Well, Caleb has finally been given his official notice... he has until 10 PM on Sunday, June 29th to come on his own, or he will be evicted from the womb.  We knew that, because of my Gestational Diabetes, early induction was likely, but now it's on the calendar!  My doctor prefers to schedule an induction approximately a week before the due date, so that means that Caleb's most likely birthday will be June 30th.  Of course, there's always the remote possibility that he could come on his own before then, but I'm not holding my breath or getting too excited. 

We went for an ultrasound last Tuesday, and Caleb's approximate weight was just over 6 1/2 lbs., which is absolutely perfect and on target for his gestational age.  So, that means that I've been a good little Gestational Diabetic and kept everything under control (benefits to my obsessive-compulsive personality).  The biggest concern with GD is that the babies tend to get big before they're done baking, which makes for huge children whose bodies aren't completely formed.  I hit the 37-week mark on Saturday, which means that I am full term, and realistically, Caleb could come anytime.  I am hoping, however, that he at least has the decency to wait until after my last day of work (tomorrow, the 17th) and maybe even give me a few days to chill.  I know, though, that I have absolutely no control or say in the matter.  He'll do what he wants.  Stubborn thing. 

So, what's left?  I have an appointment Wednesday with the midwife @ my OB's practice, and will have another Non-Stress Test (basically, they hook me up to a monitor and watch his heart rate for 20 minutes).  Then, I go back the following Friday (27th) for an appointment with my doc's associate (who I really like) and yet another NST.  And then, Sunday night, the 29th, we'll head toward Calebration (yeah, yeah.. I know it's Celebration, but I keep telling him it's CALEBration..heehee) Hospital and sometime within the next 24 or so hours, our little man will arrive!

Walt and I still need to iron out our wishes as far as visitors, etc. are concerned.  I've come to realize through this pregnancy process that I really am a very private person.  I know that I will be very vulnerable and really have no idea what to expect from myself during labor.  Because I'm being induced, the process will likely be a lot harder on me than if I were to go into labor naturally... this means that an epidural is fairly likely.  Part of me would like to have a natural birth, but I know my limits, and I'd rather be comfortable and able to relax.  I don't know, honestly, if I'll be up for visitors during labor.  From what I've heard, it's a long, drawn-out process and I might actually enjoy the company.. but I don't know.  After he's born, I know that Walt and I will have some bonding time with Caleb before we welcome any visitors in the room.  I know that there will be people in the waiting room (which makes me anxious, really, knowing that they're waiting on me), but everyone will have to wait for a while.  Hopefully, someone (doctor, nurses?) will be able to let everyone know when he's here... but like I said, it will be a while before the green light is given.  First in, of course, will be immediate family... our parents and my sister.  Then, depending on time and how we're feeling, we may let a few more people in the room.  But, I'm really hoping no one gets offended if we don't do visitors the first day.  Tuesday, however, I think we'll be a lot more open to people coming by to meet Caleb.  Please remember, though, he will be rooming-in with us (all day and night), so there's a great possibility that we'll be exhausted and napping together as a family.  My best advice would be to send a text message to one of us to see if we're up to having visitors?!  And then, once we get home, we will probably need a few days to get used to a schedule, so call before coming by to make sure that the timing is good.  Once we see what his schedule is going to be like, we might open up certain blocks of time for visitors, but even then, we'll likely want to limit the amount of time that people are there.  From what I've read, overstimulation is not a good thing in the first few weeks, so we will have to be overprotective of him (yeah, as if that WASN'T happening anyway?).  Oh, and a side note: I will absolutely be one of those paranoid Purell moms!  We are not sticking to the standard vaccination schedule, so until his immune system is better-developed (around 4 months), he won't be passed around much, and anyone who holds him will be asked to wash or otherwise sanitize their hands first. 

Bottom line... we can't wait to meet our little man!  We know it'll be sooner than later.. within the next two weeks!! I'm excited, nervous, anxious, scared... but I am so in love with this kid, and I can't wait to have him in my arms!

Well, I finally got the pics from one of our baby showers, so I thought I'd upload a pic of us.. we're getting ready to open presents! :) Haha!

They say time flies when you're having fun.  I think that time also flies when you're busy as a bee, exhausted, sleep-deprived, sore, in the bathroom every 30 minutes... and the list goes on and on.  I'm so embarrassed!  I had such lofty ambitions of blogging at least weekly, if not daily.  In case you hadn't noticed, it hasn't happened!  Jeepers.

So, I'm now 36 weeks pregnant.  This means that little Caleb is pretty much ready-to-go, and if I went into labor, they would let things progress and would not try to stop me from delivering.  That, in and of itself, is frightening!  Haha!!  I mean, I'm totally stoked and so ready to meet our little man... but as far as feeling prepared, I could go for another 9 months!  I told a friend the other day that this is why it's good that I'm TOTALLY not in control of his arrival/delivery.  It'll have to be in God's timing.  And I have to be okay with that, because I have no other option.

Just an update on the medical side of things... for those who don't know, I have Gestational Diabetes, which basically means that the placenta is producing a hormone that supresses insulin.  Some women can produce enough insulin to overcome it, others (like me) can't.  I took it really hard at first.  I felt like I was a bad person, or had been irresponsible (despite my efforts to eat healthy, etc.).  After time, though, I realized that it's just my body and I have no control over it.  I'm okay with it now.  I am on a very strict diet, a low dose of medication, and checking my blood sugar levels 4 times a day.  It stinks, but I only have a few more weeks.  Because I'm on the medication, I will be induced at 39 weeks.  The most likely scenario is that I'll check in to the hospital (sounds like checking in to the Marriott, huh? Haha) Sunday evening, June 29th, to begin the process, and Caleb will arrive sometime on June 30th, depending on how it all goes.  Of course, there's always a substantial chance that I could go into "spontaneous labor" between now and then and not have to mess with the induction.  Either way, it's fine.  The induction doesn't sound pleasant, but then, neither does childbirth in general.  I keep reminding myself that God will give me the strength and endurance I need to get through it AT THAT TIME... not in advance.  So, I just have to trust Him, and trust that He will take care of me.

We got the nursery furniture yesterday, so we should have Caleb's room finished up this weekend.  The dresser/changer was already assembled, but the crib still needs to be put together.  After our three showers, we have a TON of gifts... we were able to work through about half of the mountain Wednesday night (to make room for the furniture), but there's still much to be done. 

My last working day will be June 17th, so hopefully, that will give me time to get rested and prepared before Caleb's arrival... hopefully...  BUT we start working 4 10-hour days on Monday, so I will almost certainly be wiped out by the time I quit working.  Eesh.

Those are pretty much all of the current updates for now.  We'll try to give you the latest info as it happens!  For now,  I'll leave you with what's happening this week:

Your pregnancy: 36 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)

Wow, it's getting close.  Less than a month away now.  I am so ready for him to be here.  We still have a few things to get finished up but for the most part, we are good.

 We kind of had a fiasco with the crib that we bought but we got that all worked out and should be picking it up along with the changing table/dresser some time this week.

 We've had two baby showers so far and the 3rd is this afternoon.  We've been extremely blessed with everything that we have received.  My "2nd mom" and "sister" and "niece" came down form IN for our shower we had Saturday.  That was awesome!  I'm still trying to talk them into moving back.  Abby is growing up so fast.