And now we wait...

Greetings friends and family! I hope this finds you all well. This will be our final post as a childless couple so bear with me if it takes awhile to get the next one out. I have a feeling I will be lucky to have the energy to even check my email. Life has treated us well this past year and this past month is no different. Brad was taking every Sunday off for awhile which allowed him to practice his golf swing by "stealing" golf here at the house. What I mean is, Brad waits until the sun is about to set and the golfers are done and he heads out to the course to sneak in a few holes on foot. I am his accomplice since he helped me inprove my putting average on a couple of these outings. Plus Sadie loves chasing after Brad's golf balls when he practices his drive. It's a win-win situation!

Me at 37 weeks.

With the baby clock winding down we have been on a mad run to finish our mile long "To Do Before Maya" list. Since Brad is going back to work basically immediatly after Maya's birth, it is vital we accomplish the list sooner than later. Yet, as you go down your list and start to mark things off, they only remind you of other things you need to get done and the list just continues to grow. Even though we had a ton of household chores, school projects, and personal duties to accomplish, our main goal was the nursery and we are proud to say it is finally done! Here are a few pictures of Maya's future hideout.

Gifts of love. The blanket on the left was made by Great-grandma Martha as well as the pink pillow. The blanket on the right was made by grandma Sandi. We know Maya will love them as much as Brad and I do.

Beautiful curtains made by grandma Linda. They are my favorite part of the room.

Maya's crib. I especially love her name on the wall and her awesome safari mobile. Thanks Melissa and Pete!

Sadie in her favorite spot of the nursery. Hopefully she will play the role of protector!

Some cute girlie stickers I put up and a shelf of cute knick knacks from Grandma Sandi. My rocker is usually here, but its temporarily in our room until Maya officially moves into the nursery.

Changing table, loaded supply basket, and diaper genie ready to go!

Maya's entertainment center filled with toys and books. Thanks Grandma Sandi, for giving us everything to fill it up with.

During my time of "nesting" in Maya's preperation I have also been busting my hump with school. My hard work paid off and I made the 2008 Dean's List! That had been my goal all along and I am elated to say I did it. Now if I can do it again with a baby on my hip I will really have a reason to be proud! Since my current class ends on the same day as my original due date I had to work extra hard to ensure all of my assignments were done early just in case. Luckily I have a great professor who was willing to work with me and I am now officially done with school for the time being.

Since our last post I have been going to my midwife on a weekly basis. Four weeks ago they discovered that I was already 3 centimeters dialated and Maya was on her way into the birth canal. Panic immediatly set in as all I could think about was our "To Do List". Pictures of the car seat still sitting in the garage, baby clothes still unwashed, and an unpacked hospital bag on our bedroom floor sent shivers up my spine. I immediatly got to work and was almost ready by the next week. At this point I was now 4 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced. Maya was also farther down the birth canal. (yet I already knew this since I now walk like there is a stick or foreign object lodged in unmentionable spots) It has now been three weeks and I am still at 4 centimeters. I cannot describe how uncomfortable it is to walk and function at this state, but I am hanging in there. I have had a couple breakdowns since then out of pure frustration and I swear she is never coming out. Brad has been simply amazing in this time and I know I could never do this without him. He comes home from his 14 hours shifts and will fix me dinner, make sure I have a drink, and always leaps out of his chair to help me up from the couch. Maya and I are two lucky ladies.

Well, last week at my appointment my midwife told me that if I do not deliver this week she will schedule me for an induction. That was music to my ears. So now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, life has been a little brighter. We are hoping for Wednesday at the latest, but we know it is for sure next week. I won't be overdue by next week, but she explained that she couldn't in good conscience let me walk around this way for another week. Thank God for her! So now we sit on all day alert awaiting her arrival. If she is anything like her mommy and daddy, she is stubborn and will not come out until she is drugged.

Brad and I want to thank all of our family and close friends who have kept contact to check in on us and sent our Maya all the gifts she will grow to enjoy. We couldn't have done this without you and we love you all! Next post will be filled with pictures of our little princess, so stay tuned!