I Heart Fall

Summer used to be my favorite season... going barefoot, getting a suntan, time at the beach, BBQs, long days. Well, pregnancy has changed my mind for me. I now love Fall the best, I think. I can't tell you how excited I am that the humidity is lessening and the temps are dropping a bit - even down here. This morning I walked outside with Junah and I could actually breath. Breathing is nice.

Seriously though, the weather is WONDERFUL here these days. It only gets up to the low 80s, and the lows are in the high 50s. It's great! I'm not sure when the trees start to turn here, but I'm looking forward to it.

I must get going on a Fall door decoration!

Good Friends, Tough Goodbyes

After a year of becoming close friends, Mike and I will say goodbye to Chad and Sommer Tucker as they move to Corpus Christi, TX, in less than four weeks. Chad will be attending Primary Flight School there instead of here in Milton. It'll be strange not having them close by as we've gotten used to each other's constant support and company, but we wish them the best of luck in their new adventure. We look forward to exchanging many phone calls, e-mails and future visits!


WE'RE GOING TO MISS YOU!!!

Entering Our 36th Week

I went in to the hospital for my fifth ultrasound this afternoon. Normally, I'd only have had one or two, but they've been keeping an eye on my "low-lying placenta" for several weeks now. Good news... I no longer have a low-lying placenta and everything looks perfect. The baby weighs approx. 5.5 lbs and has moved into the head down position. When the picture first came up on the monitor all I saw was a giant head. "That's a giant head," I said. The ultrasound technician laughed and then assured me that the picture was magnified a bit. 'How much is a bit?' I'm thinking. On another note, if our child comes out with big bumps, lumps and bruises on her head, I'll know who to blame. The tech pushed down SO hard. I hope she didn't hurt Abby Kate, because she definitely hurt me!

I was happy to go in for another ultrasound, if only to be absolutely certain it is in fact a girl we're having. Everyone - including the occasional complete stranger - keeps telling me I must be having a boy because of the way I'm carrying the baby. So I started to worry a little about all the tags and receipts I've discarded and the fact that I've already washed everything. Nothing's returnable now! But the doctor was able to confirm today that the baby is 100% girl. And I saw for myself - no doubt about it. Relief!

Here's a picture of our girl. It's only of her face. It's not the clearest of images, but I think she looks just like Mike. Can you tell?

So less than five weeks until the due date! I haven't had any contractions besides the fake kind. I'm doing good, feeling well and we're all prepared. Thanks for your continued prayers as we enter the last few weeks. We'll be keeping you posted!

30 Years

Happy Birthday to my big brother, Brian. Today, he turns 30 years old. I can't believe it! Hope you have a great one, Brian! Can't wait to see you in a couple months.

29 Years

Happy 29, honey. I love you!
Wasn't he adorable at four years old?! I hope Abby Kate has some of that cuteness (in a girl sort of way, ha, ha).

About to Pop!

Well, here we are. Abby Kate has officially taken over my body. I just laugh at myself in the mirror these days (on the days I'm brave enough to look). I find it quite humorous, really. It's so unreal to me that my skin can stretch this far. But I'm happy to say I have yet to find a stretch mark. However, since I just wrote that, I'm sure I'll be stricken with a huge one overnight!

I seriously feel like I'm living in someone else's body. When she rolls around in there and we see some sharp body part move across underneath my skin, we just stare in amazement. We think: she's really in there... and she's really going to come out soon! That's the part - the coming out soon part - that invokes the panic inside me. In just six weeks (give or take a couple) she'll undoubtedly be coming out, one way or another. I've been anxiously awaiting this coming out process, but lately I've felt like cowering back down the ladder instead of jumping into the deep end! Of course, I can cower all I want - there is no ladder!

I've been brave today, though. I went shopping to get all the supplies we'll need for the hospital stay. Right now I'm washing the baby's clothes and socks and hats and blankets, and I've begun to pack our bags.

Although I'm apprehensive about labor and delivery, I'm so glad we're in the home stretch!

Thank heaven for Moms!

I was so happy that Mom was able to come visit over the holiday weekend. She drove down on Wednesday... by herself. (I know, Dad and I told her not to. Dad had a work conflict and couldn't make it, so Mom braved the 9 1/2 hours alone!) When she arrived in the early evening Wednesday, we grilled out shrimp and chicken for dinner just as a huge thunderstorm moved in. I don't like rain, but I did like the dip in temperature it brought.

The weather was beautiful on Thursday, so Mom and I did some shopping and then Mike joined us for dinner at a Key West-style dining place called Manatees. So good!

Friday morning, we headed toward the beach. It was another gorgeous day. Our first stop was at Surf Burger. It's a cute little hotdog/burger restaurant overlooking the bay. We ate juicy hotdogs and the best fries in the world as we sat outside in the warm breeze. Once we arrived at at the beach, Mom got us one of those nice sets of chairs with the huge umbrella that you can rent from one of the beachside restaurants. It felt great to lay in the shade looking out at the ocean. I ventured out into the sun for a little while to try to get somewhat tan, but I didn't last too long. For one thing, I now resemble Sea World's main attraction, and I didn't want to scare the children and have them say, "Mommy, look there's Shamu!" I wore my regular bikini instead of my maternity one because I hate it. Not a pretty site. And second, I just got too hot. My thoughtful mom went to get us some gigantic snowcones which helped a lot. It was very relaxing. We ate sub sandwiches for dinner and went over to visit the Tuckers for a little bit that evening.

Saturday morning, Mike and I woke early at 5:30 to set up for our yard sale. We had cleaned out all of our closets to make more room for the baby. We put a 7 a.m. start time in the paper, but several people showed up at 6:15! We didn't even have prices on most of the stuff at that point, so we just made it up as we went. We ended up with a great turnout and pocketed over $300. I was amazed at some of the junk people bought from us. That night we headed into Pensacola. We browsed in a few of the shops on the boardwalk, listening to music as we passed the Jamaican festival. Then Mom treated us to dinner at Hemmingway's. DELISH!!!

After a wonderful 4-day visit with Mom, we said goodbye this morning both realizing that the next time we see each other, we'll be in the hospital welcoming a new life and gazing at Abby Kate. That's so exciting, I have to catch my breath when I think of it! I can't believe the next time I see my mom, I'll be a mom myself!!! Only a little over six weeks left until my due date, and only three before I'm considered full term. WOW!

Mom, thank you SO, SO much for coming down to visit. I had a wonderful time with you as always. I'm looking forward to seeing you and Dad in a few weeks and introducing you to your granddaughter! I love you!!!