jeff's answers (harder than I thought it would be!), the decor... I could go on and on. Of course, the gifts were bountiful and great, but I was truly touched by the kind words and gestures extended by every single one of those ladies. I admit that I teared up a bit thinking about all of them on the way home from Mrs. Breyer's house that afternoon. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life, and better yet, Harper will get to know and love these people as she grows up, too. (Ok, I've had enough with the preggo hormones - I am tearing up all over again. To self: "Get a hold of yourself, man!") I've got a busy night ahead of myself writing thank you notes - suspiciously Jeff is out of town for the rest of the week. Good timing on his part! ;)

P.S. I have about had it with Target and their registry/return policy. I'll save that rant for another day. I am sad to report that my love affair with Target is currently on the rocks!

P.S.S. Happy Anniversary to us - one year down and many, many more to go!

random acts of kindness

What a good afternoon I had yesterday! First, I had lunch with my good friend, Mrs. Sara Elizabeth Poni Breyer Coats. Great sandwich courtesy of Cafe Cappuccino - I highly recommend Mary's Panini on rye. Then, Breyer (as most of you know her) and I stopped next door at the new maternity store, Baby Wait. The owner was super nice, they had cool merchandise, and I think I found the perfect diaper bag! (Now I just have to wait until pay day to buy it!)

I came back to the office and got some work done (hold your laughter). Jeff stopped by unexpectedly with a gorgeous flower arrangement AND Allen Marshall brought me a chocolate malt from Sonic! The flowers, birds of paradise, are just awesome. I didn't know I was a fan until now! (Enjoying the chocolate malt came as no surprise - I have long been a fan of those!)

The best part is the complete randomness of the gesture, or so I thought... then I got to thinking about it and remembered how another friend surprised me with an awesome treat earlier this week! Lara stopped by the office with a package of the new Sharpie pens, and the nerd in me could not have been more excited. So, I'm pretty sure the flowers were an attempt by Jeff to trump Lara and her Sharpie pens! If anyone else wants to raise the stakes, I welcome you! Hehe...

saved by Sin City!

We visited Dr. K again yesterday for a routine appointment at 32 weeks 6 days. Everything checked out just great! Harper's heartbeat was strong, fundus height still matches the week number, my blood pressure is holding steady, weight is good, etc. We will now go in for check-ups every two weeks, which will then quickly turn into weekly visits.

I was also relieved to learn that I won't run the risk of carrying Harper around for weeks on end past her due date. Dr. K has his sights set on Vegas the weekend after the due date, so Harper will be born no later than September 18th. My fingers are still crossed that she takes after her mother and shows up just ahead of schedule!

Almost all of a sudden, it has become near impossible to find a comfy sleep position. I really enjoy sleeping, and I've always been really good at it until now! I can handle it if I rig my pillows juuuust right, but then I am stuck in that position unless I exert a great deal of effort to rearrange. Life was much nicer when dreamland came as quickly as my head hit the pillow! On the bright side, bedtime is still prime time to watch/feel Harper jump and jive! She really goes to town for a good 15 minutes after I lay down in bed, and her energy is rather impressive. When she finally calms down for bed, Wrigley snuggles up to my belly and drifts off, too. (I can't wait for them to be friends even if it means losing my 1st place position in Wrig-Pig's heart!)

Jeff and I have another class tonight to learn infant CPR. I hope it sticks in my memory better this time around than it did after the becoming certified in college! (There may have been a good reason for fuzzy memories from my SWT days, but we don't need to talk about that here!)

an official comic book villain?

We watched The Dark Knight at the IMAX on Saturday night, and I admit it was rather entertaining. We arrived 45 minutes before showtime to get a decent spot in line, which meant I had to stand longer than was comfortable. I cannot believe how much my comfort level has changed in just the last week though the onset of 100+ degree heat has not helped one bit. Overall, I still can't complain, because I feel like I have had it easier than most over the course of this pregnancy. I am noticing some swelling of the ankles on some evenings, and it is neither pretty nor comfortable. Jeff found a way to make me laugh about this new feature... as we stood in line for the movie, Jeff pointed out that if I were a comic book villain that I would make an awesome "Cankler."

Sounds intimidating, I know! ;)

Movin' on up to the eastside...

...to a de-luxe apartment in the sky! (Well, not quite!) Harper is a little cramped for space in her current digs, but she will soon move into her nursery with room to grow. I'm still decorating and adding things as they catch my eye, but this is what it looks like so far... As you can see, Wrigley loves her spot, too!

ohh, back to school, back to school...

Hooray for finishing our 5-week long childbirth classes! I am pretty sure we passed with flying colors, which means they WILL let us take Harper home with us in about 8 weeks or so! HOWE (Tiff - that one is just for you!) embarassing would it be to take remedial childbirth classes? Now, I didn't come home last night with any fancy certificate to hang on the wall, but I did receive a fancy pants, top-o-the-line "Hillcrest" water bottle. Well, there is actually nothing fancy about it - it is your standard, mass produced piece of personalized swag, but I am going to use the heck out of it at work!

One brief tidbit from last night's class: our instructor played a little game with the "partners" that involved racing up to a board to answer random childbirth-related questions. I should mention that a bonus point was given to the first guy to stick his answer to the wall. Jeff found himself in a very close race with one guy who ended up defeating Jeff by one point in an agonizing defeat. Anyhoo, one particular question was "what kind of birth does your partner want to have? Natural or using drugs?" So, Jeff races to the wall as he writes his answer down, but apparently he missed the last part of the question in all the commotion. Our instructor reads off the answers and verifies for accuracy with the moms in the room...then she grabs Jeff's sticky note and laughs. His answer, you ask? "A good one." While technically true, Jeff didn't listen closely enough to the question and blew our lead! Lucky for me, the guy that won didn't care for any of the admittedly lame prizes, which is how I ended up with my fancy water bottle. Yay for me and my hopes for a "good" birth - one that comes with an epidural!

That is all I've got for now, but I'll leave you with the latest pregnancy progression picture.

wait, what weight?

I was compelled this morning to take a look back at some of my original blog posts to contrast where I am now at 32 weeks. At one point I mentioned my disdain with having gained 5-6 pounds - HA! Oh, how I laugh. I'm up to 18 or 19 now, and I don't even care anymore! I'm just glad it isn't 40 or 70 lbs (Kate Hudson while pregnant with her son - I can't even imagine how that was possible for someone of her size) - particularly since we've got another 8 weeks to go!

I will update my pregnancy progression pic tomorrow with w31 and w32. I will also post some pics I took of the nursery yesterday, which will hopefully satisfy those of you that have asked to see it! Granted, the room is not complete, but I'm working on it! And of course, it won't officially be "complete" until Harper is here!

ultra-cool, ultrasound!

HOWE cool are 3D ultrasounds? Well, let me tell you! Jeff and I went in today for our high-tech ultrasound to see Harper at 31 weeks. It was ah-maaaazing! We clearly saw this little girl... her little nose, her big lips, her adorable chin! (Oh, and her parts down under...THANK GOODNESS she is still, in fact, a girl! Otherwise, we would have had a pink room-living little boy!)

We think we can attribute the lips to Jeff, and the chin seems to come from me. What a sigh of relief to see this perfectly normal looking baby as she slumbered in her temporary digs. She weighs about 3 lbs, 12 oz - praying that she doesn't gain much more than another 3 lbs in these last weeks! Jeff and I both weighed slighly over 7 lbs, so I'm hoping that Harper will follow along the same path! Our tiny little childbirth instructor informed us she has given birth to a 7.5 lb baby and a 9.3 lb baby...talk about YIKES on the second baby! That just sounds ginormous to me!

We were given September 16th as our due date for the second time today. Dr. K originally estimated September 17th, but both ultrasounds have indicated September 16th. I don't think Dr.K will officially change the due date since it is only a day off. However, I really, really wouldn't mind if she felt like showing up in the first week of September. I can't quite fathom this pregnancy business going on for another nine weeks - we are getting too impatient! :)

That is all - carry on!

hippies birthing, pseudo-preggo and poster children, oh my!

30 weeks down, 10 to go. I can’t believe how quickly the weeks are flying by--as demonstrated by my lack of a blog posting in two weeks--my bad!

We are well into our childbirth classes at this point, and they have been interesting to say the least. Our instructor is a tad on the aggressive side, but she means well. I think. I also think if I hear her say the phrase “along those lines” one more time, I may pop her in her curly-haired little head! We survived watching the infamous childbirth video…barely. Tell me why it is necessary to film hippies from Colorado giving birth while fully nude? I mean, really! I certainly am not going to volunteer Harper’s birth for the updated version of this video, but surely next time they can find some normal laboring ladies dressed in a simple hospital gown!

During last night’s class, we toured the labor, delivery and recovery area at Hillcrest, as well as the nursery. A new little baby boy was in the nursery being prepped before he headed back to his mom… ahhhhh, he was so tiny (6 lbs—Jeff knocked on the window and asked the nurse) and so cute! He was quietly minding his own business until the nurse pulled his arms from his body to put on his shirt. He did not like that feeling one bit! He definitely preferred to have his arms tucked in close, and he was going to make sure you knew it!

At the end of our tour, we headed back to the classroom for one last exercise. Our instructor whipped out this pregnancy bodysuit complete with weighted breasts and belly! It looked absurd! She said that each of the “partners” (have to be politically correct, you know) would have to put on the preggo-suit in an attempt to truly have empathy for the women carrying around the cumbersome weight for nine months. Knowing that none of the guys would ever volunteer, I told her Jeff would go first. Seeing as how we (I say “we,” but mainly I mean Jeff) are regarded as the class clowns, I figured Jeff would be able to break the ice for the other four guys. (Oops, partners!)

I really almost peed my pants as the instructor strapped Jeff into this 32-pound pseudo-pregnancy contraption topped off with an uber ugly denim maternity shirt. Really. I nearly keeled over with laughter. Jeff had to lay down on the floor, and the instructor proceeded to kick him in the stomach! (I don’t think Harper kicks quite that hard, and I’m glad she does not have shoes on either!) Then, he had to roll over on each side and get back on his feet. I wish I had thought to video this activity with my digi cam…it was really that entertaining, I promise! Check out two pictures of preggo Jeff. The second picture features his “labor face.” Oh, how I laugh!

The one nice thing about childbirth class is our new tradition post-class. Baskin-Robbins, woo hoo! We have two more installments of childbirth class, an infant care class and an infant CPR class, which means I should expect ice cream on at least four more occasions!

Thought y’all might also enjoy an updated belly progression photo. There is no telling how or where that belly is going to expand over the next two months, but we’ll just have to wait and see!

At my 30 week appointment this week, I asked my doctor if we could expect to have any other ultrasounds done between now and d-day. He pretty much said no because I haven’t given him cause to believe another ultrasound would be medically necessary (in other words, insurance would not likely cover it if it were not justified). Much to my delight, he then said we were more than welcome to have an elective 3D/4D ultrasound done at the hospital. Of course, I jumped at the chance! We called over to Hillcrest and set up that appointment for next Wednesday. We could not be more excited to see Harper’s little face again! I will definitely post pictures (and maybe the video) of the latest baby sighting following our appointment.

Oh, and did I mention that Dr. Koeritz called me the "poster child for normal pregnancy?" I almost laughed when he said that! I mean, this has been a very uneventful (in a good way) and easy pregnancy thus far, but the word "normal" has never been one used to describe ANYTHING in my life. Ah well, I'll wait for my posters to come off the press before I really take it to heart. ;)

That is all - carry on!