38 1/2 WEEK UPDATE

Well, we had our 38 week update last Wednesday and thought we were going to be setting our inducement appointment for this Wednesday April 2, but once the doctor checked me, she said that unless I showed more progression that she wouldn't induce me. : ( I almost started crying. She said that if my cervix will soften more, then she will induce, but that if she felt there was any greater chance of having to perform a c-section on me because she induced me when my body wasn't ready that she wouldn't do it. Of course I am very appreciative that the health of me and Grady are her top priority, but it was definitely not what I wanted to hear!! So, our next appointment is on Tuesday, April 1 and we will see where we are and whether or not she will induce me on Wednesday - I would hate for Grady to already be grounded and in trouble for not obeying his mother and not getting here before he is 10 pounds!!

I'm still rolling around like a bowling ball, but I'm not doing a whole lot of sleeping and it takes very little to make me feel like I need a 4 hour nap. I thought I might get through the pregnancy without my back ever hurting, but it's definitely started hurting now. I'm more and more useless around the house, but thankfully I have a husband who picks up right where I left off and makes sure everything gets done without ever complaining that he's working 14 hour days and then coming home and doing house stuff that I don't have the energy to do. He's quite a catch!

Andy's mother, Margarita, came into town on Thursday from Arkansas to help us finish preparing for Grady's arrival and try to hurry him up. Although she hasn't been very successful in getting him here any quicker, she has been very helpful in helping us do household tasks, and of course we've had some time for fun as well!

Monday will be my first day to be working from home, so let's hope that goes well - I'll be working part-time from home until Grady gets here, and then I'll take 4-6 weeks off and start working part-time from home again once I have a little time off. I'm a little nervous about it, but I think it is going to work well!

We will of course keep you updated about our appointment on Tuesday!

38 WEEK PICTURES

We had some of the Grandparents in town this weekend and they were praying for an early arrival of Grady, but it did not happen. We had awesome weather and spent the day playing on Johns Island and Kiawah. Here are some of the pictures. The tree in the pictures is the Angel Oak. It is 1200 years old and owned/maintained by the city. I used it to give a reference of how big Grady is in Morgan's belly. Natalie/Heather, I know that I am no where near the photographers you are, so feel free to critique the shots.

FULL MOON

Grady did not come on the full moon. Maybe Easter Sunday.....

37 WEEK UPDATE

I went in for my 37 week update and had another good report. This week I am 80% effaced and still 1 centimeter dilated. The doctor was shocked at how much I'd dropped. She said I was progressing perfectly and she felt like my body is doing exactly what it should be doing for an easy delivery - let's hope she's right!! I'm pretty much at the miserable point - I'm not sleeping well, I can't get comfortable, I'm constantly exhausted, and I feel like there's not enough room for me to sit up, eat, move, etc., but I keep having to remind myself that I've had a very easy pregnancy compared to many people. So despite my moaning, I have been very lucky that we haven't had any problems or scares. However, we're ready for Grady to be here!! My Mom thinks that he's going to come tomorrow, Friday, March 21 because it's a full moon - I would love for her to be right about that! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend! Maybe Grady will be an Easter baby. . .

Grady also got his first sunburn last weekend. We had a beautiful Sunday last week and I decided to blow up our air mattress and prop myself up with about 5 pillows and sit on the back porch and read my book. The sun felt so good and the dogs kept me company and I was so excited to get a little bit of color since I look like a ghost right now, but I didn't realize quite how much sun my baby belly was getting. Good thing our neighbors don't have a clear view into our backyard because it would've been a little frightening to see my huge white stomach on display. I didn't get too burned, just a little pink, but it was worth it because the weather was too beautiful to be inside.

36 WEEKS

We are having Grady arrival check ups every week now. Morgan went in on Wed and had a great report. Her weight is great, Grady's heartbeat was strong, she is 20% affaced(if you know what that means), and she is dialated to 1 cm. So now you gamblers have all the inside information you need to place your bets. Next appointment is 3-18-08 and you will get the full update.

BABY POOL

All of you who know me well, know that I will put odds on just about anything. I have created a web page to see who can guess the closest Weight, Height, Birthday, and Gender for our new Smith Addition. Everything is based on points and the web site calculates the winner. I have it set up so that the gender is worth so many points that if you get it wrong you will never win. Morgan and I will not play as we have inside information. There is no cost to guess of course. BUT... if you want to throw in five dollars per guess, I am keeping a running tally of people who pay and the closest person(that paid) gets the whole pot. So guess as much as you want, but if you don't pay to play you will not get the riches. The link to the site is below.

http://www.expectnet.com/games/GUESS-GRADY

35 WEEKS

We are getting very close and very excited. We had a doctors appointment this morning and Morgan and Grady are moving along perfectly. The doctor said that Morgan is the picture perfect pregnancy. She is in line with the weight charts, doing everything the doctors ask her to do, and self-educating enough that she is not calling the doctors at four in the morning for every little bump and movement. The nurse even came in and said how much they love her, because she is so easy to deal with. (They should live with her and that may change their opinion)

Grady has turned completely over and his head is pointing south. This is a good thing as he is getting in the right position to make his grand entrance. The doctor took Morgan's hands and placed them in the right position to feel both sides of Grady's head so she could judge the size. It was grapefruit size and still 4 weeks to go.

I will keep you posted....

FINISHED NURSERY

I am back. I was going to put a poll on the site that asked which blog master you preferred, but I thought I would only get one vote from my mother. Here are the latest pictures from Grady's Nursery. 30 days and counting....