Grandpa...You Will Be Missed

With all of the fun and exciting news surrounding the baby, we were faced with some sad news this weekend. My Grandpa...George Sculley, passed away. He had been suffering from a form of lung cancer and he ended his fight on Friday evening. In all actuality it was a blessing. From the time he found out he had cancer he chose not to fight it. At his age it would not have done him much good, and the treatment would have only made his final days miserable. Instead he chose to live out the last months of his life in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by those he loved, and the ones that loved him.

He was never in any pain and that makes all of this so much easier for everyone. Right up until the end he still had his sense of humor and that twinkle in his eye when he would speak to anyone in his family. Todd and I had chance to see Grandpa a few months ago. He was still doing pretty well then, but was definitely weak and not the same upbeat Grandpa I had always known. But most importantly he had the chance to see me pregnant. He was fascinated by it and he called it "My Pointy Belly!" He just thought it was the neatest thing. From day one and right up until the end he would always tell me that he was convinced we were having a girl.

I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with him once last time...last week. And although he was not able to say much more than whisper...I love you...I knew what he was thinking. I told him how much we all loved him and how much the baby loved him also. I told him that we would make sure that the baby knew all about his Great Grandpa George. If I could have asked for one more thing it would have been for Grandpa to have had the chance to meet his great grandchild. But knowing that Grandpa is now in a much better place, gives us all peace. I am grateful for the time I had with him and for the chance to have him walk me down the aisle when I was married.

He had a long and fulfilling life. He had an amazing family. You really cannot ask for more than that! And although he will be missed tremendously...he will always be loved!

If there was one last thing I could say to my Grandpa, that I know would bring a smile to his face, I would tell him...

"Grandpa...I kinda like ya!"

Third Time is a Charm

I am days away from my November 6th due date, and more than ready to have this baby! I am still feeling pretty good, but I am not sleeping very well...just can't get comfortable. The excitement just keeps building so we are definitely looking forward to the future!

I was at the doctor this week and have dilated to 1cm. That really means nothing at this point. It could happen at anytime but it could also be another 2 weeks before this baby decides to make an appearance. The doctor did notice that I am measuring a little small for this point in the pregnancy. She thought it was a good idea to do one final ultrasound to make sure that the baby was not too tiny. Base on my measurements she said it was a possibility that I could be carrying a 4 - 4 1/2 lb baby! I was totally surprised to hear this because to this point everything was progressing just as it should. But she wanted to be on the safe side so she asked that I come back later in the day for my THIRD ultrasound!

Now when all of this began I was very excited about being able to have one ultrasound so that we could get a good look at our baby. Never did I imagine that by the time all was said and done we would have the chance to see the baby three different times! Fortunately, everything is good and my doctor's fears were incorrect. Based on the baby's measurements inside the womb he/she should weight approx 6 1/2 lbs. at this point. Needless to say I was very relieved. According to the ultrasound everything looks good and baby should be in excellent health. Now, for why I am measuring small...it is hard to say. But as long as baby is at the weight it should be there is no reason for concern. And based on what I weigh at this point I cannot imagine that I have a small baby in there!

But the good part about all of this is that I got to see Baby Menor one last time before he/she joins us. Baby is quite squished right now and there is not much room to move around. But they were able to get a few good pictures for me...

As with all of our other pictures Baby has his/her hand in front of their face!

That is quite a nose! But the ultrasound tech said that all babies noses look huge at this point because they are so squished inside the womb.

So it is back to the doctor next Tuesday. They will check to see if I have dilated anymore. To this point I have not experienced any contractions so I have no reason to believe that this baby is planning on coming any earlier than it has to! Stay tuned...as things could change at any moment!

Two Years and Counting

This week Todd and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Since this is the last anniversary we will spend alone my Mom decided to treat us to a special night out. So last Saturday she took us to Eddie Merlot's for a very fancy dinner. It was delicious and nice to just relax and enjoy our anniversary. We talked a great deal about how drastically things are about to change for us. But we are also grateful for the many years we have had together prior to deciding to start a family. We did it up right at dinner too. We had the works! Appetizers, main course, drinks (well not for me...but Mom and Todd sure indulged!) and finally an amazing dessert! Mom thought we deserved to be pampered one last time I guess!

And this past Monday...on our actual anniversary, Todd and I enjoyed a quite dinner alone. It seems all we can talk about these days is how excited we are for this baby to arrive! And in a little over two weeks our wish will finally come true! My November 6th due date seems to be getting closer and closer. I am now visiting the doctor on a weekly basis. This week the heart rate was at 166 and the doctor informed me that the baby's head is downward, which is just where it should be as it starts it's decent into the birth canal!

But as far as contractions go I still do not think I have had any. I was told that I could be experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions at any time but to my knowledge I have not. I think to myself...am I having them and just not knowing it? But everyone has told me that I will definitely know when I am having a contraction. So based on that, I guess I have to say that I have not had any yet.

Thank you to my hubby for two wonderful years of marriage! I am so excited to start our family!

Here are a few more pictures from our anniversary...

The soon-to-be granny!

Me and my hubby!

Ready To Pop!

Ok, so we are down to the final four weeks! Starting this week I am going to be visiting the doctor on a weekly basis until the baby is born. This was my 36 week visit and everything is moving along great. The heart rate sounds good and baby is still kicking up a storm! The kicks have become quite uncomfortable at times, but I still love feeling the baby move. They will begin to watch to see if I am starting to dilate in my upcoming visits. But so far I have not experienced any signs of labor...at least to my knowledge. I was told that contractions can start as early as two weeks prior to going into active labor so I am just waiting to feel my first one. I am starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, but I think that is to be expected. I find it exhausting just to get through the day. But I am still teaching my aerobics class, which has surprised even myself! I thought I would have to stop by now, but I am still feeling good so I am going to keep going. I monitor myself very closely to make sure I do not over-do it...and it is a challenge to get through my class, but I am proud of myself for keeping up with my exercise throughout the entire pregnancy. I think it will really pay off as I recover from the whole birth experience. At least that is what I am told!

Todd and I are getting more and more excited everyday for the arrival of this baby! Right now we are just trying to get all of our last minute projects done around the house before our time is consumed strictly with the little one! I am still working and plan on doing so up until the last minute. But working from home definitely has it advantages. Todd is on high alert, knowing that he could get a call from me at anytime saying..."It's time!"

But overall things are going great. Now we just sit and wait for everything to start! I can't believe how quickly these 9 months have gone! Mommy and daddy cannot wait to meet you...Baby Menor!!!

Here I am at 36 weeks...

Final Month of Freedom

Well as I get ready to enter the last four weeks of this pregnancy it has occurred to Todd and I that this is our last month of freedom! With this realization, comes mixed emotions. We are obviously very excited about the arrival of Baby Menor but we are also a little nervous about what lies ahead. We know our lives will be changing, but to what extent we cannot predict nor fully prepare for.

We have been rushing to get some last minute things done, while time still permits. Last weekend we took our final little roadtrip before the due date...to Chicago. We attended the wedding of a close friend I went to school with. It was important for us to be there as so many of my friends we going as well. It is not often that I get to see some of them so we definitely wanted to go and have fun. And we did just that. Even though I could not dance as much as I would have liked to...or drink, at all for that matter...it was still a fun weekend. Here is a picture of Todd and I from the wedding. Can you believe he let me sit on his lap? Considering I am as big as a house at this point, I was quite surprised!

And this weekend we attended our all-day baby class at Dupont Hospital. Yes...I said ALL DAY! We opted to take the class for a full day instead of going four weeks in a row. That meant that we were going to jam all of the information into a one day blitz...and a blitz it was! The class started at 8:30 am and finally concluded around 6pm. It was extremely informative and helpful in getting us prepared for the big day, but it was also very exhausting! But I think we are still glad that we chose to knock it out in one day instead of four weeks. We learned everything from the four stages of labor to natural childbirth and medicinal options. We watched some very interesting, sometimes graphic movies of the different types of birth. But all in all I must say I feel a little more confident about what lies ahead. But I am still pretty confident that I am going to turn to the drugs...I just can't imagine what it must be like without them! And I am not quite sure I want to find out!

So the clock is ticking. I guess at anytime I could be posting news of the birth of our baby. Hopefully it will not be too early, but hopefully not much later than November 6th...the actual due date. Stay tuned...