37 Weeks

The countdown has begun! From this point on, if I have the baby, everything should be fine! As the doctor put it yesterday, "now we're in a waiting game!" I now am going to the doctor every Monday. The past two Mondays have shown no changes at all (not dilated or anything), so we'll wait and see when the changes start! The good news is that the baby is head down, so I'm glad to know she's not breech! Knowing where her head is has made it fun to figure out what I'm feeling when she moves around. She seems to enjoy shaking her booty all over my ribcage and upper stomach! Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, she will start to drop (which would be nice because then I'll be able to breathe more easily!). Then, we will just wait and see! The excitement continues to grow for Jerry and me! As we get the nursery more put together with clothes in drawers, the reality is starting to set in!

Another dose of reality is that my friend, Heather, had her baby boy! I'm super jealous because she had a VERY quick labor, but she's also been on bedrest off and on since December and on medicine for contractions (so I'm not jealous of that). Austin Paul Hicks is here, and he's beautiful! I am so excited to meet him, and even more excited for Audrey to meet him! Here's a picture of sweet baby Austin!

Born Feb. 11, 200

This past weekend, I had another baby shower. My mom and sister were able to come down for it (Dad came to town too, but not for the shower!). It was thrown by my Columbia College girls, and it was fun! I was so lucky to receive our travel system, so now we have our carseat base installed and ready for the big day! *Pictures to come from the shower!*

Another fun part of the weekend was Saturday night. Some of my close friends and family know of the Lamkin family. I was the babysitter for the Lamkin family all through college and babysat them from only one child to all seven of them! I even ventured with their family to Disney World one fall to help out. Their family is so special to me, and I was lucky enough to see them over the weekend. This was special because the Lamkins have been serving overseas, working for Campus Crusade for Christ. Luckily for us, they are currently back in the U.S. for some training and support raising. They came over for a cookout Saturday night, and it was so wonderful to see the kids (can't believe how much they've grown) as well as Bob and Donna. It was even better because my parents and sister were here, so we all got to catch up! We are hoping that they will still be in town when the baby comes. It would be so awesome to share that with them!

Below are some pictures from this past weekend. My tummy has definitely grown, and we'll see how much it changes over the next few weeks. Now, we just wait to see if Audrey decides to be early, on time, or late! Any predictions?


The Lamkin kiddos and me!



Jerry and I comparing bellies. Love Jerry's face, pretending he's in pain!



Baby shower & 35 weeks!

Today marks week 35! It is so hard to believe that we are so close to the arrival of our baby! Last weekend, Jerry and I attended childbirth preparation class. We were overloaded with TONS of information. The part we enjoyed most was the tour of the hospital. We were shown where to go when the "big day" arrives and also got to see a delivery room, as well as a room like one we will be staying in after the birth. Though the class was very long, we felt like it helped us feel a lot more "ready." Luckily, I have read a good bit and talked with other moms, so nothing in the class really freaked me out or panicked me like some people may be. The videos don't phase me or gross me out, so I was fine. People ask me about being grossed out or scared about labor, but I'm really not. Don't get me wrong--I'm NOT looking forward to the pain, discomfort, and overall process, but at the same time, I know it's going to happen, so there's no point in freaking out! No one's experience is exactly like anyone else's, so we will just have to wait and see how it goes for us!

The biggest changes lately have been about being uncomfortable! Whether it be sleeping, bending over, breathing, or whatever--it's just not as easy as before! My feet and ankles have started to swell (I try to sit down at work when possible), and certain tasks just take a bit more effort nowadays. Also, the movements I feel from the baby are very different. As opposed to quick, small kicks, I can now feel her turning or kicking more slowly. She seems to enjoy spending time in the left side of my ribs. I, however, do NOT enjoy this! It has been fun to be able to push around and feel her and even manuever her around a little. Each time she moves, it is one of the weirdest yet neatest feelings!

Today, we had our first baby shower. Jerry's mom threw one for us and invited family and friends from his side of the family. She had everything looking so nice, and we had a good time! Our daughter will be one of the best-dressed children on Earth! I don't think we need anymore clothes after this shower today! I can't believe how many clothes we got! We may have to change her outfit every hour just to use them all (ok, slight exaggeration)! I have put a few pictures below from the shower today, as well as an updated "belly pic."

35 Weeks

Cake at the baby shower

Standing by the cake