37 Weeks

…and only 3 weeks to go! On Thursday I had my 37-week appointment with the nurse practitioner. Everything is still pretty much as it was last week. The nurse said I was dilated a “dimple.” Aside from making me giggle, I wondered what on earth that meant. She said it really meant nothing…as in nothing has happened in the last week. Madelyn hasn’t “dropped” yet, either, although she said that doesn’t happen with every woman, so we’ll see.

My Group B Strep test came back positive. At first I was nervous to hear that, but she explained to me that it is very common (about 40% of all pregnant women test positive). Group B Strep is a bacterium that most people have at some point or another, but no one ever tests for it because it’s not harmful…unless you’re pregnant. It can be transferred to Madelyn during delivery if they don’t take precautions, but she said that is pretty rare these days. Once I go into labor and get settled at the hospital, they will give me antibiotics that should take care of everything. The nurse told me not to worry about it, so I won't :)

Baby Shower

I have known for a long time how very blessed Chris and I are. We have so many wonderful family and friends who are constantly there for us, already spoiling Madelyn and making sure we have what we need. Yesterday my Mom and two sisters (Kristin and Kim) threw me a baby shower. What a turn-out! It was nice to have a chance to see everyone and visit, especially those people I haven’t seen in a long while.

I am always impressed with my mom and sisters’ talents, especially when it comes to cooking and crafts. They are so creative! Each detail was planned perfectly. They organized a party with great food and fun games. Even the little thank you gifts were adorable. Grandma R ordered special M&M’s with Madelyn’s name on them, Kim made the sweetest cupcakes and also crafted bookmarks using quotes about children. Kristin made a homemade diaper cake and decorated the house with festive colors (pink and green of course) and displayed pictures of me as a baby and also some of our maternity pictures.

After everyone had a chance to mingle and eat, it was time to open the gifts. Everyone was so thoughtful and very generous. Chris and I made a trip to Babies R Us yesterday to spend our gift certificates and cash. We are happy to say there’s not much left on the list. We couldn’t believe it! We spent the better part of the afternoon sorting and putting things away. Chris of course did the “manly” thing and put together some of the larger items. It’s all starting to feel oh-so real now. The house is sprinkled with baby gear galore! :) THANK YOU to everyone who attended our shower…I appreciate you and your generosity more then you know!

Click here to view some photos of the shower.

Buns of Steel

No, not mine. :) But apparently Madelyn has been getting quite the workout in there! I saw Dr. Tom on Friday and told her that Madelyn had been moving around more than usual this week, and I wanted to make sure she hadn't gone back to the breech position. Dr. Tom checked the position of her head, but she couldn’t tell if it was actually her butt or head. She pulled the ultrasound machine into the room and thankfully she is head-down. Dr. Tom said she must have "buns of steel" because usually you get some resistance if you push on the rear end. I laughed and said hopefully she’ll be blessed with those for a long while. :)

Other than that, everything is moving along smoothly. Dr. Tom did a test for Group B Strep (standard test at 36 weeks) and we should know those results on our next visit. I am not dilated yet, so we continue to wait until our next appointment on Thursday, January 24th.

Belly Smiles

Today we got the proofs back from our maternity "photo shoot". For those of you who know me well, you know that my rule of thumb is to take 100 pictures in hopes of getting 10 good ones. ;) After sifting through all the photos, we found 12 that we thought you might enjoy.

Our photographer, Heather from Little Things Photography, did a great job, and we’re happy we caught this moment on camera. As a matter of fact, we’re considering having her take photos at the delivery. I want to have lots of pictures of Madelyn’s arrival, but I don’t want Chris to feel like he has to be so focused on taking pictures that he misses the experience. We’ll see... We’re still undecided, but we thought it might be nice to have someone who knows what she’s doing (and who has been through it herself) take the pictures. We thought about asking a family member or friend, but how do you just pick one?? :)

Anyway…click this link to see some more pictures.

Only 5 Weeks to Go…

I saw Dr. Tom on yesterday, and she said starting next Friday Madelyn can come whenever she is ready. I guess once you reach the 36-week mark, they won’t try to stop your labor. That was exciting to hear…and a little bit scary, too. Chris has said several times in the last week that he wants her to be here right now. I keep trying to convince him that we need to enjoy the few precious quiet nights we have left. :) He is just so anxious he can hardly stand it!


While we were in Dr. Tom’s office, we brought a special little gadget to record Madelyn’s heartbeat. Dr. Tom recommended we buy one of these gadgets at Build-a-Bear so we could preserve the sound of her heartbeat while she is still in the belly. Dr. Tom recorded her heartbeat, and now all we have to do is put it in a bear. How great is that?!?! She also suggested that we put her first outfit on the bear. I think this will make a very special gift to Madelyn.

I am now on weekly visits to the office. Next week will mark the first of those weeks where the exams begin. We’ll keep you posted on any progress that is made (if any) each week.

Let's Have Some Fun!

Happy New Year, Everyone! We hope January is off to a great start for all of you! Chris and I decided to have a little fun, and we hope you’ll join us. Since the countdown has truly begun for Madelyn's arrival (I am now at 34 weeks, can you believe it??) we thought it might be fun to have everyone play a little game. It’s easy to participate…all you have to do is leave a comment for this posting and include the following information:

Date* and Time of Day you think Madelyn will be born
How much you think she will weigh
How long you think she will be

*Madelyn's estimated due date is Friday, February 15th

Don’t send this information in an email to me (or you’ll be left out of the fun). Just add a quick comment here. If you’ve never done that, click here for some simple instructions on getting started. Make sure you use a name or nickname that we will recognize. :)

We look forward to seeing everyone’s guesses!