Who is This Man?

He claims the beard will go with his Halloween costume.....

38 Weeks Today!

Each day that goes by is a day closer to getting to meet our little girl!  We are so excited and ready to meet her!

Mommy at 37 weeks pregnant

Here's what's been happening since the last baby post:

• Madelyn and I both checked out fine at our doctor's appointment last week.  I am swelling more in my ankles, feet, and hands; staying tired most of the time; and not sleeping as well, but this is all to be expected at this stage of pregnancy.  Chamomile tea has helped me to sleep better, but it does not taste good at all! 
• Madelyn dropped within the past week--she's getting ready for her arrival!
• The girls in my bible study group hosted a baby shower for me.  What a blessing it is to have a group of great Christian friends!
• Cody and I went shopping at Babies R Us to finish out our registry.  We were lucky enough to have coupons and gift cards to use, and we even have some money left on the gift cards to use later for all those things we didn't know we needed!
• I made a belly cast, with my friend Kelley's help.  This was part of Kelley's baby gift to us.  I've been working on sealing it this week.  It will eventually be painted and have her name with her birth statistics on it.  What a great keepsake for Madelyn to have!
• Cody and I are using my pregnant belly as part of our Halloween costume!  Stay tuned for another post with Halloween pics later this week...

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News...

Cody received his full license to practice medicine this week!  He was previously working under a probational license, as is the norm for all resident physicians until they pass the last part of their boards, which is taken during their first year of residency.  (Click here and refer to #2 for Cody passing Step 3 boards.)  He can now practice without having to work under an attending provider and moonlight.  Congratulations, baby!  I'm proud of you!

Madelyn's Nursery--Ready for Her Arrival!

Maternity Photos

Click here to see the photo book made with our favorite maternity photos.

Only 5 Weeks Left!?!?!

We are now 35 weeks pregnant!  My, how time has flown by (at least after the nausea subsided)!  We can't believe we only have about 5 weeks until we have a sweet little girl in our arms, give or take some, depending on when Madelyn decides to make her arrival.  We continue to try to prepare ourselves as much as possible for her arrival:

• Her nursery is now complete!  Her clothes have been washed and put away, and Cody has worked hard on putting together the swing, highchair, bouncy seat, etc.
• Hospital bags are packed
• Starting to freeze meals--so far we have some pork shoulder and chicken noodle casserole.  I'll continue to make a few more meals to freeze by making extra servings when I cook, and when we have more freezer space. 
• Christmas gifts have been bought and wrapped
• We are in the process of creating a will
• Took a childbirth class and tour of the hospital
• We are both reading a book recommended by our midwife about natural childbirth methods, The Birth Partner by Penny Simkins.  We are starting to practice these exercises so we will be better prepared when the time comes.
• The car seat is in the car

Most recent picture of Mommy at 34 weeks

How is Mommy feeling?

• a little less energy and more tired than usual
• not sleeping as well
• more frequent urination
• some heartburn/indigestion, especially at night
• so excited about Madelyn's arrival, but getting more nervous about the actual delivery process
• gained 26 lbs. during the pregnancy so far
• more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions

How is Madelyn doing?

• just as wiggly as ever, but she enjoys hitting on my bladder and my sides the most
• she seems to enjoy being on my right side the most and will sometimes put her foot up under my rib
• measuring right on target (not sure about how much she weighs, but my measurements show that she is gaining weight appropriately)
• heartrate in the 120s

Celebrations for Madelyn

We are so thankful for wonderful family and friends! We have had several showers so far, and we still have one more to go! We are so lucky to have gotten a lot of the things we need (and want) for Madelyn at the showers. 

Sherri, Cody's mom, along with some help from some friends at her church, gave us a shower on September 24. A lot of family and people from Sherri's church were in attendance. She decorated with lots of girly, pink baby items and balloons. She even made the cake for us--a yummy layer of strawberry pound cake and an equally delicious layer of chocolate pound cake. We had a great time and got tons of clothes, blankets, wipes, and other baby items at this shower!

Tables were decorated with stuffed animals, books, balloons, piggy banks, and other baby items.

Homemade cake made by Nana

The gift table had baby pictures of Cody and me

Proud Mommy and Daddy with Nana

The shower hostesses

Silly Daddy!  He has a lovey on his head!

Opening gifts with our helper, Connor.

Some of our friends gave us a shower on October 2.  Neighbors, co-workers, and people from our church were invited.  We received clothes, diapers, an activity center, and other baby items at the shower.  Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures.

Award Winning Photography

Remember this picture from our beach trip last year? 

Cody and I got up early and took a walk on the beach toward the Cherry Grove pier at sunrise.  It became one of our favorite moments at the beach that trip!  Cody submitted this photograph to a local news station sunrise photo contest, and it was chosen as the winner!  (We still can't agree on which one of us took this photo--of course, I think I took it, and he is 100% sure he took it!)  Either way, we are excited about the win!  Cody's name was announced this morning on the news, the picture was shown, and we will get a gift card to Bojangles for our prize!