Gardner Wilson

We spent a fun weekend with the Matthis's, friends of our family for years! Christy and I had a blast, as usual. She is telling me she wants to come back down from Greensboro once I go into labor, especially if it's on a weekend. I'll try to aim for that, but of course, I can't promise anything! :0) They brought us a baby bathtub full of cute and useful gifts. We are close to having all that we will need for this baby! :0) Such wonderful, generous friends we have.....we are so blessed. My back has been hurting on and off all weekend....still hurts today. I can't tell what kind of pain it is.... And I am starting to see subtle signs that I'm swelling just a little bit, especially in the morning and late at night. My wedding rings are just a tad tight, but as the day gets started, my fingers return to normal. My feet haven't really puffed up, thank goodness. Another thing, I just feel different. I can't put my finger on it. I don

36 week checkup today....everything is still going smoothly. Baby is doing what he's supposed to and staying head-down! He said that my feeling him move a little less often is due to the fact that he's just running out of room; his movements are limited to more rolling than jabbing now, so it's not always as easy to detect. I measure 35 centimeters, which is still in the range for where I am supposed to be. Dr. Duniho approximated his weight to be about 5-1/2 lbs. He also assured me that he feels that c-sections are not to be performed unless absolutely necessary....he said that in my case, the baby's size would not be an issue. He feels sure that the baby would be well under 8 lbs. when he is born, judging from the growth patterns so far. That really set my mind at ease. One less thing to worry about! I have been getting the craziest baby comments from total strangers the past 2 weeks or so....some of them are worth sharing just for laughs! I can't tell

The belly button's out.....does that mean the baby's "done?" :0) I get more comments about how my belly button protrudes so much. I will be 36 weeks on Friday, and I really can't believe it. No more Braxton-Hicks to speak of this week....not even during exercise. Guess I'm drinking lots of water like I was told to. :0) We had our New Spring shower on Sunday afternoon. We received several really thoughtful and useful gifts. Ken and I set up the high chair we received....it only took him about 30 minutes, the little power tool-maestro that he is. It is now sitting proudly in our dining room, in anticipation of being filled (and having creamed peas smeared all over it, too). The weather is back and forth between cloudy and cool and hot and sunny. I can see fall coming, though......pretty soon it will be time to start baking gingerbread (my favorite autumn treat). I look forward to long walks in the mornings with our little baby, strolling under t

35th week doctor's appointment today. Finally was able to see Dr. Herring again. She is expecting her 3rd child, so she is right there in the same boat with many of her patients....it makes it easier to get sympathy about certain things! She said I measured where I should at this point.....and I have gained 2 lbs. since my last appointment 2 weeks ago. From this point on, I will be visiting them more often.....every single week. I can't believe I'm already to this point! It used to seem like eons away. I told her about some mild contractions I had last weekend, and she was not visibly concerned; she said that sometimes Braxton-Hicks can be mildly painful....it is just my body's way of getting prepared for true labor. She said I will be able to tell true contractions from these in that true labor contractions move from back to front, become more regular in pattern, and are not relieved by measures such as drinking more water or lying down. The best news of t

I am so ready for the baby to get here!!! The nursery will be ready by the end of this week, and I have one last baby shower this coming Sunday. Pretty soon everything will be in place, and all we'll have left to do is wait! I have been having dull cramping since Friday, off and on, and so I've been taking extra precautions to "take it easy." They seem to ease up a bit when I drink water and slow down. They haven't been unbearably painful, so I haven't felt compelled to call my doctors. But I will be mentioning it at this Friday morning's appointment. I have no idea whether it is a normal part of the process or something to be concerned about. Considering I'll be "full term" in 2 more weeks alone, they may not be that worried about it. We'll see. I have been giving thought to birth announcements some this week. I plan to have them made and ready to fill in so that will be less to think about once he's here. I have been g

The nursery is almost completely finished and ready for lil' Oliver! The crib arrived Monday, and Ken and Jason went to get it during a lunch break. Ken and I put it together Monday night, burning the midnight oil. Ken and his dad built shelves for the closet that same night, and added a hook inside the closet on which to hang the stroller. The room-size rug arrived yesterday, and after an hour of tugging and smoothing, it is now carpeting the room and adding a ton more softness. It really does look and feel like a precious nursery now. I can't believe that the baby is only about six weeks away from being born. It has seemed like eternity for so long, and now time seems to be flying by at light speed. I am well caught up on things that need to be done before he arrives; about the only big pressing matter is getting my and his bags packed. I have the list and the bags; I just have to take the time to assemble all of the necessities and fill them, ready to go when th

Met another doctor today, Dr. Duniho. We were really, really impressed with his bedside manner and his personality overall. I think I would be in very good hands if he happened to be on call on delivery day. I have been blessed with wonderful doctors....I believe God led me to them, just as He led me to the pediatrician we decided upon. Asking God to lead in all of these decisions is the best thing we could do for our baby. I was nervous about this appointment for some reason; I have not been nervous about any previous ones at all. I finally realized it was the evil one coming in to tempt me to get discouraged and afraid as I near the end of my pregnancy. Ken prayed for me, and I prayed that God would help me to rest my concerns in Him....and there was no reason to worry after all. Everything was perfect. I only gained 1 pound this month, but he said that was okay. I measure right where I should for my 33rd week. My blood pressure is still so low it's practically non-