I'm still working.  I thought I was going to be done last week, but I figured I could just finish out the month, which would've been just this past Monday and Tuesday...BUT then I thought "what's a couple more days?"  So I scheduled myself for Wednesday and Thursday as well (not Friday since my appointment is in the middle of the day.)  After today though, I will happily and officially be done working after Monday the 6th...and I'm only working that day because we are short a person.  PIP has migrated lower and my waddling is in full effect...waddling and trying to hustle through a restaurant don't mix too well, I found out today!

I've been feeling a lot more crampiness and pressure since my last appointment...still no contractions though.  Every now and then in the middle of the night, I feel aches and pains but I think it's just stronger Braxton-Hicks.  ???  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when I go to my appointment on Friday, she'll tell me that I've progressed! 

Dean has installed car seat bases in both of our cars and I have our hospital bag in my car just in case!  Last night, Dean packed most of his stuff for the hospital...it was pretty entertaining to watch.  I never knew picking out three shirts would prove to be so difficult!  I think it took him a good half an hour to pick them out and repack everything in a larger bag.  At one point, he came out to the living room and said how he didn't know what to pack and felt like he didn't have clothes he wanted to bring.  He even considered going shopping for new clothes (yes, to wear while at the hospital) because he felt like it was important to look nice since he'll be in a lot of pictures that we and others will look at for the rest of our lives.  (Meanwhile, I'll be the puffy, no make-up, tired, achy one in the giant hospital gown).  How funny.  I think I've worn off on him...who doesn't want new outfits for exciting new events?!  He eventually settled on a few shirts...no shopping required.  We're good to go now!

My dad just got home last night from a two-week long trip in Taiwan...he asked PIP to wait for him...and she did...but now I think I'd be okay if she decided to come out and meet us!  He bought her a couple pairs of really cute shoes and some swaddling blankets...I thought it was so cute that he would go out and pick out girly pink stuff especially since he's not much of a shopper.

I'll post again after my appointment on Friday...

Since Dean and I have been married, he always kisses me somewhere on my face (whatever's not buried in the sheets or pillows) before he leaves for work.  This morning, he leaned down and kissed my belly too, to say bye to PIP.  It was so sweet...   He's going to be the cutest dad...I've been teasing him about how I think he's going to be a big softie when it comes to his baby girl.

37 weeks today!  If PIP were to arrive today, she'd be considered full-term!

Last night, Dean and I had some friends over for dinner...Jim & Lacy, who is pregnant (due Oct.21st), and their 1 1/2-year old son, Jase; Bill & Taylor, who is also preggers (with TWINS! Due in November, but is good to go on Oct.17th); and Ryan & Katie (who just had a baby, Karter, a couple weeks ago) and their 2 1/2-year old son, Kaden.  It was a really good time!  We ate dinner and just hung out and chatted...it was fun to share preggo stories and also get great advice from the girls. We definitely need to get together more often...especially once all the babies are here.  It would be so fun to be in the hospital at the same time as Lacy and Taylor...we're all basically due within five days of eachother!  Babies everywhere! I love it!(Dean took a picture of the four of us...I'll post it.)

I have a confession. And some of you already know this...but I'm kind of afraid to hold teeny-tiny little babies! That's not good considering I'm three weeks away from having one of those teeny-tiny babies, but I'm sure it'll be different with my own...right??  I LOVE babies and it's not that I don't WANT to hold them, but when they're THAT small, I feel like they're so fragile!   No worries...I'll get over it!

I had an appointment this afternoon...everything is still looking good!  I told my doctor about how she flipped back and forth last week. She wanted to do a quick ultrasound on a laptop in the same exam room to make sure her head was still down.  I was so excited to see PIP again...it was a nice surprise! Her head IS still down, which is great and we got in really close to her face.  Her cheeks are still chubby!!!  And we saw her eyes opening and closing and she was moving her mouth around.  It's sooooooo cool to see!  I wish Dean would have been there with me to see her! The doctor showed me her spine, arms, hips, and legs too...she's right where I thought she was.  

I asked how big she might be and she said since I've been measuring pretty much right where I'm supposed to be each time, she thinks she'll be between 7 1/2 to 8 pounds! I was kind of surprised to hear that! I was only 6 pounds 2 ounces when I was born and I sort of just assumed that PIP would be smaller like that. Who knows though...we'll only know for sure when she's born!

She checked my cervix...not dilated at all, but a good amount of softening. From here on out, I have appointments once a week to see how I'm progressing.

I've been kind of crabby the past couple of days...and emotional.  It's making me feel a little C-R-A-Z-Y.    I'm starting to get really anxious/nervous/stressed out about everything and anything that comes to mind.  I keep telling myself to quit worrying about whatever I've chosen to worry about at the moment and that it's all going to be fine...but once that passes, I move on to something else.  Blah.  What's with me?!

Part of my stress is that I'll probably be done working after this next week.  I thought I'd be thrilled about it, but for some reason, I'm weirded out.  Maybe it's because in the 12 years that I've worked there, the longest break I've taken is about ten days...and now all of a sudden, I won't be there for a couple months.  SO odd to think about.  I know the minimal amount of hours I've been working will be easily covered and my mom and brother will be there, of course...AND we have amazing people working for us.  So what's to worry, right? 

Sorry, I feel like I'm being pretty negative today...it's just one of those days again.  I haven't had many, but there have been a few where I feel like I just need to retreat to my room and not talk to anybody until I can be nice and normal again.  It's like freaking PMS-city times ten.  Do the math...THAT'S pretty bitchy...

On to something better...PIP,of course!  (Who, as we speak, is trying to poke her foot through my belly.)   Remember how just last week, I mentioned her flipping to the other side?  Well, she didn't like that side as much because she decided to flip back a few nights ago.  I don't know if I said it before, but I had asked my doctor if it was possible for her to flip over like that and she said yes, but it would take a couple big contractions in order for her to do it and I would definitely feel it.  The first time she did it, I didn't feel a thing...I just woke up to her kicking on the opposite side.  THIS time was completely different.  I woke up a couple times to what felt like a stomach ache and it just got worse and worse.  I switched positions a couple times to see if it would go away.  It didn't.  So then I decided to sit up...still no good.  Finally, I got out of bed and tried to walk it off...ouch.  I couldn't even stand up straight.  I started to get a little panicky because I didn't know what was going on.  Dean was out of town in Kansas City, so I was thisclose to calling someone, but didn't want to freak anyone out since it was 4 in the morning.  Eventually, the pain went away...I don't know when it actually started while I was sleeping, but once I was awake, it only lasted about 20 minutes or so.  Pretty soon after it stopped hurting, I felt her kicking back on the original side and I realized that she had flipped back and that was why I was contracting.  HOPEFULLY she stays put from here on out!