When will it be over???

Within 16 days :o)
That I know for sure, what I don't know is if these contractions are a sign that things will be happening sooner than that.
I have been feeling the Braxton Hicks contractions since about 20 weeks, they have been stronger for the past 2 weeks and yesterday they were every 5 minutes for several hours. I know what it feels like to be in 'real' labor and how much it really hurts, so I thought that I was in early labor last night. If it wasn't for developing a fever, we wouldn't have gone in to the hospital. But, at 10pm (the most convenient of times), I got the fever, we finished packing the bags and off we went (leaving Isaac behind with my mom). When we got there, they examined me and I am a full 2cm and the baby's heart-rate didn't show any signs of distress. I was mostly worried about the baby and thought that having a fever was a sign that she was having troubles. No worries, though, she is nice and healthy! So yeah, I didn't progress during that hour that I stayed. Knowing that it took me about 9 hours to get from 7-10cm, I knew that I wouldn't get to 3 cm in that hour. The nurses (who are amazing there) told me that since I wouldn't be wanting medication anyway, I should go home, try to rest, eat and come back when things are closer. So, here I am... sitting at home... resting... eating... anticipating change. Why can't my water just break? Then they couldn't send me home :o)

Progress

We once again visited Dr. Pete this morning and I am dilated 1-2cm, 50% effaced and she is at -3 station. Although this sounds like wonderful progression, I know better... it could still be another 2-3 weeks :o( Dr. Pete did say, however, that if I continued to dilate and make progress without going into labor, we could induce at 39 weeks! Before we left, he let us in on a little secret: we could try S-E-X because after dilation occurs, the progesterone in the sperm can bring on stronger contractions and labor may start! When I shared this bit of scientific insight with my mom, she said that it had worked for her both times?! It just goes to show that Mother Always Knows Best :o) If my water breaks in the morning, now everyone will know why - *wink wink*

Sibling Class

Isaac attended a sibling class on Wednesday at the new Metro Health hospital (which is gorgeous and comfy looking)!!! He was the youngest student in the class and an amazing listener. We have been talking quite a bit about what to expect in the delivery room and when his sister comes home. All of our talking has paid off - he was the #1 'answer giver' of the night. He answered the following questions:
1. What does a baby eat? "Baby food" from my mom's "boobs"
2. How does a baby tell us what it wants? "She will cry"
3. What can you do when you get upset when your mommy isn't paying attention to you? "Play with toys" or "play baseball" (a reference from the movie we watched) or "use our words to tell mommy and daddy how we feel"
Sometimes I wonder if he is really three?!
In an hour's time, Isaac changed his baby boy's diaper, swaddled the baby with a receiving blanket, fed the baby a bottle, and put his hat on. He was also reminded why it was important to hold the baby's head! I wasn't sure if he would enjoy the class, or fully grasp the concept of it, but I should have known better. He absorbed all of the information and was elated to have done it!
Afterwards, we took a tour of the rooms and they look very accommodating. The only 'downfall' was that the flat-screen televisions don't have ESPN ;o) We would really be upset if they didn't have The History Channel, NatGeo, or Discovery (especially if we are in there on a Tuesday - it would be a sin if we missed Dirty Jobs)!

Happy 1st Anniversary!!!!!!!

Rob and I celebrated our first anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 9! It's amazing that we have been married for a whole year. Time has flown by - probably because we were having so much fun! We have gone through many changes together this year and learned a lot about ourselves and each other. We wish that we could have gone back to Treasure Island, Florida to spend our anniversary, but we settled for Camp Lake, Sparta instead :o) We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Great Lakes Shipping Co. before coming home and watching a movie! Isaac had a sleepover at Nana's house, so Rob and I stayed in bed until 1pm (when do you think that will happen again?!) and just enjoyed each other's company without distractions. We enjoyed a wonderfully yummy dinner with my family when we went to pick Isaac up, and after visiting for a while, we came back to the homestead to get ready for the week!
Instead of trying to fill the blog with tons of pictures, I thought I would just add a link to our wedding photo book. Click here to share our wonderful wedding memories with us. Thanks Julie Ann for taking such wonderful photos - they are priceless. We also want to thank all of our family and friends who made our day so memorable and beautiful, and for supporting us this past year. Your love and support is priceless!

Beautiful Baby Search

Neighbors and friends, Sam & Stephanie entered little Corbin in Regis & Kelly's Beautiful Baby Search and have now found out that Corbin has made the TOP 5!!! Regis claims that there were over 300,000 entries! Stephanie is packing her bags right now to head to New York for an 'all-expense' paid trip to the show where they will appear on Wednesday and also on Friday when the winner will be announced! She says that it all feels surreal right now and they couldn't be any more excited! On Thursday, they will be attending the Parenting Magazine Photo Shoot, which should be a fantastic experience. By making the top 5, Corbin has won a $25k college scholarship and if he wins, he will receive $125k and be on the cover of Parenting magazine! They are trying to sell their house and move to a different part of Rockford, but if everything goes well, they might be looking at housing in New York instead!! We are sooooo excited for them - what a fun adventure! We wish them the best of luck and can't wait to find out the results on Friday!!

Ultrasound Pictures

Well, she is still a girl! We were relieved to hear/see that she hadn't grown any new parts since the last ultrasound! She is head down, spine up and weighs about 5lbs. 14oz.!! I feel like she has dropped slightly, as I no longer have the painful kicks to the ribs anymore - just painful kicks in the cervix! I know, you're probably thinking "Now, how can she be having painful kicks in the cervix if the baby is head down?" Well, let me just tell you that we have a little acrobat growing in my tummy - see the third picture down! One of the first things the ultrasound tech said was, "look at all of that hair" - I guess that explains the intense heartburn and her hiccups :o)
I keep saying that she has her dad's nose, but my mom got out my baby picture and my nose was pretty wide as well! We think that she is absolutely adorable and can't wait to hold her in our arms - less than 5 weeks.

Funny story: When I has pregnant with Isaac, there was a woman in Walmart who asked when I was due. I had already been to the hospital twice with heavy contractions, so I told her June 6, but probably sooner. She looked at me and shook her head and told me that I would not be having that baby on time. I was soooo mad at this lady, especially when June 6 came and went without a trip to the hospital! I was at Fox Ford the other day getting Rob's oil changed and there was a man who asked me when I was due and I told him that I had 5 more weeks to go. He looked at me and shook his head and told me that there is no way that I would be carrying this baby for 5 more weeks and that I will be having this baby in the next few weeks! Yay!! Hopefully he is right - it's funny that those are the only two memorable comments that I have received from strangers about my pregnancy!
Our acrobatic daughter - her feet are touching her forehead!
Isaac at 36 weeks

5 weeks to go...

Today marks week 35 of the pregnancy and it's hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly! I guess being busy helps, but still.... only 5 weeks left! We have had the bed set up in our room for a while, but I have been putting off packing my bags. Although after how I was feeling last night, it might not be such a bad idea! My intuition tells me that I am dilating already, but I also know that it doesn't mean a darn thing since I was dilating slowly for 4 weeks before Isaac made his arrival. I am secretly (not anymore) hoping that since Rob was early, little Miss G will come early as well (fat chance, huh?). I also need to sit down at put together my birthing plan - I have no idea where to start with that one. All I know is that I am going to have quite the audience and they all need to be aware that I am in charge. I am very excited to have so many people in the room. Birth is such a miracle that I wish I could share it with everyone... but don't worry, I won't be posting the video on the blog. However, if you want to see it, come on over!
We have an ultrasound tomorrow and will post the pictures as soon as possible! I am so nervous that we are going to go in there and find out that the first ultrasound tech was wrong and that we are really going to have a boy... hopefully I can sleep tonight!
Hope everyone had a wonderful week and we will keep you posted!

Baby Meerman

Congratulations to Matt & Amanda on the birth of their son, Andrew Ellis James Meerman!! He was born on Feb. 2 and weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and has dark hair! We were thinking that we would all be having girls, but Isaac is very excited to finally have a boy cousin! We wish them the best of luck and are glad to hear that mommy and baby are healthy and happy :o)

A New Sister for Stephanie

I am proud to announce that my little brother Joe has married the love of his life, Sara!!! They were married at the Courthouse in New York today and plan to have a 'real wedding' when Joe returns from his duties in Baghdad (mid 2009)! As emotional as it was to hear the news, I couldn't be happier for them. From what I have seen of them together, they make the perfect couple :o) Sara is from North Dakota, so I am hoping that she doesn't try to steal him away from Michigan (although with them both being in the Army, I am sure that they won't be planting their feet any time soon)!!

We wish the best for them and hope that they can endure the challenges that lie ahead.

Love each other like there is no tomorrow

Don't go to bed angry

Learn to communicate and do it well

Give without expectations

When you need help and support from others, don't hesitate to ask!

Have Fun Together!!!!