A letter to my son

Dear Sweet Baby Jackson,

Papi and I are waiting patiently for you.  We know that you are due in ten days and that you are taking your time to make your appearance.  We have worked really hard to get ready for you.  Although you are our first baby, we have been to many classes, read many books and magazines, and asked for a lot of advice about how to take care of you.  We know that once you are here things will come naturally and we will take care of you the best way we can.

We can't wait to see what you look like.  Will you have my curls or Papi's straight hair?  Will you have his dark skin or my fair skin?  Will you have Papi's big dark eyes or my light green eyes?  Who's nose?  Who's ears?  Who's mouth?  Will you be a solid mix of both?  However you look, we know you will be adorable.

There are so many people ready to meet you.  Your Nana calls everyday to see if Mommy feels anything "different."  Friends call, text, and send Facebook messages everyday to see how I am feeling and to ask if you are here yet.  Already, there are so many people that adore you.

I love you and I can't wait to meet you.  I can't wait to hold you in my arms.  Papi can't wait to change your diapers (hehe)....

With all my love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday!

Today is my wonderful mother's birthday.  I wanted to take a moment to wish her well today and always.  Happy birthday, Mom/Nana.  We love you!

Our family celebrated by having dinner at Rafferty's followed by cupcakes and ice cream at my parent's house.  It was nice to spend some time with my family before Jackson gets here.


Mom is making her 49th birthday wish!

Jose and I were able to finish off our checklist this evening as well.  The car seat was installed and the hospital bag is packed.  I have no idea what all I should take for myself and Jackson.  I hope I haven't under or over-packed.  The car seat base went into the car easily.  Let's just hope it is in there right.

Alright, the countdown is really on.  Jackson is due in 12 days.  He may or may not surprise us with an early visit.  If he does, we are ready!

38 weeks

Yesterday, Jose and I went to our 38 week appointment.  We were scheduled to have an ultrasound first to see how big Jackson is.  If you recall from my post last week, Dr. G thought he may be small because my stomach isn't measuring as it should (I think the weight is going to my legs- oh no!).  The ultrasound tech sped through the measuring part.  I gathered the following from the ultrasound:

• He is head down and in position to meet the world,
• His heart looks good and beats at a steady 130 bpm,
• He has two kidneys,
• His leg and arm bones are normal size,
• He has a round belly and small stomach,
• He has a beautiful foot; and, 
• He is shy! (He wouldn't turn his head so we could see his precious face).

From the measurements, the tech and Dr. G concluded that Jackson is measuring 38 weeks!  They estimated his weight to be about 7 1/2 pounds, give or take a pound.

I am now 2cm dialated.  This means that if he continues to progress as he has the last week or two, we will be meeting him very soon!  Dr. G said, "Hopefully this is a sign that things will move quickly when you start having contractions."  YES!  Please let that be the case.

I continue to have good blood pressure and my weight is where it should be (although I don't think gaining 30 pounds is awesome).

Pray for us during these last two weeks of pregnancy.  We are ready to meet our baby boy!

37 week appointment

I had my 36 week appointment this morning before school.  My blood pressure and weight are good, Jackson's heart sounds great, and I am about one centimeter dialated.  When she felt Jackson, she thought he seemed small so she wants to do an ultrasound next week to see how big he is.  Of course we don't expect him to be a basketball player; neither Mommy nor Papi are over 5'6".  I'm actually really excited about having the ultrasound.  We haven't seen him since our 18 week appointment.  I hope to find that he is growing just as he should be and will be a happy, healthy baby boy!

Tomorrow morning, Mom and I are going to the Labor & Delivery class at the hospital.  Unfortunately, Jose can't go with us because he has to work.  Here's to hoping the class will ease my mind...

25 days!

I didn't intend to post anything this evening when I stopped by the blog to show Jose the picture I posted of him. When the page loaded, I saw the pregnancy tracker on the left and saw the number 25!  Jackson is due to be here in 25 days.  Oh my goodness... it is crunch time.  We have three final things on our to-do list for this week:

• Find a pediatrician (have any recommendations?)
• Clean out my car and install the carseat (this will be easier if the snow melts and it warms up outside), and;
• Pack the bag for the hospital (again... what do I need and what should I leave at home?)

At my check-up last week, I was not dialated.  The doctor simply said, "His heart sounds great.  He's not doing anything."  I take that as a good thing.  We go back to the doctor this Friday for another check-up.  I will let you all know how we are doing!