Inducing labor next week!

After I passed the CPA exam in late 2007, I started a large cross stitch project (14" x 11") - I had to find something to do with all that extra free time since I no longer had to study!  I have worked on it off and on over the years, but this week I FINALLY finished it.  Now I just need to frame it!  I hope to have it "on display" in our guest bedroom very soon.

We had our last appointment with my OB yesterday.  He has decided to induce on the morning of Wednesday, August 18th if she doesn't come before then.  I'm still hoping she comes on her own (this weekend would work!), although my father-in-law would love it if she waited until Wednesday since that's his birthday as well!  It's nice to know that we are going to meet our sweet baby girl within a few days, but my emotions have been quite the roller coaster ride since yesterday - anxiety about labor and delivery, excitement about finally getting to see and hold this little one that's been growing inside me for the past 10 months, and just a bit overwhelmed by it all.  

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." Philippians 4:6a

God is in control, and He is faithful.  It's time to just take a deep breath and thank the Lord that I can cast all of my cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) - aka RELAX! :)

Still waiting

5 days until our due date and still just waiting!  Daniel and I have gone for a walk almost every evening for several days in a row now hoping that would bring on labor, but it hasn't worked yet!

I've been off of work for over a week, and it's been great!  I've been swimming with friends from church twice, read another Karen Kingsbury novel, made lots of progress on my cross-stitch project, cleaned the house, watched a few movies (thanks to Netflix on the Wii), etc.  So I haven't really been bored at all!

We're scheduled to go to the doctor again on Friday afternoon, but maybe she'll come before then!  Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

Last day at PB&H

Today was my last day of work at Pattillo, Brown, & Hill.  It was a wonderful place to work.  I had the best bosses in the world, and my coworkers were great.  They have been such a blessing in my life for the past three and a half years.  I didn't think I would cry, but the moment I stepped out the front door, the flood gates opened. (and here I go again...)  I'm so excited about staying home with Emma, but I guess I'm just sad to be leaving behind such great friends.  Being 9 months pregnant and super hormonal probably doesn't help either!  I just have to keep reminding myself that it's not like I'm never going to see them again - I'm not leaving Waco and I left on good terms.  We can still get together for lunch; I'm just not going to see them every day.  So, to all of you that enjoy what you do and the people you work with, remember this: "To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God." -- Ecclesiastes 5:19b

We're just over two weeks away from our due date, and Emma seems pretty content to just stay in there.  Hopefully she'll change her mind soon - we're very ready to meet her.  I'm definitely feeling huge, but I really can't complain.  I get a little bit of heartburn, it's super hot outside, and my feet hurt if I'm on them for very long, but I'm not swelling very much, I'm sleeping relatively well, and I'm feeling pretty good overall.  When the doctor checked me at 34 weeks, my cervix had thinned some and had started to dilate, but at my last two appointments, nothing had really changed.  I've been having some contractions, but nothing strong or regular by any means.  But I still have a feeling that she's going to come early - maybe late next week?  Guess we'll just have to wait and see!

My how time flies!

Wow, hard to believe our birthdays and vacation and most of June has passed since I last posted! I knew it had been awhile but I didn't think it had been working on 2 months! (you were right Aunt-in-law Donna). Carolyn and Emma seem to be doing well. Fortunately we were able to get a vacation in before the heat and the pregnancy became uncomfortable. We traveled to Branson, MO where we saw a couple shows, played a round of golf, where I made my first hole in... a window! OOPS! And I was having such a good round prior to that! Something about shattering a window ruins your swing though. On Sunday we went and visited our friend Sara Miller in Springfield and visited her home church. It was a great break from work for both of us.  Thankfully the nursery is pretty much ready decorating-wise, now the challenge will be organizing everything from the upcoming showers and putting everything in its place.   Because, of course, everything must have a place.  But for now we continue to count the days and weeks as Emma's much anticipated arrival draws ever so near.  As of yesterday we were 8 weeks out!  I'll try to continue and keep you posted as we get closer.

Nursery Pictures

The Final 100 Days

Well, the good news is we're within 100 days of welcoming Emma into our home. The bad news is the weather has yet to hit 100 degrees, but it's coming. There is more good news, though. As you can see the majority of the nursery has been completed and Carolyn's sister Amy donated a TON of clothes to the cause (although this means less shopping for baby girl clothes). Carolyn, Emma Leigh and I plan on taking a trip to Branson for Memorial Day to get away one last time before our attention completely shifts in August. Emma has been pretty active the past couple of weeks, sometimes you can even see her kicking from out here!

Nursery & Baby Update

Howdy! Here are a few pics of our nursery's progress as well as Carolyn and Emma Leigh's progress (IT'S A GIRL!). Sorry, I meant to post when we found out it was a girl, but here we are nearly a month later! In fact we go back on Tuesday. It was a fascinating experience watching the ultrasound and seeing the fingers and ribs and watching the heartbeat. I still don't buy the washing machine sound they passed off as the heartbeat a visit before, but this ultrasound thing was worth the price of admission I know that much. He had us pretty nervous that we might not get the boy or girl answer there for a while, but for me it was just more time to see different angles and views of our little one. 115 more days until predicted due date!