Patience Is A Virtue

Whoever said this was never 4 days past their due date...



Actually, I do feel like I am being pretty patient. I could have been induced this weekend, but I decided to wait it out. But honestly, I really thought I would have had this baby by now. My 41 week appointment is on Wednesday. I think I'll be going :(

No News Is Good News...

NOT TRUE!!! I really wish I had some grand news to share. But alas, still no baby. I did in fact make it to my appointment yesterday despite what my doctor thought. And I did make another appointment for next week. I am 40 weeks pregnant today. If I have to go to a 41 week appointment, I will be quite frustrated!

I am dilated nearly to a five. Not much different from last week. But, I still can not believe I have not gone into full-blown labor yet! Because of how far along I am, my doctor did give me the option of getting induced. I am not sure I want to go that route. I was induced with Ashlyn three days before her actual due date. My doctor wanted to induce me for two reasons: I was dilated to a four (sounds familiar), and I was measuring big. Brian was a big baby and my doctor was worried that Ashlyn was going to be a big baby. She wasn't though, she was a perfect 7 lb. 8 oz.

Since I was induced with Ashlyn, I really want to know what it is like to go into labor naturally. Plus, I think it would be more exciting to go naturally than to schedule the birth. However, if I make it to my next appointment, I just might change my mind! Feel free to make a new guess as to when this baby will come. And I also want to know if you think it will be a boy or a girl.

And The Survey Says...

I did not sleep well last night. Surprise, surprise. I was up more than usual, and I tossed & turned a lot! Because of this, when I called Brian this morning, one of the first things he asked me was, "Are you ornery today?" I told him that asking if someone ornery is not a nice question, regardless of their mood. He disagreed. I told him to ask some of the ladies around his office their opinion of the question and then get back to me. In the mean time, I thought I would conduct my own survey. Is asking, "Are you ornery?" a rude question???

Big Sister

Since the day I found out I was pregnant, I have wondered how Ashlyn will react to the 'new baby'. It has made me sad a few times thinking about how this will affect her. Ashlyn has been my world for the past 20 months and now she will have some competition. Soon I will not be able to give her all my time and attention. I have tried to talk to her about the baby, but really she has no idea what is coming. When I ask her where the baby is she will point to my belly.

She likes to give the baby hugs...

and kisses.

She is such a sweet girl. My hope is that she will still feel loved and will always know how important she is to us. All in all, I think she will love being a big sister and she will be a great one.

What A Woman!

Yes, that is my husband! Brian dressed as an old maid this year. He made a pretty scary looking lady. I would not let him hug me while he was was wearing the dress and wig, it was just too weird. Brian hasn't dressed up for Halloween for about 6 years, but it paid off this year. He won two contests! At my cousin Jen's Halloween party, Brian won for "Best Male Costume". He then dressed up for work, and won 1st place! He was awarded $50.00 for braving this get-up. Way to go Bri! I should also mention that he shaved his legs for the occasion! I think he had so much fun, he just might dress up again next year :)

Our Little Devil!

My original idea for Halloween this year was to have Ashlyn be a rabbit. She does a very cute bunny impersonation by wiggling her nose and I thought it would be adorable. Then at a recent doctor visit, I was looking in a parenting magazine and saw this cute little girl devil costume. I thought it would be perfect and would fit Ashlyn's personality so well! So I got online, looked it up, and it was $50.00! That only included a tutu, horns, and pitchfork - tail and bodysuit not included. I thought that was a bit much, so I made it myself and I think it turned out pretty darn cute. And the whole ensemble cost half that price, which included the tights and shoes! It really is fun to make costumes for kids. Last year I made Ashlyn's monkey costume. It is a satisfying project, especially when it turns out well.

I took Ashlyn to Brian's work place and she caught on to the trick-or-treating idea very quickly! It only took a couple times before she began walking ahead of us, into each office saying, "trick-or-treat" and holding her bag out for a goody! She had a lot of fun and she loved the attention. I then took her to my dad's work place to get more treats. I think she would love this as a daily activity! Later that night, we took her trick-or-treating with Ben & Maggie through my parents neighborhood. By the end of the day, after these three events, I think she had gathered enough candy to last a whole year! And she loved every minute of it! Holidays are so much more fun with kids.

If you have looked at Monica or Mindy's blog then you have already seen this next picture. But what I love about this photo and what you may not have noticed is Ashlyn. If you look closely, she is plugging her ears! Apparently the chaos of the group photo was too much for her!

What a fun day! Happy Halloween!!

The Countdown: 1

Just one week to go. Only seven more days. Less if I'm lucky. More if I'm very, very unlucky. For most people a week doesn't seem like much, but when you are nine months pregnant it seems like an eternity. I am dilated to a 4 and 100% effaced. My doctor said she would be surprised if I made it for another week, but I made another appointment just in case. I wish I fit the norm when it comes to labor. Instead, I have been having irregular contractions for a couple months. Some of them are pretty strong, but I never take them seriously because they are never consistent. And I just keep slowly dilating. Any guesses on when this baby will make its debut?