Anxiously Anticipating Jackson's Arrival!

We had our 37 week Dr.'s appointment on Thursday and found out some exciting news. The Dr. told us that the baby has started to drop. I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. She could actually feel his head on the cervix. So.....Jackson could be arriving early! It was a surprising report considering the week before my cervix was closed and thick. A lot has changed in just a week's time! I know that it could still be weeks before he decides to make his entrance into the world, but he could also be here in just a few days. I am hoping for sooner than later. I can't wait to hold our precious new baby boy in my arms! He's been growing and moving around inside me for so long, I am definitely ready to meet this little guy. What will he look like? Which features of mine and Byron's will he have? What will his personality be like? Will he have hair? If acid reflux is any indication, he should have a thick head of hair. So far the Dr. thinks he'll be a pretty average size baby....depending on when he comes, between 6.5lbs. and 7.5 lbs. That sounds wonderful to me!! Let's hope she's right.

The only thing is...... we need Jackson to wait until at at least Monday before he makes an appearance. My mom and sisters are in St. Louis for a family reunion this weekend. I'm missing out on all the fun, but I'm glad I'm not away from home right now. They'll be back Sunday afternoon, which isn't far now. I'd just hate for them to miss the birth. Plus, Byron might need a little support. As long as he doesn't pass out, he'll be great!

So it's not even July yet........I knew it would be hot towards the end of my pregnancy, but wow.....multiple days in the three digits is crazy! It's still in the 90's at 10 o'clock at night and we wake up to it being 80 degrees already. The pool sounds heavenly! As you can imagine, I don't want to have anything to do with the outdoors. It's too hot to do much of anything. I lose my ankles everyday now and I have cankles for the first time in my life, but I'm making it. They say there's a cold front that's suppose to come through in a few days. I'm looking forward to that! It might actually drop into the mid 90's. But wait, does that sound like a cold front to you?? I guess I'll take what we can get.......and enjoy it!

Well, we'll keep ya'll updated. Hopefully we'll have some more exciting news to share soon. In the meantime, we'd appreciate your prayers for a safe, uneventful delivery and a healthy baby boy. Thanks!

The World of Blogging

Well I've decided to give blogging a try since our family will soon be expanded to three. It's not going to be easy and I'm not sure how exciting it will be for ya'll, but I thought I'd give it a shot. Maybe it will help us stay better connected with friends and family who live out of town. Plus I know we all have busy schedules so it might help us all stay "current" in each other's lives, even if you do live in Dallas. I don't know if this is the best was to blog, but why not.....it can work, right? I figure that way we can share our photos and blog all in the same spot. I guess we'll see how it goes.

So we are now 4 weeks away from my due date of July 17th. Byron and I are extremely excited to meet our precious son, Jackson Parker!! Of course there is some apprehension about the whole labor thing, but we know it's in God's hands. We feel about as ready as we can get at this point. We've bought all the necessities, the nursery is ready, my bag is just about packed for the hospital and I've been reading all kinds of books & info. Sometimes I wonder what mothers did centuries ago when there was nothing to read to get educated about childbirth, raising babies, etc. Who would have ever thought breastfeeding could be such a complicated phenomena? Isn't it suppose to be a natural thing? Pretty amazing! I'll have to let you know how it goes. Anyway, Byron is even reading a book for dads....which I think is just so cute! He's going to be an awesome father!

For the most part I've felt pretty good throughout this pregnancy. I've been blessed to have a pretty "easy" pregnancy so far. Nothing out of the ordinary to report and the aches and pains have been minimal. No morning sickness, just nausea, and some siatic pain the first trimester, but since then it's just been tiredness and pain in my pelvic area muscles. I really can't complain too much. I am starting to get quite uncomfortable because my belly seems SO big! Sleeping hasn't been the best, especially since I get up every 2 hours to go to the bathroom, but the good thing is I have no problem falling right back to sleep. I've always been a good sleeper, which might pose to be a problem when Jackson gets here. People keep informing me of all the sleep we won't get when we get home from the hospital. I guess at this point I can only imagine....and it takes me back to some crazy college days. I must say I have had some crazy dreams though!! But, I hear that's all a part of it.

29 Weeks

33 weeks

Jackson is a pretty active guy, but he is also a good sleeper. He doesn't move around too much at night so he doesn't keep me up. I am thankful for that. He does, however, like to move and kick me early in the morning as to say, get up already mommy. He also lets me know he's around throughout the day. Maybe that means he'll be a good sleeper at night. Yea, probably just good wishing. He also seems to love music. Nothing gets him moving more than the sound of music. We went to the George Strait concert a few weeks ago and that really got him doing somersaults. He also gets active at church when we start singing. That is one way I know he'll take after his dad. Both are music lovers! We can't wait to see what Jackson will look like. I suspect he'll have a head of hair since I've had some bouts with acid reflux. That's not fun!! I now have a greater appreciation for those who suffer with that on a regular basis.

We're also anxious to see how Maddie, our dog, is going to react to the new arrival. She's been pretty protective of me and I think a little curious about what's going on. She's not one that's been great around kids, so I hope Jackson changes that about her. I just don't think she's used to being around "little people", those who are more on her level. She is a little dog so she has quite the small dog complex. I guess that comes from being stepped on so much. I hope she's nothing but lovable towards Jackson, but we'll have to wait and see.

Well, I guess this has been quite a first entry. I need to leave some things to talk about later on. I just hope I'm motivated enough to keep adding new posts. I hope you've enjoyed it and if you feel like it, let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your comments and see who's been visiting. I'll be talking to you.