I Voted!

Today Matt and I went down to the Hamilton County courthouse to vote. We stood in line for about 30 minutes. Not easy for me at 9 months pregnant. I'm definitely glad to have it done. Now I can go into labor and know that I've done my duty as a citizen of this great nation. I guess I can tell Gracie one day that she got to vote in the 2008 election too.

We decided that the outcome of the election probably won't matter much to us immediately because we will have just had our little girl. My c-section is scheduled for Monday November 3rd at 2pm. I had an appointment today with Dr. Kerlin and she answered all of my questions about the procedure. I've had lots of advice from people who've been through it before and I feel pretty ready for it. The consensus I get is that a c-section is actually not as bad as a natural delivery. I'm sure I'll be a ball of nerves Monday morning and I probably won't get much sleep Sunday night but at least by 2:20 on Monday we'll have met our little Gracie.

We'll keep everyone posted and try to upload pictures as soon as we can.

Breechy Keen

We had an appointment with Doctor Kerlin today and she did a quick ultrasound to see if little Gracie had decided to head for the border. She hasn't. The doctor seems to think she's pretty much stuck in the butt down position and I tend to agree with her. The funny thing is I can feel her feet on my left side about half way up my belly which means she's basically eating her toes. Dr. Kerlin said that babies in this position find it hard to lower their legs for a few days after birth. They just get so used to being folded up that their feet spring back up when you try to push them down. That should be fun to see. :)

So, on the assumption that Gracie is as stubborn as I think she is we'll be scheduling a c-section for Nov. 3rd or 4th. I'm awaiting a call from the doctor for the final date. It's kind of nice to have an end date on the calendar. I'm not looking forward to the c-section recovery but I am looking forward to meeting our Gracie. It's also a good excuse for family to come and stick around for a little while to help us out.

Sleep Loading

I tried to think of something interesting to write about today but really couldn't think of anything. I'm just now getting over a cold so I've been doing a lot of sleeping lately. I mean a lot! I get as many hours as I can at night and then take a couple of naps during the day too. I'm just exhausted. I think it's because the sleep I do get isn't all that restful. Hauling this big belly from one side to the other all night is tiring. :)

I gave Matt a hard time for falling asleep during two movies this weekend. One was totally understandable (we do not recommend the Zohan movie) but the other was Iron Man. How can you fall asleep during Iron Man? Someone at church brought up a good point though. He must be sleep loading. You know, getting as much sleep as possible in anticipation of the sleepless nights we'll face when Gracie gets here. So I've decided I'm going to do some sleep loading myself.

I don't have any updates on Gracie right now. We go to the doctor for another visit tomorrow afternoon and will hopefully have some more news to share. If she's still breech the doctor may decide to schedule a c-section. I'm really hoping she's flipped herself around and is ready to come out head first. That would make things a lot easier.

Well, I'm going to try and catch a snooze before doing some Christmas shopping.

My New Favorite Season

We've been watching the colors change here in Indy for a few weeks now. It started with some of the younger maples turning bright orange, yellow and red. I can't help but point them out every time I see them. They just brighten up my day.

Now all the older trees are starting to follow suit. There is this one section of the highway between here and our church that I pass by quite often that has the most amazing shades of orange and red. They just pop out of the foliage as if to say, "don't forget that God made everything." I told Matt yesterday that I hope they never develop that section along the highway because I would really miss seeing the colors there.

We decided on Saturday to make a trip to Brown County State Park. It's about 2 hours south of Fishers and is a very popular destination for people looking for fall colors. It was a little early in the season so there weren't as many colors but we decided we better make the trip before Gracie arrives. We're planning to go next year a little later in the season. There were some breathtaking views. I posted all of our photos on our flickr site.

I've decided that Fall is, in fact, my new favorite season. The cool crisp air is always so welcome and the colors are just amazing. I've decided it's God's way of easing us into the cold and making the bitter winter not seem so bad. Why else would He surround winter with beautiful fall colors and blooming spring flowers?

Of course, another great reason to love this season is because it will be the time of year we celebrate little Gracie's birthday. I hope she appreciates the fall like this South Texan does. I hope the beauty of it doesn't get lost in growing up around it.

Speaking of Gracie...she hasn't decided to make her grand entrance yet but she's definitely practicing. I'm having contractions daily and am hoping that she is making her way south so that we don't have to have a C-section. I go back to the doctor for measurements today and then again on Wednesday to see how I'm progressing. The last item for the nursery just came in today so I'll get some pictures of the nursery all set up some time this week. I'm so excited to meet Gracie but am trying to be patient so that she can come when she's good and ready. Only Gracie knows when that time will be. I'll just sit back and enjoy my new favorite season while I wait. :)

Getting Closer

We had an appointment with Dr. Kerlin (my OBGYN) today. I told her that I could tell I was doing a bit too much this weekend because I was contracting quite a bit. When she checked me I was dilated to 3 cm and 50% effaced and she said, "You really have been contracting!" She was pretty surprised that I've progressed that far because I'm only 35.5 weeks but she said that if I went into labor they wouldn't do anything to stop it. She sent us home with orders to keep track of the contractions and call her if they become regular. Right now Gracie is breech which means if I went into labor I'd have to have a c-section. I'm trying to talk the little one into moving into the head down position to make this whole process easier on both of us. If she's anything like I imagine she'll move when she's good and ready.

We asked if Dr. Kerlin thought I would go early but she said that there really isn't anyway to know. Some women sit at 3 cm for weeks and end up having to be induced past their due date. I'm praying that Gracie comes sooner rather than later but only if it's safe.

That's all the news I have for now. I'm working on getting the nursery complete and I'll post pics as soon as I do. I just posted my Natchitoches shower pictures today. They are on our flickr site.

Busy Weeks and So Many Blessings

Wow! I have had two crazy weeks and I must say that it is only making me a little more weary about the lack of sleep that is inevitable with a newborn baby.

I was blessed to be able to travel back to TX and LA for a dual baby shower for me and my beautiful sister-in-law Shannon. I arrived in Houston on Thursday and the fun began right away. Shannon and I did some shopping for our little ones and ended up in their home town of College Station where we all went to college. It's very easy to feel old in a town full of college students but I made the best of it by having lunch with my cousins and buying Gracie a little Texas A&M hat and onesie...Whoop!

We headed to Natchitoches, Louisiana on Friday and spent the weekend there being showered by so many amazing women. I have to tell you that there is no place that throws a shower like Natchitches. The cake was amazing, the food was so tasty and the generosity shown by all the gifts our little girls received was overwhelming. I tear up thinking about all the amazing people that poured so much of themselves into helping us prepare for our little blessings. Gracie and MacKenzie (Shannon's baby on the way) will be well dressed, very warm and surrounded by adorable things in their nurseries. Matt couldn't believe all the clothes we got and we were both very excited to have received many items that are essential for taking care of a newborn. We are, more importantly, so grateful for the family and friends that Gracie will be able to grow up with. I want her meet every last person at that shower and know just how blessed we are to have them in our lives.

We finished up the weekend in College Station with lots of shopping and my wonderful mother-in-law, Debbie (Mama D), dropped me off in Houston to make the trek back to Indianapolis. :) My ankles swelled because of the walking and the TX heat. I was a little worried but the cool air here in Indy cured the swollen cankles in just one night.

We had our "hospital experience" child birth prep class last night and I feel a little more knowledgeable about what will happen when I actually go into labor. We only have five weeks until my due date and we are both getting so excited about it. I can't wait to feel her in my arms and see Matt hold her for the first time. I can't wait to just sit and stare at her with Matt and dwell in the fact that this little blessing from God is part me and part him. Surely this little blessing will help all those sleepless nights to just melt away. Sure we'll be exhausted but I know that God will provide exactly what we need to make it through.