Due Date and Still Waiting

Well, today is my due date, and we are still waiting for the baby! We've tried coaxing him or her to come out, but nothing has seemed to work so far, unfortunately. I did go to the doctor again today and pretty much nothing has changed since last week. I'm still only dilated to 1 and he said that I could go any day or I could have to wait a week yet. He leaves for California tomorrow and doesn't come back until next week Tuesday, so I will see him again one week from today if the baby hasn't come yet. So, we'll keep waiting and hoping the little one decides to come join the rest of us!

39 Week Update

I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon for my 39 week check-up. Everything is still looking good for me and the baby! My doctor did tell me that I'm not having a small baby, which made me slightly nervous, so I had him clarify...he thinks it will be 8-9 pounds. I was relieved that he wasn't thinking it was going to be 10-12 pounds! I am only dilated to 1, but I'm hoping that doesn't matter and the baby still decides to come soon!

38 Weeks

This past Wednesday marked the 38 week mark, so here's an updated picture!We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little one...hopefully very soon! In the last couple of weeks, we've spent time getting last minute items for us and the baby, doing the laundry that we can without knowing if it is a boy or or a girl, and finishing up decorating the nursery. I've also been working quite a bit, trying to help my boss get ready for the audit that will start shortly after I have the baby.

The last 2 doctors appointments have just told us that things are starting to progress. We know the baby is head down and his/her heart rate is beginning to slow down. It has been in the 130's instead of the 140's. I also don't feel him/her moving around quite as much either.

So now we're just waiting...sometimes a little more patiently than others :) I'm ready to meet our little one and start this new journey in our lives...so I'm hoping the baby decides to make an appearance any day now!

36 Weeks

I am officially 36 weeks, which means only 4 more to go (hopefully no more than that)! Eric and I had a busy baby-filled week! We had our last birthing class Monday night and got to tour the birthing center at Zeeland Hospital. I had heard how nice the rooms were and thankfully they lived up to my expectations! The rooms are quite large and Eric will be able to stay with me the entire time!

Yesterday I had another doctor's appointment. I am now seeing my actual doctor and not the nurse practitioner and I am going to the doctor every week from now on. I am still measuring where I'm supposed to be and the heartrate was in the 140's once again. I had supspected that the baby was head down and starting to drop and my doctor confirmed this! I also found out that my doctor is going to be in San Francisco over my due date, so I'm hoping that he decides to induce before he leaves, but I don't really think he will. We'll just have to wait and see!

Last night we also had our preadmission interview at the hospital. We filled out a bunch of paperwork and got some more reading materials and more free stuff! Now when the baby decides he/she wants to make his/her appearance, we can just get to my room!

Last weekend we had my cousin Kyle's graduation open house and this picture was taken:My cousin Kevin was comparing his stomach to mine to see who was bigger :o)

This weekend we don't have a ton planned, but we're pretty excited about that! We're looking forward to a relaxing weekend and getting some things done around the house :o)

Keeping Busy

We've been very busy for the last week! Last Saturday my friend Laura from college got married. She picked a beautiful (hot) day to get married on the golf course at Quail Ridge! The wedding and reception were a lot of fun...I was able to see a bunch of my friends from college that I hadn't seen in a long time! It was great catching up with people again!

The happy couple! Wayne and Laura

Kate, Jessica, Laura, me, & LisaSunday was Father's Day, so we spent the day with our families. We went to Eric's parents' house for lunch and my parents' house for dinner. Our nieces came in matching dresses and were absolutely adorable!

Chris with his girls

Monday night we had our third child birth class at the hospital. This coming Monday will be our last class...we're excited to get a tour of the birth center at the hospital since we have heard so much about it but neither of us have ever seen it!

Tuesday was my last doctor's appointment seeing the nurse practitioner I've been seeing. I now get to start going to the doctor every week and will actually see my doctor. Not much has changed since my last appointment...I'm still measuring like I'm supposed to be and the heart rate is still in the 140's. I did get to hear the heartbeat over the chambers in the heart...it sounded different than the normal heartbeat, so it was cool to hear for something different!

Wednesday I had my fourth baby shower! My friend Holly put it on and she did a wonderful job organizing the whole thing! My high school and college friends were there along with both moms, all the sisters, and my nieces! Holly asked everyone to bring a book for the baby's library and had labels put on them to remind us who the books came from! We were again blessed to receive so many wonderful gifts and are feeling more and more ready for our little one to arrive! Now we just need to finish getting a few things for the nursery and getting some things put together and finding places to put everything (right now there is a small pathway through the nursery...we have boxes everywhere!) Thanks to everyone for making it a special night for us again! My adorable nieces and me Holly and meKate, Jessica, me, & Lisa

Holly, Jodi, Vicki, me, Kristin, & Leslie

Last night our small group from church had a potluck at Hagar Park. It was a beautiful night and we had a great time hanging out with everyone!

After such a busy (and hot) week, Eric and I are glad it's the weekend and that we can relax this weekend!

Another Baby Shower and Dr. Update

Last week Tuesday was a busy day for me! I left work early to go the doctor for my 33 week check-up. I was told that all my measurements were good and that I hadn't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks :) That news made me happy! The baby's heart rate is still in the 140's, so that has continued to be consistent.

Tuesday night I headed over to my friend Katie's house for my first friends baby shower. Katie S and Katie K put it on for me and they did a wonderful job! We had a great time just hanging out and catching up with each other! We played a game where we were given a list of animals and had to come up with what that animal's baby is called...I definitely didn't do so hot on that one :) Katie K had gotten most of the animals out of her daughter's book, so maybe someday soon I will learn what all of those are!

We again received so many wonderful gifts. We truly are blessed to have so many people around us who care about us and our baby! We received bath items, bottles, onesies, bedding, blankets, toys, books, the monkey to hang on the wall and even a CD of kids songs!

This is a picture of all of us girls at my shower...Thanks for making it a special and wonderful night!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

This past weekend Eric and I went up north to Sleeping Bear Dunes. I had decided I wanted to get away one last time before the baby comes! We drove up on Saturday morning and were able to enjoy the beautiful views without too much walking/hiking thanks to the scenic drive! We got to the top of the 450 foot dunes and were able to see quite a bit around us! The people down by the water looked so small! We had seen a lake that was formed by a sand bar at one point and decided to find it. The water was so clean and we were able to walk a ways around the lake and up a small dune that separated the lake from Lake Michigan.

After we were done with driving around in the dunes, we headed to Glen Harbor where we were able to visit an old Coast Guard station that has been turned into a museum. This picture is at the museum...Eric pretending to drive one of the boats :)

We then headed to Glen Arbor and found our hotel. We stayed at Fiddler's Pond, part of the Homestead Resort. Everything at our hotel was really nice and we had a wonderful pool area right behind our room, but unfortunately it was only in the 50's and was overcast, so we didn't take advantage of it! We still had a wonderful night exploring the area and finding dinner downtown Glen Arbor!

Sunday morning we headed back into Glen Arbor to find breakfast and do some shopping before heading back into Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We found the area where the Platte River leads into Lake Michigan. Eric was excited to see this because he had gone tubing down this river with his family when he was younger. It was beautiful and the sun actually came out while we were there!

We continued our trip back towards home making several stops. We stopped at Betsie's Point and saw the light house there before continuing on to Frankfort. We walked around in Frankfort looking at some of the shops before getting some salt water taffy and ice cream! After leaving Frankfort we stopped at a lookout point on Lake Michigan right before we got to Arcadia. The view was beautiful from the lookout and we actually were able to watch the rain come across the lake. We managed to get back in the car right before it started raining!
We were going to stop in Manastee, but we didn't want to get caught in the rain and as we drove through the downtown area, we found that many of the stores were closed on Sunday and that there were many empty buildings. We decided to continue our trip home and made a final stop in Muskegon for dinner before making it home. We had a wonderful time together and were both glad just to get away for a couple days!