Is it time???

Well, this past week has been a very eventful and tiring one! We have thought on several occasions that Manning was on his way... only to find out he was teasing us just a little bit!

It all started on Sunday. I started having back to back contractions and pains in my lower abdomen and back, so I stayed on my left side all day trying to relax to see if my pains were real labor or false labor. We called a good friend of ours who is a nurse, Brooke, to come check me out. She said she could definitely feel the contractions, and since I'm planned for a c-section, she didn't want me to progress too fast, and she thought I should head to the hospital. So, Cody and I rushed home, gathered our bags and the carseat, and off we went. It was late, so we went in the ER at Germantown Methodist Lebonheur, where we will be delivering. After a short wait, a nurse came and got me in a wheelchair and took us up to the labor and delivery wing. There, I was put on a monitor for a couple of hours, got an iv, gave blood for the section, ya know, the works. The nurses told us that my contractions were 2 to 4 minutes apart, so we were starting to think that Manning was coming, especially when they took the bloodwork for the c-section. Then, a short time later, the doctor decided to let us go home since I was only dialated 1 cm and wasn't progressing fast at all. So, at midnight, we headed back home to try to get some rest with doctor's orders to rest, eat lightly, and drink lots of fluids.

Two days later, my pains picked up again, so we made a call to the doctor. They worked us in rather quickly and checked me over and told me that I was contracting, but that I could do that for days... dialated only 2 cm, and we were sent back home.

Two days after that, we had our regularly scheduled doctor's appointment. The doc told us that I was still only 2 cm, and that she really thought I could make it until Tuesday, our scheduled c-section date. They did an ultrasound and said that he looked beautiful. He's weighing in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and he's above the 9oth growth percentile, so we know he's a big, healthy boy! So, Manning will be here on Tuesday, November 24 around 5 p.m., just in time for Thanksgiving. There's no better time to welcome a sweet baby into our home. He will make this Thanksgiving the most special one we've ever had. We have so much to be thankful for, and we can't wait to meet our son in just a few short days!

*The picture is of me yesterday after the doctor's appointment, at 38.5 weeks!

Mom's Surprise "Dee-Dee" Shower

Regina and several of our coworkers at school had been working on a surprise shower for Mom for over a month. It was so hard for me and for my family to keep this a secret from her! I'm terrible at buying gifts secretly and not telling her what I bought. I almost slipped and told her several times... but somehow, shower day arrived and she didn't have a clue. Another reason this secret was hard to keep is because the day of her shower, that was the first day that my doctor put me on modified bed rest, so I couldn't even go to work! So, I had to figure out an excuse to go to the school without her getting suspicious. I finally decided to tell her that I needed to come get some things ready for my maternity leave, which was true, and she didn't suspect a thing. She was very surprised and got some really cute "Dee-Dee" goodies! She's such a great mom... I can only imagine how awesome she's going to be at being Manning's "Dee-Dee."

Church Baby Shower for Manning

On November 1, 2009, Keiser First Baptist Church showered us with gifts galore for our sweet Manning! Thankfully, Cody decided to attend this shower with me and helped open gifts. I don't think I've ever opened so many presents in my life. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful church family, and we are super excited about all of the amazing gifts we received.

A few days after the shower, my family came over and helped us put everything away. I am finally starting to feel like we have everything ready for Manning's arrival... well I did feel that way until his nursery bookshelf came in yesterday... I guess we'll always find one more thing that needs to be done. That's ok with me, though, it keeps me busy and makes the days pass faster. I just can't wait to finally meet our sweet son and see his precious face. Thank you, Lord, for this great blessing!