It's a GIRL!

Our sweet Anne Elizabeth was born on Wednesday, September 25th at 12:16 am. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and was 19 inches long. Her resemblance to Audrey as an infant is uncanny! We are crazy in love with her!

"A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give."

Dropped!

Oh yeah, this baby has dropped! I'm feeling lots of pressure and occasionally a sharp pain waaaay down low. Hurts real bad! Every night I go to bed thinking, "This is it. I'm going to wake up soon and it'll be time to go!" My MIL said I've dropped- and she would know because she's seen me in a bikini all summer!

My appointment was great on Friday. NST was fantastic (VERY active babe!) The sonogram went well. Dr K examined me and said I'm still at 1 cm. Ugh! It's not like I'm in a rush to get this baby out, but some progress would be nice! He asked if I wanted my membranes stripped...I was thisclose to saying yes. But when he checked my due date and saw that it was based on the sonograms (and not my last period) he said he'd rather wait. I was both relieved and disappointed, how weird is that?! We're definitely stripping on Tuesday, and after a conversation with my L&D nurse friend, I'm feeling better and better about being induced. She even suggested stripping the membranes on Tuesday. So that is the plan!

My sister was there at the same time and he did strip her. He said she has a 50/50 shot of going into labor this weekend! Let's hope! I REALLY want her to go before me so I can enjoy baby J :)

Audrey is so ready and excited for this baby! Here's what she said at school on Friday:

This morning she found one of my pregnancy books and started looking through the pictures. She got to a page about healthy eating and proceeded to show me all the foods I needed to be eating to get the baby out. "Can you start eating that stuff now please?" :)

Abigail- oh Abigail. She has been testing me lately. She's not napping. She whiny. She will not listen. I'm at my limit. She clearly is needing more attention, so that is what I'm going to try and focus on for awhile. My sweet girl is going to shocked when we bring her little brother or sister home. I want to make the transition as easy as possible for her (for both of them!)

Last week was productive. I did the grocery shopping a few days early. Audrey helped me put up the baby swing, and I took the girls to see our Gator friends at CFA Spirit Night. We went and saw a performance at the children's theater. Today I am in full nesting mode! I got so much done in hopes of getting this baby to move along. Tomorrow we plan on going to the Children's Museum.

I have 3 more nights at home before induction day. Can't wait!

38 weeks, the waiting game, and a crappy appointment

With Audrey, I couldn't WAIT to get her out. I was huge, miserable, and just SO ANXIOUS about becoming a mom already! We did everything we could to force her out. With Abigail, I wanted her in there as long as possible! I felt pretty good and I was SO SCARED about going from having one child to two. I prayed that each day wasn't "the day."

Now, with baby # 3, I'm in the middle!! This is our last- I want to enjoy every kick, roll, ache, and pain. I love being pregnant despite the 3rd trimester discomfort (and the carpal tunnel, and the finger pricks and shots...) I'm a bit nervous about life with 3 littles and I'm really loving these relaxing, care-free days with just Audrey and Abigail. I am REALLY enjoying my early bedtime and I don't mind too much when I'm awake for an hour or two in the middle of the night. On the other hand, I'm so excited to get this show on the road! I'm disappointed that I'm not showing any signs of readiness. I find myself hoping that when I stand up my water will break, lol. I'm ready to start shedding the many, many pounds I've put on (I'm up from 130 to 165!)

I had an appointment yesterday (the 2-a-week appointments are getting so old- but this was the last week for that!) Dr K was in surgery, which I knew about last week, so I agreed to see another doctor. I ended up waiting 40 minutes for my ultrasound. Then I was put in the back waiting room to wait for my NST. When I'd been there for a total of an hour and a half, I was DONE. Usually I'm in and out within an hour, but I hadn't even been seen to give my sample, take weight and blood pressure, then get hooked up to the NST machine (which I have to stay on for another 20 minutes.) I started walking out (there were no nurses at the station) and I walked over to my doctor's side of the office to find my usual (wonderful!) nurse. I told her what was going on and she said that she'd get me hooked up to the NST. I hesitated- the decision to walk out was not easy for me, I'm such a chicken, lol. But I knew this was important for the baby, so I agreed. She not only got the NST machine out (it was just sitting in an empty room!) She also got a nurse from that side to get me settled.

Luckily after that things went faster, but the doctor was so annoying. All she could talk about was how miserable she was with her cold. Needless to say I didn't mention that I was supposed to be checked for dilation...that can wait until my Friday appointment! I had Audrey with me, and my goodness that girl is wonderful! She was getting impatient, too, but what a trooper she was. I started bringing her with me to my Tuesday appointments because she's great company and I love the time with just her. She loves seeing the babies and small children in the waiting room. She talks to them and it's so cute to see how they react to her :)



Good news is that the baby is about 7 lbs and looks great. The ultrasound tech said she could be off by as much as 2 lbs, which only added to my frustration of the morning. What good is that? UGH!!!!! As upset as I was yesterday, I really had to put the situation in perspective. I have a healthy baby, for which I am so grateful. A long wait isn't the worst thing in the world. It took a while, but I eventually got over myself, lol.

I have an appointment on Friday, another (my last) on Tuesday, induction Wednesday afternoon, baby on Thursday! Hopefully, lol. I talked to a sweet woman in the waiting room yesterday. She just had her third baby 6 weeks ago. She had inductions with her second and third babies because she was 40+ weeks and not dilated at all. She said they were a breeze and assured me that because this was my third I'd have no problems. I guess we'll see! Last night was difficult. I had a few punches to the crotch that had me doubled over and saying a string of bad, bad words. I had a few contractions but they were so far apart and didn't last long at all. I went to bed around 9:00 but was wide awake by 12:15. I took a sleeping pill, prayed that I wouldn't go into labor, then fell back into a blissful sleep for the rest of the night :) So crazy- my carpal tunnel is actually improving! I wonder if the baby has shifted or dropped?

Some recent pics of the lovelies:



Crazy to think that in one week we'll be preparing to go to the hospital. Unless this baby has other plans, I'm going to enjoy the next 7 days as much as possible!

3D Ultrasound Comparison

I came across Audrey's ultrasound images and was amazed at the resemblance between her and baby #3!



These images were taken exactly 3 months before she was born, so this baby looks a lot chunkier, lol:



It's too bad we don't have any 3D pics of Abigail :( But this baby looks a lot like her, I think, especially when I see Abigail asleep. I can't wait to meet him or her!

37 weeks...wait, WHAT?!?

I swear, SWEAR I'm going to have this baby at any moment! The baby hasn't dropped yet, so I actually feel pretty good. I'm not trying to rush this baby in any way, but I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb. I constantly wonder if and when my water will break. Like the toy where you put the water balloon inside and pass it around...then POP! You never know when it will burst. With Audrey it was one huge gush (thankfully I was already in my hospital bed!) With Abigail it was a slow and steady trickle. With both girls it happened late at night (between 10-11.) I wonder if it will break at all?! I put a trash bag and towel in the van, just in case it happens when I'm out and about. Doesn't hurt to be ready!

My Tuesday appointment went very well, very uneventful. The baby's mouth was moving like crazy during the ultrasound. I'm 1 cm dilated (still) and there's a possibility he could strip my membranes NEXT WEEK. I had it done twice with Audrey. The first time it didn't work. The second time, she was born within 24 hours. I'm not sure how I feel about stripping next week. I am being induced in two weeks. TWO WEEKS!!! Depending on how far dilated I am, we'll see about stripping on Tuesday, then possibly again on Friday. Ugh. It was torture with Audrey and I swore I'd never do it again. So I'm completely on the fence :( I have no signs of labor at all, just the occasional contraction (Braxton Hicks?)

It's been really wonderful to enjoy the last few weeks of pregnancy. I'm not sleeping too well (sore ribs, waking up around 3-4 am and staying awake.) But it's been a fantastic, non-stressful time because I don't have to rush off to work and be away from home 12 hours a day. We all made our guesses for the baby's arrival date: Chris is first with 9/13 (really!? Smart ass!) Abigail picked 9/19, I picked 9/22, and Audrey guessed 9/24. I love this part- we're in total anticipation mode over here!

The nursery is done- we just need to add newborn pics to some of the empty frames!

I'm getting so, so excited!! And I'm so loving these final days :) Look at these sweet girls helping out with the laundry:

Abigail doesn't quite get what's going on. She knows that there's a baby in my belly and I keep telling her that it will be coming out soon. She coos and does baby talk to my belly, it's so funny. Audrey is SUPER excited. She tells everyone that the baby is a "mystery." I can't wait to see how they both interact with their brother or sister. Any day now!!

Sweet Girls

A couple weeks ago we had a Princess Tea Party, just for fun. I'd been wanting to do a photo shoot with them before the baby came, and when Audrey asked to put on her Cinderella costume, I thought it would be cute to combine them!

While Abigail was napping, we got Audrey all dressed up. She was hilarious in front of the camera, loved every minute of being a little model!


I laugh EVERY time I see this one! Her face is so serious, and what's with the hand?! HAHAHA!!


FAVE!!

Abigail was so excited to dress up like Belle...but she's definitely not into sitting still and posing for the camera, lol!


Sweetness!



Yesterday was the first dance class of the season. I was so disappointed to see that the bench (where we've taken pictures each year) was gone, but these pictures came out great...


Audrey's facial expressions kill me! She thinks she's a supermodel, lol.



Ownership has changed this year, so things are a bit different. The girls have a new teacher, Mr. Phillip. I was surprised that Abby's class is way more structured and ballet-focused (no more obstacle courses! They're already learning across the floor!) Abigail was very shy at first- hiding behind me, clinging to Audrey. Once she got warmed up she followed along (with a LOT of direction from me!) But for part of the class she just ran back and forth in front of the mirror, lol. I swear, I'll see how she does the next couple months. If she doesn't improve her attention, we're dropping it. Formal dance lessons may not be her thing!

I decided to keep Audrey in the same class as last year (Dance and Play.) But I was surprised to see how much younger the other girls were. I think we'll be moving her up after we see how this month goes.

I love having girls, especially these 2 sweethearts!!

The Day (and Things) I Don't Want to Forget

Friday was awesome. Chris took Abigail to Grandma's house (she was thrilled!) I took Audrey to her second day of school (she was super excited to go back!)

As soon as I dropped off Audrey I went straight to my doctor appointment, so I was early. I got to hang out with my sister and BIL until the NST machine was ready. The baby looked great and then it was sonogram time. Even though it's just a 2D ultrasound, the face was SO clear! Dr K said that it was because I don't have a bunch of fat layers to go through, lol. He seemed really excited about the image too and said, "Man, your sister is going to be so jealous!" LOL. He confirmed my induction date for 9/25 (although I'll still need to call that day to make sure there's a bed available.) I am pretty positive that this little one will come before that :)

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After my appointment I met back up with my sister and BIL for a yummy (huge) breakfast. This is such an exciting time for our family- 2 sweet babies due at the same time! It's going to be so fun to see who goes first or if we go at the same time!

I left to pick up Audrey from school. She had another wonderful day and told me all about it as we headed to Grandma's. We swam the rest of the afternoon. The pool was so cold, but it was so nice to float around, relax, and just enjoy the girls. On a whim I took the babes to Sweet Frog on the way home. I know we'll be so limited on what we can do once the baby is here and the cold weather sets in. I'm trying to cram in some fun things while I can :)

I ended the day with a nice dinner and relaxing bath. It was a pretty wonderful day, and I'm really enjoying EVERY day with just the 2 sweethearts!

Other things I don't want to forget:

Abigail has been obsessed with puzzles lately, especially a princess one. She will do it 10x a day. She sits quietly in her room and puts it together, then takes it apart and does it again.

She talks extremely well. Some of my favorite things she says are: "Come on Mom, follow me!" "What are you doing?" "Where'd that come from?" " I don't like that, it's yucky." "Audrey locked me OUT!" "I'm sending Grandma a message," (on her play phone.) "Let's do this thing!" "I so proud of you!" "Mom, you help me?" She calls ravioli, "abbyoli." "Pretty, pretty please?!" "I love _____! It's my FAVORITE!" and "Get me outta here!" (when she wants to get out of her highchair, lol.

Audrey is really into drawing and now writing. It's so adorable how she sounds things out as she writes. "I love you" is written as "OLOVO" and "Thank you" is "Fangu" (which is close to how she pronounces it!) She wants to make books and write stories, so I end up doing the folding and cutting and stapling. Her latest project is a shapes and colors book for Abby :)

Each and every day I'm reminded of how different these girls are. Audrey is still very much a Momma's girl, "please help me do everything." Abigail is SO independent; she's constantly saying, "No, I do it mySELF!"

On days that Abigail doesn't have a nap (either we're out or she just plays quietly in her crib during nap time) the girls go to bed at 6:00!! That's a whole hour early and it's awesome, lol.

The girls are insanely confident in the pool. At the beginning of the summer, Audrey wouldn't even get her face wet. Now she jumping in without any help! So of course Abby has to jump in, too (with her floatie.) Audrey now attempts to swim (across the stairs and to me.) I am so proud of them and I *hope* they don't lose their bravery over the next year!

36 weeks & unemployed

The end is near! I'm getting more and more excited about meeting this baby. My feet swell on the daily, my ribs are killing me, and I swear the baby's head just swivels and grinds down on my cervix. I do love being pregnant, though, and I will SO miss feeling this baby try to punch its way out, lol.

The past two weeks have been surreal. I keep thinking about what I'd be doing at work. For example, last Thursday afternoon I was putting on the crib bumper and at the same time I was thinking about how I'd be dashing around my classroom like a mad woman trying to get everything ready for Open House. It's just really bittersweet. On Tuesday, instead of having that first Morning Meeting with my new kids on the first day of school, I sat at my doctor's office, my feet in stirrups for my first exam. Audrey ended up joining me for the day and as we sat outside at Panera enjoying the gorgeous weather, I felt really, really happy. I've basically been blessed with the gift of time!



Staying home really has been the best decision. It would be so difficult at this stage in my pregnancy to be energetic and motivated and focused. I'm not sleeping that well and I'm just physically limited. I am really excited to spend so much time with this last baby. With Audrey I went back to work after 12 weeks, worked for 3 months, then had the summer. With Abigail I went back after 6 weeks, worked 2 weeks, then had the summer (that summer flew by!) This baby will be almost a year old by the time I go back next year!!

I had two appointments on Tuesday; my regular with Dr K for the BPP and NST (baby did GREAT!) And then my monthly appointment with the peri. Since they were on the same day, the peri just measured the baby and we got some cool pictures of that sweet face!


This one reminds me of Abby, the way he/she has his/her eyes narrowed. It's her scowling and concentrating face.


This one and the next remind me of Audrey's newborn pics



I see a lot of resemblance between the girls and this baby...big chubby cheeks and the eyes and round nose. The baby weighs about 6 lbs 2 oz, which is right on track. I am a little worried that he/she will come out swollen like Audrey was. My insulin hasn't had to be increased lately, so I'm hoping to keep the diabetes under good control for these last few weeks.

Not much to do now except sit around and wait for things to get all crazy up in here!